The weekly TRC industry digest - a round-up of the international racing news from the past week.
Medina Spirit positive: Hefty ban for Baffert
North America: Churchill Downs has confirmed Medina Spirit’s positive drug test after the Kentucky Derby, leading to an immediate suspension for trainer Bob Baffert.
“Reckless practices and substance violations that jeopardize the safety of our equine and human athletes or compromise the integrity of our sport are not acceptable,” Bill Carstanjen, chief executive of Churchill Downs, said on Wednesday. “Mr Baffert’s record of testing failures threatens public confidence in Thoroughbred racing and the reputation of the Kentucky Derby.”
The colt would become only the second horse in the 147-year history of the race to be disqualified as its winner because of a failed drug test. Seven-times Derby winner Baffert will be prohibited from entering horse at the historic track until 2024.
Clark Brewster, a lawyer who represents Medina Spirit’s owner, Amr Zedan, said a laboratory at the University of California tested a second post-race sample from the Derby, which confirmed the presence, at a prohibited level, of the drug betamethasone.
Brewster said the laboratory did not test the blood or urine samples for the presence of other compounds, “which could prove the trace positive came from an inadvertent and materially inconsequential contamination” that could have come from an ointment used to remedy a skin complaint on Medina Spirit’s hip.
Dual Triple Crown winner Baffert has remained steadfast in protesting his innocence, going as far to blame “cancel culture” and myriad of conspiracy theories.
Epsom Derby: Major royal celebration planned – next year
Europe: The 2022 Cazoo Derby will form part of the official Platinum Jubilee Weekend to celebrate the historic 70-year reign of Her Majesty The Queen, who “accompanied by members of the Royal Family, will attend the Derby at Epsom Downs”.
She will become the first British monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee (70 years of service), having acceded to the throne in 1952. In those years, the Queen achieved her best result to date in the Derby when Aureole finished second to Pinza in 1953.
In 2011, Carlton House, trained for her by Sir Michael Stoute, was 5/2 favourite but could only finish third after losing a shoe and being forced wide on the turn for home.
Phil White, who runs the Cazoo Derby Festival as London regional director of Jockey Club Racecourses, paid tribute to the monarch’s lengthy support of the race, calling the “opportunity to celebrate the contribution she has made to horseracing” a “real honour for all of us at the Jockey Club”. He added that “planning for this very special occasion has already begun, even before we have staged this year’s Cazoo Derby”.
Trainer Vega suspended after syringe find
North America: The Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission has summarily suspended owner-trainer Ricardo Vega after multiple loaded needles and syringes were found in his tack room at Parx in a large-scale raid at the facility last week.
Vega - who has appealed the commission’s decision - will be “denied the privileges of the grounds” of all racetracks in Pennsylvania due to commission suspensions being typically honoured in other racing jurisdictions. He has not had a starter since May 19, two days before the raid, with multiple horses scratched by stewards.
Vega was inducted into the Parx Hall of Fame in 2018 and has trained winners of over 1,100 races with earnings of more than $19.5 million.
Elsewhere in racing …
Europe: Prize money at the UK Jockey Club’s racecourses is set to increase by more than £3 million for the remainder of 2021. More here
North America: Chad Brown is closing In on 100 Graded stakes wins at Belmont Park. More here
Oceania: One of the five Thoroughbreds killed in a float crash in the Hunter Valley has been revealed as the former Chris Waller-trained mare Tsaritsa, who was sold days earlier at the Magic Millions for $950,000. More here