Churchill Downs is extending Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert ’s suspension through 2024, keeping the Triple Crown winner from entering horses in the Kentucky Derby and other races for an additional year.
Churchill Downs Incorporated announced Monday it was continuing Baffert’s ban, citing “continued concerns regarding the threat to the safety and integrity of racing he poses to CDI-owned racetracks.”
Baffert initially was suspended for two years after 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit failed a postrace drug test and later was disqualified.
In a statement, Churchill Downs said Baffert continues to “peddle false narratives” about Medina Spirit’s failed drug test.
“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,” CDI said.
The company went on to say it will re-evaluate Baffert’s status after 2024.
A message left by The Associated Press seeking comment from Baffert's camp was not immediately returned.
Baffert returned to the Triple Crown trail earlier this year at the Preakness after being suspended from that race and the Belmont in 2022 in connection with a different, 90-day ban in Kentucky that Maryland and New York honored.
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