Columnist Ralph Siraco: Baffert may be beached for Del Mar season

Ralph Siraco

Monday, June 18, 2001 | 9:30 a.m.

Ralph Siraco's horse racing column appears Monday, and his Southern California selections run Tuesday-Sunday. Reach him c/o Las Vegas Sun, 2275 Corporate Circle Drive, Henderson, NV 89014.

When Bob Baffert watched his Dubai World Cup winner Captain Steve finish second in the $831,000 Stephen Foster Handicap on Saturday, the high-profile trainer couldn't help but think about another surprising defeat, one that took place under the famed twin spires on the first Saturday in May.

Although Baffert's failed Derby run with Point Given was redeemed with rousing victories in the final two jewels of the Triple Crown, that fifth-place finish in the Derby is still hard to swallow, especially considering his powerful performances in the Preakness and Belmont Stakes.

Now, Captain Steve must shake off his Avis run in the Stephen Foster and regroup for the Breeders' Cup.

But, if Baffert thought his Saturday was rough in Kentucky, it wasn't anything like the greeting he received on Sunday in California.

Baffert has been grounded for 60 days.

The Arcadia, Calif., resident may find himself going to Del Mar to really enjoy a vacation at the beach.

Baffert was handed a 60-day suspension -- June 25 to August 24 -- on Sunday by the California Horse Racing Board for a rules violation in a May 3, 2000, race at Hollywood Park.

The suspension was the result of a positive test for morphine by a filly under Baffert's care. Nautical Look, owned by Golden Eagle Farm, was found to have the illegal substance in her system following a post-race test after she finished first in that seventh race at Hollywood Park.

California stewards (the ultimate on-track officials) Ingrid Fermin, David Samuel and Tom Ward conducted an eight-day hearing at Santa Anita in April. The hearings were followed by written closing arguments from Deputy Attorney General Judith Seligman representing the board and from attorney Neil Papiano, who represented Baffert.

In their filings, Seligman asked for a six-month suspension with a $10,000 fine, while Papiano asked for a dismissal based on the minute amounts of morphine detected that he argued could have been the result of contamination.

Baffert, the national earnings leader with $10 million in purses, was given 72 hours to appeal the decision. He can also request a stay of the suspension from the CHRB that would be decided by president Robert Tourtelot.

If a stay or appeal is unsuccessful, then Baffert will be denied all access to California tracks during the suspension period, thus having to transfer all his horses to other trainers during that time in order for those horses to run at California tracks. Since Baffert won't be able to visit his barn, the daily training of those horses under his care will have to be handled by an assistant trainer or other personnel from his stable.

In addition to Point Given and Captain Steve, other horses under the Baffert stable shedrow are General Challenge, the promising sophomore Congaree, stakes winner Wooden Phone and recent Fleur de Lis winner Saudi Poetry.

But with the suspension coming in the key summer months and stretching into the Del Mar meet, the real hit to his stable may be with the 2-year-olds that Baffert usually begins to unleash during the seaside season. The 48-year-old conditioner started such stars as Silver Charm, Real Quiet and Point Given during their freshman years on the way to multiple Triple Crown victories.

Baffert is not the first Southern California-based trainer to come under scrutiny by the California Horse Racing Board for illegal substances in horses. Trainer Richard Mandella escaped penalty after similar charges, and even Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas hasn't escaped the CHRB's eye for suspected violations of drug rules that later were dropped due to insufficient test samples.

Baffert becomes the highest profiled trainer to serve such a stiff penalty for the medication violations.

The timing of the suspension, following a successful campaign of Point Given & Co., leaves the racing community reeling. It comes after the Triple Crown scored its highest television ratings in years.

What about the immediate plans for Point Given? An August start in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga could be in jeopardy, while Captain Steve could be pointing for the July Hollywood Gold Cup or August Pacific Classic at Del Mar without Baffert tagging along. Certainly the upcoming Swaps Stakes should still be on the Congaree agenda.

Who would have guessed that the seventh race at Hollywood Park on May 3, 2000, would produce such a rippling effect on the racing world in June 2001?