A New York federal judge nullified horse trainer Bob Baffert’s suspension on Wednesday, after concluding that the New York Racing Association (NYRA) acted unconstitutionally when it did not allow Baffert to respond to allegations made against him after his horse, Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit, failed a post-race drug test.
Brooklyn Judge Carol Bagley Amon specifically ruled that denying Baffert a post-suspension hearing, where he would have had the opportunity to refute the claims, was unconstitutional.
She said the association “had held no hearing — let alone a prompt one,” according to The Associated Press.
Amon wrote that the trainer made a “strong showing” that there would be irreversible damage if his suspension was not overturned.
She also directly responded to the NYRA’s argument, which said they suspended Baffert to protect the integrity of the sport, questioning how the public could have an interest in the sport if it is “enforced by unconstitutional means.”
“That may be true, but the public has no interest in having the ‘integrity of the sport’ enforced by unconstitutional means,” she wrote, according to the AP.
Baffert’s attorney, W. Craig Robertson, welcomed the news of Amon’s decision, calling it “one small step, in one venue, toward righting those wrongs.”
“I have said from the beginning that, following the Kentucky Derby, there was an improper rush to judgment and Mr. Baffert has been treated unfairly,” Baffert’s attorney wrote in a statement to The Hill.
“I am grateful for a Court system that protects an individual when his Constitutional rights have been trampled on by an entity like NYRA. All that being said, my hope is that this ruling will lead toward cooperation between the parties and not further division. Bob Baffert and NYRA have had a good relationship in the past. My hope is that they can get to that point again for the overall good of horse racing,” he continued.
The NYRA, in a statement following the decision, said it is reviewing the ruling to “determine our legal options and next steps.”
“What is clear, however, is that Mr. Baffert’s actions and behavior can either elevate or damage the sport. We expect Mr. Baffert to exert appropriate controls over his operation,” the group continued.
The association also stuck by its decision to suspend Baffert following the Kentucky Derby, writing that it was “taken to protect the integrity of thoroughbred racing” at a “time of crisis for the sport.”
“Importantly, the court upheld NYRA’s authority to exclude individuals from its racetracks whose conduct is contrary to the best interests of thoroughbred racing. The court also rejected Baffert’s argument that NYRA had no legal authority to take the action that it did,” the association added.
The suspension would have barred Baffert from entering hoses at Saratoga, according to the AP. That summer meet opens on Thursday.
“The 2021 Saratoga summer meet is a one-time opportunity. And given that many of the races are limited to horses of a certain age, an inability to compete in those races now means those horses will never have the chance,” Amon wrote, according to the AP.
The NYRA announced that it was temporarily suspending Baffert in May after Medina Spirit tested positive for the anti-inflammatory drug betamethasone. Any level of detection of the steroid the day of the race is a violation.