Judge rules Ruis can continue suit against CHRB

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has ruled that a lawsuit filed by trainer-owner Mick Ruis against the California Horse Racing Board can proceed, according to the attorney for Ruis.

Darrell Vienna, the attorney, said that Judge Mitchell Beckloff ruled against a CHRB motion to dismiss the case, which alleges that the CHRB failed to follow state racing rules when it allowed the result of the 2018 Santa Anita Derby to stand. Ruis owned and trained the second-place horse in the race, Bolt d’Oro, who is now a stallion at Spendthrift Farm.

Shortly after the 2018 Santa Anita Derby, the winner, Justify, tested positive for scopolamine, an environmental contaminant. The CHRB initially threw out the case after an investigation revealed that the horse had ingested the substance in his feed.

Ruis challenged that decision through a lawsuit filed in 2020, and, after a settlement with the CHRB, the Santa Anita stewards conducted a hearing into the case and found that the CHRB had acted within its rules when it dismissed the complaint without a public hearing. The CHRB affirmed the stewards’ decision.

After the ruling, Ruis again filed a lawsuit seeking the disqualification of Justify, who went on to win the Triple Crown.

“We have a long way to go but are pleased that the court confirmed our client’s undeniable claim in pursuing this case,” Vienna said in a statement. Vienna said that a trial in the case is expected to begin in “mid-2022.”

CHRB spokesman Mike Marten said on Friday afternoon that the board "does not comment on active litigation."