Bob Baffert, long horse racing’s irreverent king, sits on a precarious throne

According to the records of the Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI), a conclusive positive for Medina Spirit after the split-sample would bring the 30th violation from a Baffert barn, stretched across 44 years. The list includes one from 1977, eight from the 1980s, six from the 1990s, six from the 2000s, four from the 2010s and four from the 2020s. Many, and all in 2020-21, entail drugs that are kosher but must clear from a horse’s system before a certain window ahead of race days and their thundering exertions. Most resulted in small fines and brief suspension, though that one from 1977, for morphine, landed Baffert a one-year ban.