Baffert horses will not be eligible to earn Kentucky Derby or Oaks qualifying points

Churchill Downs will not award Kentucky Derby qualifying points to any horse that is trained by an individual that is banned by the track for the 2022 running of the race, the track announced on Friday.

The rule, which will effectively sideline any horse trained by Bob Baffert in the run-up to the Derby, was announced as part of Churchill’s “Road to the Derby” schedule, a series of races designated by Churchill for determining which horses have preference to run in the race, the most prestigious in U.S. racing. The qualifying series will begin on Sept. 30 and run through the lead-up to the May 7 Derby.

Baffert is the only trainer who is banned from participating in the 2022 Derby, under a directive issued by the track following Baffert’s acknowledgment that his Medina Spirit tested positive for the regulated medication betamethasone following a win in this year’s Derby. Churchill issued the ban earlier this year as a house rule. The case has not yet been adjudicated by Kentucky racing regulators due to delays in obtaining split-sample results.

The rule also states that points will not be awarded to any horse trained by someone who is “directly or indirectly employed, supervised, or advised by a suspended trainer.” An official for Churchill acknowledged on Friday that the word “suspended” refers to the two-year ban Churchill issued to Baffert, and that the rule applies only to a trainer who cannot participate in the Derby because of a Churchill-issued ban.

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Churchill said that any points that would have been applied to a horse under the new rule “will be vacated.” The track also said that the rule would apply to the Kentucky Oaks, which, like the Derby, has a qualifying series attached to it. The Oaks, for 3-year-old fillies, is run the day prior to the Derby.

Baffert has several high-profile 2-year-old colts in his barn this year, including Corniche, who posted the best Beyer Speed Figure of any 2-year-old this year when winning a recent maiden special weight at Del Mar with a 98; Pinehurst, who won the Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 6; and Rockefeller, who won a Del Mar maiden special weight in his only career start on Aug. 28 while posting a 90 Beyer.

Corniche is owned by Speedway Stables of Peter Fluor of Houston, Texas. Pinehurst and Rockefeller are both owned by sprawling partnerships that include SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, and Stonestreet Stables, among others.

The horses with the most qualifying points get preference for starting berths in the 20-horse Derby field. While the major spring preps award as much as 100 points to the winner, horses have been able to get into the field with points in the mid to high teens in recent years.

The qualifying races this year again include races in Europe and Japan, as Churchill continues to attempt to court international horses to the Derby field to expand the reach of the Derby to foreign simulcast markets. Seven races in Europe were designated for Derby points, and four races in Japan.