Baffert Should Be Afforded Due Process

[TGJB]

Againâ€" everyone needs to read what I’ve been writing more carefully.

[DenverDoc]

Good point. I’m stumped. It makes no sense whatsoever. We should use Hong Kong as a model for stopping this nonsense. But I’m not happy we’ve gone back to the occasional lasix ban in lieu of a comprehensive sensible policy- back to the bad old days of guessing what lasix off means. It seemed to mean a lot in the past when horses came from Monmouth to toga and didn’t run a step.

[Molesap]

Totally off topic â€" but I wondered where is Mejia now? In 2018, MLB announced that Mejía was being reinstated. He pitched a few innings in the Dominican Summer League Mets and was released by that organization at the end of the year. In early 2019 he signed a minor league contract with the Red Sox where he went 2-8 with eight saves and a 6.02 ERA. He signed with a team in the Mexican League in 2020 but did not play due but the cancellation the season because of the pandemic. So indeed, he may be bagging groceries now.

[Roman]

https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/250122/baffert-horses-clear-first-round-of-maryland-testing

What will happen if both Baffert’s run pairs or tops, the xrayed clean, turned over the vet records and so did the vet, and have been tested multiple times.

If they x or off, the suspicions will grow.

I like both horses in the race , and actually see them running 1-2.
All this did was create a headache for people like me who are trying to bring new parimutuel money to the game.
When I was explaining that this horse tested positive for a medication that is allowed but not on race day, to my non racing friends, I got a lot of , “that makes no sense”, why can you use it , then get in trouble for using it. Obviously the withdrawal times are worthless when checking at the picogram level because each horse is different.
Every one wants an equal playing field, if they can test Bafferts horses multiple times this week, why don’t they just pull blood every other day regardless if they are racing or not? Along with strict surveillance, and hospital like cleanliness, and meticulous record keeping , you give them no excuses. Then at the first offense you can give them the Hollendorfer, banned for life. The tracks and the horsemen have a lot of work to do.

[Strike]

I have seen Hollendorfer\'s name mentioned a number of times as compared with the Baffert Kentucky Derby positive. Remember --

Hollendorfer was the most prominent trainer to be banned from Stronach Group tracks in the wake of publicity surrounding the deaths of 30 horses during racing or training at Santa Anita in the winter-spring season that ended June 30, 2019.


The complete Hollendorfer story was never relayed -- at least to me -- but as I understand it he was told not to work an unsound horse and that same horse broke down and had to be euthanized after that work. Someone else might have better information than this but my point is the ban was not specifically based on drug positives; it had to do with the reckless ignorance of a specific directive during a time when multiple horses were breaking down.

[T Severini]

Richie, I can\'t pronounce the name of the Drug Medina Spirit had in his blood, however, I do know its a steroid. I know also there is a Zero Tolerance policy in regard to any amount discovered in a Horse\'s blood post race. It is a matter of Strict Liability. They did not prevent the violation and thus it is on Baffert.

Can steroids improve performance?  Well they sure do in humans. If they don\'t have that effect upon Equines, I\'m not in that loop. As stated, this Steroid is zero tolerance on Race Day.

I\'ve read Baffert is not dumb. Never really listened to him about anything but his horses.  The strained arguments he made hiding from the positive certainly indicate he is not a Rocket Scientist. He really impeached himself, likely because he was desperate being apprehended upon the biggest weekend for the second year running.  However, dragging out old defenses did not illustrate a clever man. He is old now and clearly he is slipping in more than one area.

Folks see things differently, but the amount of the Steroid discovered with Gamine last year and now Medina Spirit indicates they injected those horses very close to the \"Half Life\" expiration moment. The Vets are saying the half life indicates
 very close to 3 days prior to the races. The suggestion by the State is 14 days beforehand.  They really want these horses racing very close to the Drug just having lapsed in detectibility.

For those that believe the barn is too savvy to risk the  drug being detected, there is a reason why they may risk it and lose out to not enough leadtime or better State Techinique and Lab testing...and clearly that reason is straighforward.

The reward is worth the risk and that the reward has been ongoing.

