Jockey & Trainer News 2023

[Tessablue]

Baffert is being sued by some former grooms for a variety of alleged workplace irregularities, including failure to pay overtime, failure to accurately track hours, and failure to allow meal or rest breaks.

A poorly written overview can be found here: https://1043myfm.iheart.com/featured/la ... rt-racing/

[Flanders]

Baffert is being sued by some former grooms for a variety of alleged workplace irregularities, including failure to pay overtime, failure to accurately track hours, and failure to allow meal or rest breaks.

A poorly written overview can be found here: https://1043myfm.iheart.com/featured/la ... rt-racing/

As someone that worked for a company that "always rounded down hours", I can say, they should get a check for every minute overtime they worked, we did. They also made us, stay late to "make up our breaks", if we wanted to go outside. Yeah they had to pay for that too. I don't live in California but I think that yeah rules should be the same.

[Eohippus]

Well, if he let the grooms have breaks for breakfast and to use the restroom maybe they wouldn’t be eating massive amounts of poppy seed bagels and p*sing all over the horse’s hay Maybe he should consider breaks for lidocaine application and cough syrup consumption to avoid all that “contamination”

[Squeaky]

Baffert is being sued by some former grooms for a variety of alleged workplace irregularities, including failure to pay overtime, failure to accurately track hours, and failure to allow meal or rest breaks.

A poorly written overview can be found here: https://1043myfm.iheart.com/featured/la ... rt-racing/

This is a good example of the old school racing where grooms and hot walkers are treated like replaceable cogs in the wheel and paid even worse, but are expected to take it because “ that is the racetrack life”. Now things are changing. For a barn with many billionaire owners, horses worth multiple millions you would think they could afford to pay better and provide better housing-the housing and bathroom conditions at most tracks are awful. ( I used to work as a groom at Monmouth and Parx so I experienced these conditions first hand). Bob just seems like a really disorganized guy. He needs to hire a detail-oriented introvert who will keep tabs on everything. I work for an older boss like that- big picture extrovert with lots of good ideas but not a detail guy and can never find info or his files and struggles with basic technology. I do all the organizing and keeping track and detail work for him, among many other things. Bob, Rick Dutrow etc need to hire a competent stable manager maybe a few. One to keep track of vet records and medications, another for HR etc. I bet Pletcher has them.

[Flanders]

Its baffling to me that trainers think they will get away with not paying their employees properly or any labor violations. If they follow any racing media, they'd see trainers getting labor violations every year. Asmussen gets popped for the same or worse crap every couple years. Chad Brown had a HUGE one a few years ago. Jimmy Jerkens, Linda Rice, George Weaver, Kiaran McLaughlin, etc. have all gotten labor violations in the past 5 years.

The Asmussen one from last year, he got fined for making his employees give him money to pay for his attorney??? The trainers are wild. So yeah a lot of them view employees as replaceable and take advantage of their workers immensely but isn't that everywhere? I know my one job treated their employees like replaceable garbage. Oh yeah it was the one I referenced above. hahaha

[Squeaky]

This is why a college education with business training will help a lot of these up and coming younger trainers run their business better and that includes HR. Maybe some annual mandatory HR CE for trainers on this is a good idea, in English and Spanish.

[Squeaky]

Its baffling to me that trainers think they will get away with not paying their employees properly or any labor violations. If they follow any racing media, they'd see trainers getting labor violations every year. Asmussen gets popped for the same or worse crap every couple years. Chad Brown had a HUGE one a few years ago. Jimmy Jerkens, Linda Rice, George Weaver, Kiaran McLaughlin, etc. have all gotten labor violations in the past 5 years.

The Asmussen one from last year, he got fined for making his employees give him money to pay for his attorney??? The trainers are wild. So yeah a lot of them view employees as replaceable and take advantage of their workers immensely but isn't that everywhere? I know my one job treated their employees like replaceable garbage. Oh yeah it was the one I referenced above. hahaha

Yes I think that is one of the reasons Jimmy went to Dubai. I hope your current work is treating you better.

[Le Beau Bai]

Does anyone know anything about Clifford DeLima’s training outfit? He trains two horses, Dancing Nurse and Cowboy Kisses, who are out of one of my favourite mares Maddie Moo who he also trained and his wife bred all three horses. He’s based at GGF.

Cowboy Kisses has started working out again after not racing since April 2021, I’m assuming due to injury and Dancing Nurse is currently unraced.

I think I’m right in saying it’s a small racing stable? Looking at Equibase, it looks like his best result was a G3 win back in 2003 and he’s been training since the 1960s.

