Bob Baffert, who is banned from the Kentucky Derby, is on a mission to restore two legacies -- his own and that of Medina Spirit, who was stripped of the 2021 victory after testing positive for an anti-Inflammatory medication following the race.
Baffert told Smith in an interview at his California home that he hadn't had a chance to tell the story. We have been going through all the processes. I didn't get my due process with the track.
Baffert, who has saddled 34 horses in the Kentucky Derby, will not be at the race on Saturday. He is not allowed to run in the other two jewels of the Triple Crown -- the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes.
After last year's victory, Medina Spirit tested positive for the drug and was disqualified. The anti- inflammatory medication can be used in Kentucky, but it has to clear a horse's system at least 14 days before a race. Any level of detection on race day is a violation.
Baffert couldn't enter horses at any of the tracks for this year and through mid-2023. If a trainer or owner is banned in one state, the other states will honor that.
The Kentucky Derby winner was taken down by an ointment, according to Baffert. We are going to fight hard to save that horse, because he deserved the win.
Baffert is in federal court trying to get his suspension lifted. He has failed in his attempts to overturn the track's ban or the start of his 90-day suspension by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.
Baffert denied it when asked if he cheated.
Baffert said that he was killed when they took the name off Medina Spirit. When the facts come out, it tells a different story.
That day will come. Yeah.
Baffert said Medina Spirit had a heart attack after a workout. The cause was not determined by a necropsy.
The main thing is to save the legacy of Medina Spirit. Baffert wants to fight for the sport. The sport's legacy. The sport is fun. It is on the up and up. I think it is cleaner now than it has ever been.
I think people are getting the wrong information and the word needs to get out.
A hearing officer recommended a two-year suspension for Baffert in New York for repeated medication violations involving his horses that occurred in other states. Baffert will contest the ruling if it is approved by the New York Racing Association panel.
Baffert, who has six victories in the marquee event, told the sports network that the ointment used on Medina Spirit had no impact on his performance.
Baffert said that people were getting wrong information and that everybody ran with a false narrative. Just ran. They are still running with a false story. It takes a long time to change the biased reporting against me. I am still dealing with that. We need someone with common sense and fairness to listen to this and we have the facts. We have everything. It is all there.
Baffert is taking time for himself while he deals with the suspension.
Baffert said that he has no plans to retire and that he was taking this time to train himself. I have never taken vacations and I have never been away from my horses this long.
As the horses enter the starting gate Saturday, Baffert will be laying low and pulling for two of those that were in his barn, Messier and Taiba, and are now being trained by Tim Yakteen, a former assistant under Baffert.
Baffert, who can return to racing when his 90-day suspension ends on July 2, said he will watch the Kentucky Derby.
It's... There is still a lot of fire in me. I like what I do. I love what I do.
The report was contributed to by the Associated Press.
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