 
I\'m Not an Addict


 >
>richiebee Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>Strike thanks for the kind words. If this split sample confirms original results,
> and Racing does not take its
> opportunity to sanction a high profile repeat
> offender, lets do away with the
> whole notion of the \"Sport of Kings\" and bring in
> Vince McMahon to be national
> racing czar.
>
> Beta Bob\'s current problem is that he is messing
> with the BIG money--Grade I
> races, stallions worth millions. Stallion value is
> of course determined by
> pedigree and statistics so it is unlikely the
> value of an Arrogate, AmPhar,
> Justify or Authentic will be affected by the fact
> that they were trained by
> Baffert.
>
> Baffert really made a problem for himself by
> messing with the only race run at
> any of the CD tracks that CD really cares about;
> CD\'s action was swift and certain.
>
> I think BB\'s business will suffer whether he is
> sanctioned or not; sadly ALL of
> Racing is suffering now due to BB\'s actions and
> behavior.

[Fairmount1]

Silver,

The CHRB read your post apparently.  See the story in the link below.  But the story raises two questions for me.  

First, how does a horse die of pneumonia?  Bob is just having some really really bad luck lately.  Luck so bad it seems unbelievable.  Must be someone out to get him as he alluded to in his so called \"presser\" when announcing Medina\'s Derby positive.  

Second, if the CHRB and Stronach are so worried about Due Process for trainers, then what happened with Due Process for Jerry Hollendorfer?

I doubt any solid answers to either one of these is readily forthcoming.  

https://www.horseracingnation.com/news/Calif_board_says_it_cannot_suspend_Baffert_without_due_process_123

[Strike]

A couple of publications quoted Baffert\'s lawyer a couple of weeks ago that they have not selected the lab to conduct the split test. Apparently, there is no required timeframe that Baffert\'s team needs to meet for such a lab selection. Speculation at the time was an intentional stall to allow Baffert to run in the Belmont. Of course, the suspension quashed any effort for him to enter horses in races.

That brings us to \"due process.\" I assume the term is being used in its literal meaning -- fair treatment through a judicial system -- in this case a Hearing. I further assume that as long as Baffert\'s team stalls by not selecting a lab to test the split sample, there will be no Hearing and therefore no due process provided.

Obviously, gaming the system...again.

[Silver Charm]

First off I didnt say Baffert was \"Not Guilty\".  I said he needs to have his day and laying low would not he a bad idea.

I\'ve also explained the economics of his operation. And for every Nadal or Charlatin he has there are 8 to 10 in that same price range that never make it to the Track. Speaking of those two they were probably syndicated for about $25M total. And they had how many total career races? Those investors haven\'t fired Baffert yet.

It\'s funny how Baffert sends Medina Spirit to the lead. He wires the Derby field running a 1. Backs it up with 3rd in the Preakness after a contested pace. Al Stall and Brad Cox send out 1X Runners on Derby Day and they runs 1\'s. One wins by 11 the other by 5. Both Trainers have a record. But everyone is fine. We got Bob so racing is now The Sport of Clean.....

[moosepalm]

Silver Charm Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> First off I didnt say Baffert was \"Not Guilty\".  I
> said he needs to have his day and laying low would
> not he a bad idea.
>
> I\'ve also explained the economics of his
> operation. And for every Nadal or Charlatin he has
> there are 8 to 10 in that same price range that
> never make it to the Track. Speaking of those two
> they were probably syndicated for about $25M
> total. And they had how many total career races?
> Those investors haven\'t fired Baffert yet.
>
> It\'s funny how Baffert sends Medina Spirit to the
> lead. He wires the Derby field running a 1. Backs
> it up with 3rd in the Preakness after a contested
> pace. Al Stall and Brad Cox send out 1X Runners on
> Derby Day and they runs 1\'s. One wins by 11 the
> other by 5. Both Trainers have a record. But
> everyone is fine. We got Bob so racing is now The
> Sport of Clean.....

You really should stop trying to deflect the conversation away from Baffert\'s history by saying other usual suspects are getting a free pass.  Whether they are or not by the authorities is an issue I can\'t address, but they aren\'t by the bettors and most of the posters on this board.  No one is happy about the overall state of racing and the inconsistencies of enforcement, and the fact that a number of trainers are sucking the life out of betting pools. However, if Baffert is the whipping boy of the moment, he has earned it with a Lifetime Achievement Award on many of the biggest days of racing.

[Strike]

I guess by looking at \"Your Name\" -- Silver Charm -- we know where your feelings are. Mentioning that Baffert\'s owners haven\'t fired him yet totally missed the point. Of course they haven\'t. UNTIL. He is labeled a cheater. UNTIL. His purse wins are wiped out. UNTIL. He is known for disrespecting the horses under his care -- and their value drops. UNTIL the CHRB grows some balls. The owners will continue to love him.

Why wouldn\'t they?