Kentucky Derby: Trainer Baffert back after serving a 3-year suspension

By BETH HARRIS Bob Baffert is back at the Kentucky Derby for the first time in four years having served his punishment for Medina Spirit s failed drug test and coming to the place where he s won a record-tying six times He s settled in at his old Barn the signs boasting of his Churchill Downs triumphs again hanging on the outside wall I m going to have fun now that everything is behind me Baffert notified The Associated Press in an interview this week The white-haired trainer will saddle Wood Memorial winner Rodriguez and Citizen Bull last year s -year-old champion in the Derby on May Going back with a live horse is more significant to me he disclosed I really feel like this year I have two horses that could be in the top five top Baffert spent the last three years away from the race he values majority of relegated to watching on television with family and friends Taking away a few of the sting was the knowledge that he didn t have a horse he concluded could have won it those years The Derby is a great experience if you have a horse that s capable and has a chance he announced He thought he had that horse in with Medina Spirit spanning the finish line first to give Baffert a record-breaking seventh Derby domination Until a failed drug test ultimately disqualified the colt just the second in Derby history to be DQ d for that reason and tarnished the reputation of a trainer known as the face of horse racing having won the Triple Crown in and Baffert initially was suspended two years in June for Medina Spirit testing positive for betamethasone a steroid which is legal as a therapeutic in Kentucky but not allowed in a horse s system on race day We never denied the positive he disclosed We knew we had the positive Baffert reported he and his lawyers attempted to explain that Medina Spirit had been treated with a topical ointment containing the steroid for a skin inflammation His biggest regret I wish I would have known about the steroid having the betamethasone he revealed In hindsight we would have left it in California Then we wouldn t have had this issue But at the end of the day it still can t be in his system and that was the concern The Louisville track tacked on an extra year to his suspension in July after continuous legal appeals by Baffert about the failed test In January he dropped the appeal related to Medina Spirit s DQ The colt had died following a workout in late Accepting Baffert s words of contrition Churchill Downs lifted his suspension last July and he returned to the track in the fall to win a race Bill Carstanjen CEO of Churchill Downs Inc was there to shake his hand We had a good talk Baffert revealed I understood his position The ordeal took a toll on the -year-old trainer and his family his clients and his wallet It s one of those things where I m just tired of talking about it he announced It s been a tough three years and I ve put that behind me While the suspension kept Baffert from competing at Churchill Downs his horses were able to run in the other Triple Crown races He won the Preakness in for a record eighth time Being back at his old Kentucky home is reuniting Baffert with folks he hasn t seen in contemporary years And his return is welcomed by various rival trainers Related Articles Prep roundup Foothill scores Santa Clara tops Monta Vista Capuchino pitcher throws no-hitter drives in runs SF Giants fall to Padres in first battle vs NL West opponent this season SF Giants Wade maintaining confidence despite ice cold April ers bring aboard D J Humphries to beef up thin position at offensive tackle Fan warning Warriors-Rockets Competition tips off early on Wednesday afternoon There s no question that Bob Baffert is very popular and draws a lot of people s attention He deserves to be back declared Mark Casse who saddles Sandman in the Derby We all want to win but we want to beat the best Michael McCarthy trains likely Derby favorite Journalism and sees Baffert daily at their shared Santa Anita base in California He s a polarizing figure in our sport McCarthy announced adding that Baffert puts people in the seats Despite precarious times for racing in California Baffert sees himself continuing in the only job he s ever had as long as he still enjoys it and attracts the type of owners who can afford quality horses I love the journey of it all he disclosed After so a large number of years of being flourishing you think you ve built enough equity where you could sort of cruise along but not as a horse trainer Every year I m starting out fresh That s what keeps me going These horses are great therapy Baffert is winning at a clip so far this year in a sport where misery is often just around the corner It s a fun business if you let it be a fun business he mentioned If you don t let it get you bitter you ll be fine and I have not let it get me bitter What happened happened I took responsibility for it so that s it