Charlatan sidelined, racing future up in air

The multiple Grade 1 winner Charlatan did not come out of his most recent workout in good order and will be sidelined indefinitely with his racing future to be evaluated next month, his connections said Thursday.

Charlatan, who had been targeting a start in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park on June 5, worked five furlongs in 59 seconds last Saturday at Churchill Downs.

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“Charlatan wasn’t 100 percent after his most recent breeze on May 15,” co-owner Sol Kumin wrote in a text. “Under veterinary advice he will get some time off and a decision on his racing career will be determined upon reevaluation late June.”

Charlatan, who is trained by Bob Baffert, is at Margaux Farm in Midway, Ky. Baffert is banned from racing or stabling at New York Racing Association tracks as a result of several positive tests over the last year, including the finding of betamethasone in the post-race sample of Medina Spirit in the Kentucky Derby.

Charlatan, a son of Speightstown, crossed the finish line first in his first four starts, including the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby in May 2020. Charlatan was initially disqualified from that victory after testing positive for lidocaine. Last month, however, the Arkansas Racing Commission set aside that disqualification, citing mitigating circumstances, and he was restored as the official winner of the race.

In his first start since then, Charlatan won the Grade 1 Malibu at Santa Anita in December.

In his only start this year, Charlatan finished second to Mishriff in the $20 million Saudi Cup in February.

In addition to Kumin’s Madaket Stables, Charlatan’s ownership group includes SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Stonestreet Stables, Frederick Hertich III, John Fielding, and Golconda Stables.