The three-year standoff between Bob Baffert and Churchill Downs ended Friday when the Hall of Fame trainer said he will take responsibility for Medina Spirit‘s positive drug test after winning the Kentucky Derby in 2021, and Churchill Downs rescinded his suspension. The six-time Derby winner will be eligible to return to the race next year.
“We are satisfied that Mr. Baffert has taken responsibility for his actions, completed a substantial penalty and is committed to running in full compliance with the rules and regulations going forward,” Churchill Downs chief executive Bill Carstanjen said in a statement. “All parties agree that it is time to bring this chapter to a close and focus on the future. Mr. Baffert is welcome to return to any of CDI’s racetracks, including our flagship Churchill Downs Racetrack, and we wish him and his connections good luck in their future competitive endeavors.”
Baffert issued the first statement on the matter minutes before a negotiated agreement between the parties.
“I accept responsibility for Medina Spirit’s positive test in the 2021 Kentucky Derby,” Baffert said on social media. “I am responsible for any substance found in the horses that I train, and I have paid a very steep price with a three-year suspension and the disqualification of Medina Spirit’s performance.
“I understand and appreciate that Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission took steps to enforce the rules that they believed were necessary to protect the safety and integrity of horse racing and the reputation of the Kentucky Derby. My family and I want to put this behind us and get back to doing what we love to do without anymore distraction or negativity. I very much look forward to returning to Churchill Downs and getting back to the Winner’s Circle.”
Baffert thought he had won his seventh Kentucky Derby when Medina Spirit won the race in 2021. But a week later a positive test for betamethasone set the scene for several legal challenges to what initially was a two-year suspension. Even though Baffert‘s horses had no other medication positives, he was suspended at least one more year, which included this year’s Derby. Churchill Downs said he wasn’t contrite enough.
Now, apparently, he is, and will be allowed back in the most famous horse race in the world.