![]() ![]() In the final moments of Wolsing's cross-examination of the witness, Wolsing asked Borden if the ruling handed down to Baffert by the stewards for his four offenses in that year period was a penalization that she'd stand behind today. The case of Kentucky-based trainer Carlos Lopez, who was suspended a total of 180 days following four violations within a year-period in 20, was also brought up as a parallel to Baffert's case. Though the case was dealt with under old rules, the case was presented to draw a parallel to the Baffert case, as Borden said the administration of the betamethasone was irrelevant then and Amoss was sanctioned and the horse that tested positive was disqualified. Over an objection by Baffert's attorney Clark Brewster, Wolsing presented a 2016 case regarding a betamethasone positive that involved trainer Tom Amoss, where he explained that he believed it came from application of an ointment. 25, 2020, there were only two positives, and both were in Baffert horses: Gamine and Medina Spirit. “We did consider everything that was presented to us and ultimately this was our unanimous decision,” she said.Īlso, during Wolsing's time taking testimony from Borden, she presented results of a review of positives for betamethasone that noted since the threshold change on Aug. She reaffirmed that the stewards' decision was based on Baffert's four offenses in the 365-day period, including Gamine and Medina Spirit's overages of betamethasone in Kentucky–both considered Class C violations–and the overages of lidocaine found in the post-race samples of Charlatan ( Speightstown) and Gamine after each won on 2020 GI Arkansas Derby Day, which are considered Class B violations. When asked if her decision in the final ruling was influenced at all by factors such as the media, the cases with Churchill Downs and the New York Racing Association, or Gerard O'Brien–Borden's significant other of 30 years that is a seasonal employee of Turfway Park (which is owned by Churchill Downs)–Borden was firm in her answer, “no.” I felt like the process we were gonna go through…there was going to be a lot of publicity, bad for racing in general, would possibly be drawn out like it has been,” she responded when asked by Wolsing what her reaction to the positive test result was. “I'm not happy when there's any medication violation. ![]() Along with Gamine's disqualification, Baffert was fined $1,500.įrom there, Borden responded to questions specifically regarding what transpired following the confirmation of Medina Spirit's betamethasone overage in the 2021 Kentucky Derby. ![]() However, the KHRC maintained that any systematic presence of betamethasone, regardless of how it was received, is prohibited on race day.īorden took to the stand at 9 a.m., where she began answering questions from KHRC general counsel Jennifer Wolsing, setting the foundation for further inquiry with a review of Gamine (Into Mischief)'s disqualification from her third-place finish in the 2020 GI Kentucky Oaks following her post-race blood test that revealed the presence of betamethasone. The day started off with Kentucky chief steward Barbara Borden taking the witness stand, where she stayed nearly four and a half hours while providing testimony, as Baffert's team argued that since the betamethasone was administered as an ointment rather than injected, it did not violate any regulations. A deeper dive into the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission's rules defining what medications are considered prohibited versus those that are considered therapeutic and the standards for out-of-competition testing in relation to betamethasone as opposed to post-race testing were the hot topics during day two of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission's hearing addressing trainer Bob Baffert's appeal Tuesday.īaffert filed the appeal to clear from his record a 90-day suspension he already served this spring, along with reversing Medina Spirit (Protonico)'s disqualification from his victory in the 2021 GI Kentucky Derby.īoth were the result of the Baffert trainee testing positive for betamethasone after winning the first leg of last year's Triple Crown, which led to the stewards' February ruling which disqualified the horse, cost owner Zedan Racing Stables the $1.86-million purse, and served Baffert his suspension (which ran from April through early July) and a $7,500 fine.
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