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(WYMT / WKYT) – Update 9/12
On Thursday, Bob Baffert's lawyer defended the coach and champion horse after reports that Justify failed a drug test several weeks before the Kentucky Derby.
Justify, ridden by jockey Mike Smith, wins the 150th Belmont Stakes., Photo Date: June 9, 2018 / Photo: ZUMA Press / (MGN)
The sister station WKYT reports that a lawyer from Baffert said that he thought the reaction to the New York Times report was exaggerated.
"There was no intentional administration of any kind of substance to Justify, there was no cheating in this particular case," said Craig Robertson, attorney.
The California Horse Racing Board has closed the case in camera, although in other cases, horses have been disqualified.
"There are many unanswered questions here, and a hurry to judge, even if it sometimes makes you feel good, rarely gets you where you need to come to understand what has really happened," he said. Mary Scollary with Racing Medication and Consortium of Tests.
The Baffert team claims that Justify was exposed to scopolamine while he ate horse feed. Industry experts say that scopolamine can contaminate hay and straw used for horse feed. Experts say they would not give it to horses.
"I think the possibility of adverse events is much greater than any potential beneficial events," Scollay said.
In a statement, Baffert said: "Justify is one of the best horses I've had the privilege of training and, in every way, it's one of the best horses of all time. to defend his record and mine. "
His lawyer says that Baffert has done nothing wrong.
"Racing is an outstanding sport and Mr. Baffert remains one of the leaders in this sport, which behaves with integrity and character," said Robertson.
Industry experts say that drugs like scopolamine are banned not because they provide an advantage to horses, but to ensure the safety of horses on the track.
Original story
Justify won the Triple Crown in 2018, becoming one of only two horses in the 21st century to win it. However, the New York Times reported that Justify failed a drug test a few weeks before the first race of the Triple Crown, the Kentucky Derby. The failure of the drug test took place on April 7, 2018, in the winning horse of the Triple Crown, Bob Baffert.
The Times reports that the California Horse Racing Board has "taken a series of behind-the-scenes decisions to drop the case and ease the penalty for any horse having the Prohibited Substance Justify tested positive in its system."
According to some sources, Justify would have obtained a positive result at scopolamine after winning the Santa Anita Derby, which would improve the performance of the horse. According to the New York Times, the failure of the anti-doping test would result in disqualification as well as the prize and stain of the Kentucky Derby.
Instead, the New York Times reports that California regulators waited three weeks to inform Bob Baffert that his horse had failed the exam. Four months after the positive result of the screening test, the jury "completely stopped the investigation during a closed session of management". They mentioned that Justify could have eaten contaminated food and therefore contract scopolamine.
For more information on the case, read the New York Times article right here.
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