Regulators order Justify disqualified from 2018 Santa Anita Derby

The California Horse Racing Board has ordered that Justify be disqualified from his win in the 2018 Santa Anita Derby due to a positive finding for scopolamine in a post-race test.

The disqualification and purse redistribution are pursuant to a CHRB ruling dated Saturday. Under the ruling, Bolt d'Oro will be declared the winner, though that change has not been reflected on the Equibase race chart as of Monday afternoon. The ruling was previously reported by Paulick Report.

The CHRB set a deadline of April 29 for purse money to be returned to Santa Anita. This includes money awarded to owners China Horse Club, Head of Plains Partners, Starlight Racing, and WinStar Farm; trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Mike Smith. The winner's share of the purse was $600,000, with a $200,000 value to the runner-up.

The formal disqualification followed a settlement agreement signed March 4, in which the CHRB agreed to disqualify Justify from the race and also make a $300,000 settlement payment to Mick Ruis, owner of Bolt d'Oro.

The scopolamine positive was not publicly reported until a New York Times article in September of 2019, almost a year and a half after Justify's Santa Anita Derby win. Baffert argued that the scopolamine came from feed contaminated by jimsonweed. The CHRB agreed, and threw out the results of the test in a closed-door session.

Ruis argued that the CHRB should not have discarded the test resuls without a hearing, and filed suit after the CHRB said it would not change its mind.