NEW YORK (Reuters) – The New York Racing Association (NYRA) on Thursday suspended Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert for one year for medical violations.
Baffert will be excluded from participating in activities at NYRA tracks until January, 2023, due to ban time he has already served.
“This was an impartial and deliberative process that has resulted in a lengthy suspension of the sport’s most prominent trainer,” NYRA President and CEO Dave O’Rourke said in a statement.
“This is not simply about Bob Baffert or any one individual but about protecting the integrity of the sport here in New York.”
Baffert was absent from this year’s Triple Crown, serving a suspension after his horse Medina Spirit tested positive for a banned substance and was stripped of his victory in the 2021 Kentucky Derby.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York, editing by Ed Osmond)
