Judge nullifies horse trainer Bob Baffert's NY suspension

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Source: Associated Press

Judge nullifies horse trainer Bob Baffert’s NY suspension

By LARRY NEUMEISTER
July 14, 2021

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York federal judge on Wednesday nullified the suspension of horse trainer Bob Baffert, finding that the New York Racing Association acted unconstitutionally by failing to let him adequately respond to claims made against him after Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit failed a postrace drug test.

In her written ruling, Brooklyn Judge Carol Bagley Amon said a prompt post-suspension hearing where Baffert could refute the claims was required to meet constitutional muster.

But she said the racing association “had held no hearing — let alone a prompt one.”

Attorney W. Craig Robertson III, who represented Baffert at a Monday hearing before Amon, said the ruling confirms that “following the Kentucky Derby, there was an improper rush to judgment and Mr. Baffert has been treated unfairly.”

He called Amon’s ruling “one step, in one venue, toward righting those wrongs,” and said he hoped it would lead to cooperation between the parties rather than division.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/sports-bob-baffert-853101b7c4980ffbdeecc653e1681a6b

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