[RUFFIAN]

PER L A TIMES

Does the Baffert defense sound plausible?

It’s pretty specific and something that can be backed up with records. It’s one thing to say the metabolite didn’t process through the system fast enough and another to say the horse was never administered the drug.

His defense is the most provable with paperwork and his attorney, Craig Robertson, is top shelf.

Could the drug have helped Medina Spirit win the Derby?

In short, no. It’s a drug that used to alleviate joint pain,
it’s not a performance enhancer.

Is 21 picograms a lot?
A picogram is a trillionth of a gram. I don’t even know how small a gram is, never mind a trillionth. The allowable limit in Kentucky is 10 picograms.

The KHRC says 14 days is the amount of time to get betamethasone out of a horse’s system.

But, in this case, Baffert says the horse was never administered this drug.

What about Baffert’s other medication penalties last year?

First, let me explain why I used the word medication instead of drugs.
In all cases, the prohibitive substances were legal and not considered performance enhancing.

Taking each case individually, the explanations seem to be plausible, a conclusion backed up by the Arkansas Racing Commission.

But, the collective weight of all the violations begs the question if the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

Clearly, the perception Baffert is dealing with is yes.