Attorneys for Bob Baffert have filed a motion seeking the disqualification of a judge presiding over the trainer’s case against Churchill Downs because the judge’s husband receives income as a lobbyist from The Jockey Club, according to a document filed on Friday. The lead attorney, Clark Brewster, wrote in his motion that the “marital income” received by Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings from the lobbying activities requires the judge to recuse herself from the case because The Jockey Club “has actively intervened and publicly and litigiously in litigation” surrounding Baffert and Medina Spirit, the Baffert-trained horse who was disqualified from the 2021 Kentucky Derby for testing positive for betamethasone, a regulated medication. “The motion is brought on a good faith basis after a diligent investigation of the public record and not for ‘other advantage or litigation tactic,’" Brewster wrote. :: DRF Bets players have exclusive access to FREE DRF Past Performances - Classic or Formulator! Join today.  The final phrase in that sentence references a memorandum that Jennings issued on Wednesday admonishing Brewster and his legal associate, Joseph DeAngelis, for accusing Jennings of conducting improper communications with Churchill’s legal team. Jennings, who is a judge for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, denied the accusation, and put Baffert’s legal team on notice in the memo about potential further action. “Plaintiffs are warned that any future conduct implicitly threatening the court, attempting to create or fabricate a suggestion suggesting recusal, or made for other advantage or litigation tactic will not be tolerated and may result in a show cause hearing and disciplinary action,” Jennings wrote. Jennings presided over a two-day hearing last week in which legal representatives for Baffert and Churchill were asked to argue over whether the judge should grant a preliminary injunction preventing Churchill from continuing to enforce a ban on Baffert through the 2023 Derby. Baffert is seeking the injunction in a last-ditch effort to participate in this year’s Derby, at a time when his barn is stocked with Derby contenders. In his motion for a recusal filed Friday, Brewster also contended that Jennings’s impartiality could be called into question considering that D. Alex Rankin, the chairman of Churchill Downs Inc., is a steward of The Jockey Club, which maintains the U.S. stud book and owns a number of businesses geared toward the racing and breeding industries. As to The Jockey Club’s involvement, Brewster pointed to an amicus brief filed by the organization in a case in which Baffert appealed a ban handed down by the New York Racing Association. Brewster also said that The Jockey Club’s ownership of the Blood-Horse, Inc., a leading Thoroughbred publication, should further cast doubt on the court’s ability to rule in the case, because the publication “has been a constant source of negative articles about Mr. Baffert to whip up public opinion against him.” Under rules Churchill Downs adopted this year for its Derby qualifying system, horses trained by Baffert would need to be transferred out of his barn by Feb. 28 in order to earn points toward a start in this year’s race. Jennings was expected to issue a ruling on the motion for a preliminary injunction prior to that dat :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.