A federal judge on Wednesday said the horse trainer Bob Baffert could race in New York State, nullifying a suspension by the New York Racing Association. In her written ruling, Judge Carol Bagley Amon of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York said Baffert had not been offered the opportunity to respond to claims made against him after Medina Spirit, the winner of the Kentucky Derby, failed a post-race drug test at the track, Churchill Downs. Amon said that a prompt post-suspension hearing, where Baffert could have rebutted any claims against him, was needed to adhere to the Constitution. But she said the racing association “had held no hearing — let alone a prompt one.”The racing association barred Baffert from its tracks — Belmont Park, Aqueduct and Saratoga — on May 17, a little more than two weeks after the Derby. After Medina Spirit’s second drug test from the Derby came back positive on June 2, Churchill Downs suspended Baffert for two years, including for the Derby in 2022 and 2023.

Source: New York Times July 14, 2021 23:15 UTC