[Northport]

Baffert and Zedan have dropped their Kentucky Derby appeal

[brunanas]

Zedan, Baffert To Drop Medina Spirit Disqualification Lawsuit
https://paulickreport.com/news/the-biz/ ... on-lawsuit

The motion indicated that Baffert and Zedan wish the appeal, which had taken the form of a civil lawsuit at this stage in the process, to be dismissed with prejudice, meaning that the case may not be re-opened.

[brunanas]

it seems Baffert won't "lose" any horses this year in favor of the Derby as his major owners have said they aren't being moved.

Despite Churchill Ban, Key Owners Keep Their Horses With Baffert
https://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/d ... h-baffert/

[Diver52]

The 150th Kentucky Derby presented by Yum Brands (is it still?) featuring the second-place finishers in all the major preps!

[BaroqueAgain1]

Have the winners of recent Kentucky Derbies really made a big impression when it comes to stallion careers?
Is it possible that owners with an eye to their colts' futures feel that that one particular race is not important enough to, 1) leave their favorite trainer, 2) put their colts through the stress of trying to qualify or, 3) run them in that Demolition Derby which seems too often to leave runners with issues that harm their futures?
Being able to have a successful racing resume...without Running the Roses...is clearly possible. So....are Baffert's owners really foolish? Or seeing the ball clearly?

[Flanders]

The 150th Kentucky Derby presented by Yum Brands (is it still?) featuring the second-place finishers in all the major preps!

Woodford Reserve the past 5-ish years

[Cigarillo]

Have the winners of recent Kentucky Derbies really made a big impression when it comes to stallion careers?
Is it possible that owners with an eye to their colts' futures feel that that one particular race is not important enough to, 1) leave their favorite trainer, 2) put their colts through the stress of trying to qualify or, 3) run them in that Demolition Derby which seems too often to leave runners with issues that harm their futures?
Being able to have a successful racing resume...without Running the Roses...is clearly possible. So....are Baffert's owners really foolish? Or seeing the ball clearly?

I think you nailed it. The trade off probably isn't worth it to those owners. They can run the horses fresh into the Preakness, which usually has a much smaller field, or any of the other multiple races that come along throughout the year.

[Flanders]

Have the winners of recent Kentucky Derbies really made a big impression when it comes to stallion careers?
Is it possible that owners with an eye to their colts' futures feel that that one particular race is not important enough to, 1) leave their favorite trainer, 2) put their colts through the stress of trying to qualify or, 3) run them in that Demolition Derby which seems too often to leave runners with issues that harm their futures?
Being able to have a successful racing resume...without Running the Roses...is clearly possible. So....are Baffert's owners really foolish? Or seeing the ball clearly?

How in depth do you want? lol I could go on and on about Kentucky Derby winners as stallions but I'll keep that part brief.

Justify looks like he is going to be a great stallion, American Pharoah/Nyquist/Street Sense are all good sires, I'd put Super Saver in that category too though he still got sold. I'd say if one of out 10 winners becomes a good stallion that is a decent strike rate. In the US since 1980, only 2 Kentucky Winners were Leading General Sire, Seattle Slew in 1984 and Thunder Gulch in 2001. But missing the Kentucky Derby isn't going to hurt their stallion prospects/careers, as long as they have the pedigree and are G1 winners. Only 4 of the past 10 Kentucky winners were Champion 3yo Male.

Its option 1) But with the caveat : Sticking with their trainer who they feel is being treated unfairly by CDI. Because that is what all his clients that responded said.

I don't think 2 or 3 would have been factors, chances are they'll still run in the qualifying races.

I guess if the owners' are being foolish is an opinion to make yourself. They are doing something they feel is right which is standing by their friend.

[Flanders]

Time for HISA/HIWU again. How are trainers still working horses within 7 days of an intra-articular injection?? A lot on the list for that, including Didia.

check out who is on December 14th. *shocked face* What is this 6 or 7 in the past 2 years?

https://www.hiwu.org/public-disclosures/pending

[Le Beau Bai]

Milton Harris (UK trainer), has had his training license removed immediately by the BHA due to threatening behaviour and safeguarding breaches at his yard.

Here is the full BHA report - contains swearing, discussions of violent threats and inappropriate behaviour towards young children working at his yard.

https://judicialpanel.britishhorseracin ... ts/result/

[brunanas]

one of Brazil's leading trainers Luiz Esteves has been suspended 360 days minimum and fined R$ 38,000 after 2 of his runners (Bloody Mary and Mexicano) tested positive for cocaine. hoooorayyyy... i found it weird it wasn't longer because here multiple violations in a certain period doubles the suspension but both were 180 days. after one ends he serves the other. he also is not allowed near any racetrack for the time of his suspensions and his horses have been suspended 3 months.

[BaroqueAgain1]

Cocaine!? Wow...that is going old school when it comes to abusive drug use in a racehorse.