One of the longest running stories in American horse racing has finally reached its end, as Bob Baffert has decided to end his appear of Medina Spirit’s disqualification at the 2021 Kentucky Derby.
The winner of the race was stripped of the Triple Crown success a few months after landing victory at Churchill Downs after testing positive for a banned substance. Reports found that traces of steroid betamethasone was found in his system, and that led to Mandaloun being promoted to the winner of the race.
Baffert Banned
The news shook the world of horse racing, and Churchill Downs went event further in trying to make an example of the two-time Triple Crown winning trainer after banning him from making entries to the track for two years. That ban was also extended last July, meaning that Baffert wouldn’t be able to enter runners at Churchill Downs until at least the end of 2024.
The decision to extend the ban means that he won’t be eligible to make entries for the event this year as the race celebrates its 150th edition on May 4. That doesn’t mean, however, that the trainer won’t be making the headlines of the 2024 Kentucky Derby news.
Baffert announced that he was stopping his fight to overturn the ban on X, as he revealed that discussions with Zedan Racing owner Amr Zedan saw the connections come to the conclusion that they should focus on the present and future of the sport rather than dwelling on the past.
The trainer thanked Churchill Downs for hearing the case, and admitted that he is grateful to the changes made in the sport to protect the integrity of horse racing.
What Does It Mean For Racing This Year?
Fans of Baffert were hopeful that his regression from the court case would mean that Churchill Downs would take a more lenient approach and finally enable him to make entries for races at the track.
However, the two-year litigation battle between the parties isn’t likely to be forgotten quickly by the track, as a spokesperson for the home of the Derby announced that the decision to dismiss the appeal doesn’t change their stance and that he still will not be able to make entries for the famous race at Churchill Downs this year.
Therefore, a record win in the Triple Crown race for the Hall of Famer will need to wait until at least 2025.
Timing Is Interesting
The timing of the statement from Baffert won’t be lost on many racing fans, as next week is the deadline to announce horses that will be moved to eligible yards to pick up qualifying points to line up in the Kentucky Derby. Since the disqualification of Medina Spirit, three runners formally of the Baffert yard have competed in the Triple Crown race.
However, none of the runners have claimed victory. Taiba and Messier both lined up in the race in 2022, but despite being well-backed, neither were able to get close to stopping a shock victory for Rich Strike. There was just one previous runner from the Baffert yard to compete in the race last year, as Reincarnate competed in the Derby. All three runners have been represented by trainer Tim Yakteen, before moving back to the Baffert yard just after the race.
Which Runners Could Be On The Move This Year?
The next seven days will be very interesting, as it will be fascinating to see which runners leave the Baffert yard in order to pick up Derby qualifying points. Muth has been among the market leaders in the betting for the Triple Crown race since making his debut at Santa Anita last June.
He was a fine second in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, and showed excellent progression to mark his reappearance with a fine three-length win over Pilot Commander in the G2 San Vincent Stakes.
However, the most interesting horse that bettors will be keeping a close eye on is Nysos. The three-year-old has been well-backed to win the Derby, despite not having competed in Grade One company to this point. But, he was striking on his race course debut at Santa Anita over six furlongs, beating Urban Legend by over ten lengths. His progression continued when stepped up to seven furlongs at Del Mar in the middle of November.
Nysos easily sped clear of the field to land the spoils in the G3 Bob Hope by over eight lengths from Stronghold. There is an incredible amount of progression still likely from the three-year-old, and many already consider him to be the most exciting Triple Crown contender this year. However, he will need to be moved to a new yard next week if this son of Nyquist is to line up in the opening Triple Crown race of the season at Churchill Downs in 2024. But, Baffert may yet have bigger targets in mind for the runner later in the season.
