Bob Baffert

It was a relatively quiet Thursday last week when jockey John Velazquez registered his 1,000th victory at Saratoga, extending his record as the winningest jockey in Spa history. Sifting through the archives to get a feel for what was going on in the sport when Johnny V. won his first career race at Saratoga back on Aug. 5, 1990, yields a heady mix of nostalgia tinged with kismet. Although not considered a truly "historic" day of racing at the Spa, there are enough intriguing nuggets buried within the charts and...

The GII Pat O'Brien S. was billed as a softer spot for GISW Speaker's Corner (Street Sense) to land after facing leading older horses Flightline (Tapit) and Life Is Good (Into Mischief) in his last two starts, but apparently the lightly raced Laurel River (Into Mischief--Calm Water, by Empire Maker) didn't get the memo as he stormed home to take the seven-furlong Del Mar sprint, a "Win and You're In" race for the GI Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. Laurel River broke smoothly and immediately attended the pace...

Unbeaten sensation Flightline (Tapit) set fractions of :12.80, :24.60, :36.40, and stopped the clock at :59.60 for the five furlongs in his final work at Del Mar Saturday ahead of next week's GI TVG Pacific Classic. "Last work today, it was very nice," trainer John Sadler said afterward. "The idea today was not go very hard a week out. So what we try to do is just maintain his rhythm, keep him in the same place he's been in. We were thrilled. He did a minute effortlessly and he's essentially...

The debate over whether or not Medina Spirit's 2021 GI Kentucky Derby disqualification for betamethasone was the result of an injection or the application of an ointment was a focal point in the fourth day of testimony at Bob Baffert's appeal before a Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) hearing officer in Frankfort, Kentucky, on Thursday. That argument has percolated for the better part of 16 months in various hearing and courtroom settings. It is now being brought up again in front of the KHRC hearing officer to adjudicate the Hall-of-Fame...

FRANKFORT, KY - After a brief private meeting between attorneys and the hearing officer to discuss "confidentiality" matters, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission's hearing addressing trainer Bob Baffert's appeal continued, slowly but surely, on Wednesday in Frankfort, KY. While Tuesday's session focused on the KHRC's medication rules, along with those established by the industry's Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC) and the model rules of the Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI), the center of interest Wednesday was the corticosteroid betamethasone itself. The day started off with Dr. Heather Knych,...

A deeper dive into the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission's rules defining what medications are considered prohibited versus those that are considered therapeutic and the standards for out-of-competition testing in relation to betamethasone as opposed to post-race testing were the hot topics during day two of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission's hearing addressing trainer Bob Baffert's appeal Tuesday. Baffert filed the appeal to clear from his record a 90-day suspension he already served this spring, along with reversing Medina Spirit (Protonico)'s disqualification from his victory in the 2021 GI Kentucky Derby....

Trainer Bob Baffert spent 2 1/2 hours on the witness stand testifying at a Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) appeal hearing Monday. Baffert's intent by filing the appeal is to clear from his record a 90-day suspension he has already served while also reversing the KHRC's disqualification of Medina Spirit from the 2021 GI Kentucky Derby. Those penalties were the result of the Baffert-trained colt returning a positive for betamethasone after crossing the finish wire first in America's most historic and important horse race. Beyond the already-served suspension (which ran...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY--During a pre-season interview in early July, trainer Chad Brown offered another colt--at that point, with a low profile--to a discussion of his deep bench of GI Travers prospects: Zandon (Upstart), Early Voting (Gun Runner) and Jack Christopher (Munnings). "I have a late -bloomer, a horse named Artorius (Arrogate), that I really like," Brown said.  "He's going to run in the Curlin Stakes. Much like the dad, he's late bloomer. I'm not saying he's a threat to win the Travers, but I'm going to tell you: he's lightly...

Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman's Home Cooking (Honor Code), beaten at 1-2 debuting three weeks earlier at Del Mar, proved that money right and then some with a dominant off-the-pace romp to earn 'TDN Rising Star' honors Sunday at the seaside oval. Coming into her debut off a best-of-124 half-mile move in :46 flat July 24, the $11,000 Fasig-Tipton October buy turned $260,000 OBS March purchase (:9 4/5 breeze) was pressed through a swift :21.44 quarter and won the battle, but lost the war, fading late to finish...

5th-Del Mar, $81,500, Msw, 8-20, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 1:03.95, ft, 2 1/2 lengths. CLASSICAL CAT (c, 2, Mendelssohn--Conquest Strate Up {SW, $192,984}, by Not Bourbon), away as the second choice at odds of 5-1 for his career bow, broke a bit to his right from the widest post before settling in to stalk the pace while racing five wide up the backstretch. Tucked in to save ground along the rail as they raced around the turn, he inched up on the dueling leaders and was tipped out three deep to...

6th-SAR, $105K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6 1/2f, 3:55 p.m. ET RARIFY (Justify), a half-sister to champion sprinter Runhappy (Super Saver), looks to go one better at second asking here. The $750,000 KEESEP graduate set the pace and reported home second-best as the even-money favorite on debut for Wesley Ward at Saratoga July 24. Godolphin homebred Spelterini (Bernardini) also completed the exacta on debut at the Spa July 14 (Second Chances series), rallying smartly to finish a length ahead of next-out blowout winner Chocolate Gelato (Practical Joke). The field also includes...

7th-SAR, $105K, Msw, 2yo, 6 1/2f, 3:52 p.m. ET Winchell homebred ECHO AGAIN (Gun Runner) gets his career started for Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen. Produced by a stakes-placed half-sister to GISW Pyro (Pulpit), the 9-5 morning-line favorite is a half-brother to SW & GSP Pneumatic (Uncle Mo) and a full to SP Costa Terra, both winners at first asking. This same Gun Runner x Tapit cross is responsible for recent 'Rising Star' Disarm as well as last term's GII Adirondack S. heroine Wicked Halo, Monomoy Girl S. winner Society...