Bob Baffert: Is Famed Horse Trainer Still Suspended From The Kentucky Derby?
Bob Baffert has been an annual staple at Churchill Downs each May. The famed trainer has had horses win the Kentucky Derby six times in his career. A popular question in recent days has been is Bob Baffert still suspended from the Kentucky Derby? Below we will look at whether or not Baffert is still banned from Churchill Downs.
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Is Bob Baffert still suspended from the Kentucky Derby?
A big question this time of year is whether or not Bob Baffert is still suspended from the Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs? The answer to that query is yes.
Churchill Downs extended Baffert’s suspension through 2024. It is expected that Baffert will be allowed to race horses in the 2025 Kentucky Derby.
The six-time Derby winner was initially suspended for two years after Medina Spirit failed a postrace drug test in 2021. Churchill Downs Inc announced last July that it was tacking on another year to Baffert’s ban, citing “continued concerns regarding the threat to the safety and integrity of racing he poses to CDI-owned racetracks.
“A trainer who is unwilling to accept responsibility for multiple drug test failures in our highest-profile races cannot be trusted to avoid future misconduct.”
Will Baffert be allowed to race horses in the Preakness and Belmont?
While Baffert is still suspended from the Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs, he is set to race horses in both the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. Muth, who likely would have been a favorite in the Kentucky Derby, is set to run. Imagination, also Baffert-trained, is also set to run in the Preakness.
Baffert was victorious in last year’s Preakness as National Treasure took the crown. Horses trained by Baffert are also expected to run in the third leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont, in June.
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