Calif. board: Will not suspend Baffert without due process

The California Horse Racing Board said in a Monday statement that it cannot suspend the license of embattled trainer Bob Baffert without due process. The statement also acknowledged the death of a horse in Baffert’s care, Noodles, who died of “non-racing or training-related causes.”

View the statement in full below.

“The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) is aware of the situation surrounding Bob Baffert and the alleged positive relative to the Kentucky Derby. Racetracks in Kentucky and New York have temporarily precluded Mr. Baffert from entering horses and/or using stalls. To date, the regulatory bodies in those two states – the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and the New York State Gaming Commission – have not taken any action against Mr. Baffert’s license. They face the same issue the CHRB does in that regulators cannot suspend or revoke occupational licenses without a hearing and due process. Should any regulatory body take action against any licensee, we would reciprocate that action in California.

“Further, Noodles, a 2-year-old unraced colt in Mr. Baffert’s care, suffered a non-racing or training-related death this weekend at Los Alamitos. That fatality will be posted on the CHRB website today, as is the practice, with the note: “Respiratory – Pneumonia (pending)”  A necropsy will be performed and a fatality review conducted pursuant to the law and CHRB regulations.”