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SPORTS Friday 13 September 2019
Baffert: Justify’s positive test came from contaminated food

By STEPHEN WHYNO fending Baffert and saying
AP Sports Writer the California racing board
Hall of Fame trainer Bob did the correct thing by not
Baffert denied giving 2018 pursuing a lengthy inves-
Triple Crown winning horse tigation. Baffert and Rob-
Justify a banned substance ertson each pointed out
that caused a positive test Justify was found to have
prior to last year’s Kentucky a trace amount of Sco-
Derby and blamed the re- polamine in his system and
sult on contaminated food. said that can come from
Baffert said in a statement jimson weed, which grows
Thursday that he “unequiv- wild in California.
ocally” rejects the implica- Baffert said Justify passed
tion he’d give Justify or any drug tests in Kentucky,
other horse Scopolamine, Maryland and New York on
which the colt tested posi- the way to the Triple Crown
tive for in April 2018. The and called on those states’
New York Times reported testing agencies to “imme-
Justify tested positive for diately release information
the substance after win- related to Justify’s test re-
ning the Santa Anita Der- sults” there. Justify did not
by and that the California run another race after win-
Horse Racing Board did not ning the Triple Crown and
adequately investigate the was retired. In this June 6, 2018, file photo, trainer Bob Baffert walks Justify around the barn after arriving at
matter. Elliott Walden of WinStar Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.
Justify was allowed to run Farm, which co-owns Jus- Associated Press
in the Kentucky Derby a tify, did not immediately re- actions, Baffert said he had wrote. “This left the CHRB reported the chairman of
month later and went on spond to a message seek- no input into or influence with two choices — either the California board owns
to become horse racing’s ing comment. WinStar Farm on decisions made by the pursue a frivolous case that an interest in horses trained
13th Triple Crown winner. released Baffert’s state- California board, which had no merit at great tax- by Baffert.
“Damn shame this great ment. Baffert trained the came under fire for treat- payer expense, or exercise The California Horse Racing
horse, connections and me only two Triple Crown win- ing this situation differently reason and common sense Board said in a statement
have to be put through all ners in the past three de- from past precedent. Upon and decide to take no fur- emailed to The AP: “We
this,” Baffert said in a sepa- cades: Justify in 2018 and notification of the positive ther action.” take seriously the integrity
rate text message to The American Pharoah in 2015. test result, Robertson told In a news release Thursday, of horse racing in Califor-
Associated Press. “It was “Justify is one of the finest the board to deal with him Animal Wellness Action ex- nia and are committed to
obvious environmental horses I’ve had the privi- and not Baffert from that ecutive director Marty Irby implementing the highest
contamination. It’s been a lege of training and by point forward. called for drug testing to be standards of safety and ac-
known problem in Califor- any standard is one of the “Given all the foregoing “conducted and overseen countability for all horses,
nia.” greatest of all time,” Baffert facts, I was confident that by impartial operators and jockeys and participants.”
Attorney W. Craig Robert- said. “I am proud to stand Mr. Baffert would ultimately not by industry players with A CHRB spokesman said
son also wrote a letter ad- by his record and my own.” prevail if the CHRB pursued a vested interest in looking Thursday that it didn’t have
dressed to the Times de- While defending his own the matter,” Robertson the other way.” The Times anything else to add.q

Semenya to finally get her

gold medal from 2011 worlds

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — lowed to compete in cer- take hormone-suppressing
Caster Semenya is finally tain races, including her medication in line with rules
getting her gold medal favorite event. introduced by the IAAF last
from the 2011 world cham- The medal reallocation is year.
pionships after Russian run- happening after the Court Semenya has challenged
ner Maria Savinova was of Arbitration for Sport in the rules twice in court. She
stripped of the title for dop- 2017 upheld Savinova’s lost at the Court of Arbitra-
ing. doping ban, nullifying her tion for Sport this year and
But Semenya won’t attend results from 2010 to 2013. her second legal appeal
a medal reallocation cer- She was also stripped of is still being considered by
emony at the upcoming her 2012 Olympic gold in the Swiss supreme court. In this April 13, 2018, file photo, South Africa’s Caster Semenya
world championships in the 800 meters. That title If she fails in court a second celebrates after winning the woman’s 800m final at Carrara
Doha, Qatar, South Africa’s has also gone to Semenya, time, Semenya may also Stadium during the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold
track federation said on who finished second in that be unable to defend her Coast, Australia. Associated Press
Thursday. race, too. Olympic title next year in
Semenya was barred Semenya, who has two Tokyo. as female at birth and has The IAAF says testosterone
from defending her lat- Olympic and three world Semenya is one of several identified as female her gives her an unfair athletic
est 800-meter world title in titles in the 800, has, since elite female athletes with whole life but was born with advantage over other fe-
Doha because she has re- July, not been allowed to a differences of sex devel- the typical male XY chro- male runners and she must
fused to follow new IAAF compete at top-level track opment condition, which mosome pattern and has reduce it if she wants to
rules requiring her to medi- meets in distances from results in male and female testosterone levels higher run at the Olympics, world
cally reduce her natural 400 meters to one mile be- biological characteristics. than the typical female championships and Dia-
testosterone level to be al- cause she has refused to She was legally identified range. mond League meetings.q