HISA Watchdog Press Release

Notorious Trainer Bob Baffert Denied Stay by Court of Appeals Preventing Participation in 148th Kentucky Derby

FRANKFORT , KENTUCKY – As the news of Kentucky Appellate Court Judge Allison Jones’ ruling denying notorious trainer Bob Baffert an emergency stay is breaking, Animal Wellness Action Action executive director Marty Irby issued the following statement: 

“We applaud Judge Allison Jones for upholding the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission’s suspension of notorious trainer Bob Baffert that will prevent him from running horses at the 148th Kentucky Derby next month. Baffert’s flagrant disregard for the rules of horse racing has resulted in this long overdue consequence, and we hope this decision will help lift the cloud of darkness that’s loomed over the grounds of Churchill Downs in Louisville for the past several years.

“American horse racing has been plagued by Baffert’s scandals time and time again, and while justice in the tragic life and death of Medina Spirit may never be fully served, we’re glad to see Baffert reap what he’s sown just like Lance Armstrong and other cheaters in the world of sports. The horses and the Triple Crown are better off without Bob Baffert.”

Today’s decision represents the fourth consecutive loss Baffert has suffered in the case of Medina Spirit this year with the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission’s (KHRC) original ruling that stripped Baffert of the 2021 Kentucky Derby title, Baffert’s loss in the KHRC appeal, and loss in the lower Kentucky Court last month. 

Originally published on Animal Wellness Action

Animal Wellness Action (Action) is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(4) organization with a mission of helping animals by promoting legal standards forbidding cruelty. We champion causes that alleviate the suffering of companion animals, farm animals, and wildlife. We advocate for policies to stop dogfighting and cockfighting and other forms of malicious cruelty and to confront factory farming and other systemic forms of animal exploitation. To prevent cruelty, we promote enacting good public policies and we work to enforce those policies. To enact good laws, we must elect good lawmakers, and that’s why we remind voters which candidates care about our issues and which ones don’t. We believe helping animals helps us all.

The Center for a Humane Economy (“the Center”) is a non-profit organization that focuses on influencing the conduct of corporations to forge a humane economic order. The first organization of its kind in the animal protection movement, the Center encourages businesses to honor their social responsibilities in a culture where consumers, investors, and other key stakeholders abhor cruelty and the degradation of the environment and embrace innovation as a means of eliminating both.

The Animal Wellness Foundation (Foundation) is a Los Angeles-based private charitable organization with a mission of helping animals by making veterinary care available to everyone with a pet, regardless of economic ability. We organize rescue efforts and medical services for dogs and cats in need and help homeless pets find a loving caregiver. We are advocates for getting veterinarians to the front lines of the animal welfare movement; promoting responsible pet ownership; and vaccinating animals against infectious diseases such as distemper. We also support policies that prevent animal cruelty and that alleviate suffering. We believe helping animals helps us all.