In an email obtained by Sports activities Illustrated’s Pat Forde, Churchill Downs CEO Invoice Carstanjen detailed to workers how the corporate will method possible authorized motion from horse coach Bob Baffert after he was suspended from getting into the Kentucky Derby.
“His case is with out advantage, and you ought to be assured that we’re contemplating any and all authorized choices accessible to guard our rights, set the report straight and guarantee he’s held accountable for the injury he has triggered our firm and dropped at the game at massive,” Carstanjen wrote.
Baffert was suspended by Churchill Downs and banned from getting into horses within the 2022 and 2023 Kentucky Derbies as a result of the horse Medina Spirit examined constructive for betamethasone, a authorized remedy that’s not allowed on race day, after profitable the Kentucky Derby on Might 1, 2021. He additionally was banned by the New York Racing Affiliation from getting into horses at its Belmont, Saratoga and Aqueduct tracks.
Baffert’s lawyer, Craig Robertson, launched a press release that checks accomplished by a New York lab have “positively confirmed” Medina Spirit examined constructive for the steroid as a consequence of an ointment administered to deal with a pores and skin rash, not an injection, in keeping with The Associated Press. They’re arguing that as a result of there was no injection, there needs to be no suspension.
The corridor of fame horse coach’s attorneys have drafted a grievance in pursuit of a settlement that might enable Baffert to compete within the 2022 Kentucky Derby on Might 7, per The Courier-Journal. No lawsuit has been formally filed, however Carstanjen clearly desires the help of his workers.
“Within the coming days, it’s possible that you could be proceed to listen to this play out publicly and, if historical past is an indicator, particulars may very well be dramatized, confused or utterly muddled,” he wrote. “That’s the reason I believe it is necessary that you just hear straight from me about our accountability, our rights and our plan of motion, with the intention to believe in realizing that CDI is unwavering in our dedication to doing the best factor.“
Extra Horse Racing Protection:
• Bob Baffert, Medina Spirit House owners Sue Kentucky Racing Officers
• Bob Baffert’s Weekend at Pimlico Did not Supply Vindication, Solely Extra Questions
• Churchill Downs Has Pronounced That America’s Greatest Race Is Larger Than Its Greatest Coach
