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Racing stewards last month nullified Baffert-trained horse
Medina Spirit's victory in the 2021 Kentucky Derby due to the
presence of a banned drug in his system and handed the trainer
the suspension and a fine of $7,500.
Clark Brewster, an attorney for Baffert, called the KHRC's
decision on Friday "a sudden, arbitrary departure from its own
100-year precedent.
"This is part of a continuing coordinated attack against Bob by
powerful forces that are rife with ethical and business
conflicts and that want to keep Bob’s horses from competing
against theirs at the track," Brewster said in a statement.
"We look forward to obtaining a stay in an impartial, unbiased
court of law."
The suspension would prevent Baffert, one of the best known
trainers in the world, from participating in the Kentucky Derby,
the first of three races in the famed Triple Crown series, which
is scheduled for May 7.
The colt's win last year handed Baffert a record seventh victory
at the prestigious event until a post-race sample found
betamethasone, a corticosteroid.
Brewster on Friday reiterated Baffert's long-standing claim that
Medina Spirit was treated with a topical betamethasone valerate,
not an injection.
"Kentucky regulates only the injectable form of betamethasone
acetate," he wrote.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York, additional reporting by
Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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