Hearing officer recommends 2-year NYRA ban for Bob Baffert
By STEPHEN WHYNO
AP Sports Writer
A retired New York State Supreme Court Justice has recommended a two-year suspension for trainer Bob Baffert for repeated medication violations after a New York Racing Association hearing. Hearing officer O. Peter Sherwood revealed his recommendation in a 50-page report released Wednesday. Baffert’s camp and NYRA have two weeks to offer rebuttals before a three-person panel makes a final decision on the Triple Crown-winning trainer’s status. A suspension in New York until July 2024 would be the result if the panel takes up Sherwood’s full recommendation. Churchill Downs has banned Baffert from entering horses in the Kentucky Derby this year and next.