2018 Santa Anita Derby purse redistributed

The $1 million purse of the 2018 Santa Anita Derby, won by Horse of the Year Justify, was formally redistributed by a board of California stewards on Saturday after the California Horse Racing Board reached a settlement approved by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge earlier this month.

Justify won the 2018 Santa Anita Derby and later swept the Triple Crown.

After the Santa Anita Derby that year, Justify tested positive for scopolamine in a post-race urine test. The finding was dismissed by racing board officials, citing accidental contamination from a shipment of hay to the Santa Anita stable area. The hay contained jimson weed, a source of scopolamine.

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Mick Ruis, who owned Bolt d’Oro, the second-place finisher in the 2018 Santa Anita Derby, sought to have Justify disqualified in 2020 after the positive was revealed in a New York Times report in late 2019. Ruis took court action after the racing board declined his request for a formal hearing seeking a disqualification.

The racing board and Ruis reached an agreement for a hearing to be held before a board of stewards only for the stewards to rule they were not obligated to disqualify Justify. Ruis sought relief from superior court. A judge remanded the case to the stewards, requesting an explanation for not disqualifying Justify. The judge, Mitchell L. Beckhoff, ruled in December that the Santa Anita Derby purse should be redistributed after the stewards failed to explain their legal reasoning for not issuing a disqualification.

The ruling issued on Saturday orders the partnership that owned Justify during his racing career – China Horse Club International Ltd., Head of Plains Partners, Starlight Racing, and Winstar Farm – to forfeit $585,000 in earnings. Jockey Mike Smith and trainer Bob Baffert were ordered to forfeit their portions of the purse, $58,450 each.

The parties have until April 29 to return prize money to the Santa Anita paymaster, the ruling said. Race trophies must also be returned.

Saturday’s ruling was signed by stewards Ron Church, John Herbuveaux, and Kim Sawyer.

In the ruling, Justify was disqualified from first and will be listed as unplaced in the field of seven. His official career record will be five wins in six starts and earnings of $3,198,000. Justify did not race after he won the 2018 Belmont Stakes.

The revised order of finish for the first six finishers is Bolt d’Oro, Core Beliefs, Instilled Regard, Pepe Tono, Orbit Rain, and Jimmy Chila.

Both Justify and Bolt d’Oro are standing at stud in Kentucky.

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