Trainer Bob Baffert named to advisory group for horse racing watchdog HISA

Karla Ward, Lexington Herald-Leader on Aug 15, 2026

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LEXINGTON, Ky. — Hall of Fame Thoroughbred trainer Bob Baffert has been named to a group that advises the watchdog organization overseeing horse racing safety.

Baffert is one of three new members of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's Horsemen’s Advisory Group, HISA announced on Friday.

HISA is the independent, non-governmental entity tasked with developing rules for track safety and standards for the use of medications.

The Horsemen’s Advisory Group "provides HISA’s executive team and Standing Committees with formal feedback on the evolution of its Racetrack Safety Program and Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program,” HISA said in a news release.

HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus said in the release that the organization is “pleased to welcome our new members to the Advisory Group and look forward to the perspectives they will bring as we continue working collaboratively with stakeholders to enhance the sport for horses and participants alike.”

Baffert, whose accolades include six Kentucky Derby wins, is one of the winningest trainers in racing history, but he is also a controversial figure.

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission suspended Baffert at the same time Medina Spirit was stripped of his win in the 2021 Kentucky Derby because Medina Spirit failed a drug test.

Baffert was suspended for 90 days and ordered to pay a $7,500 fine after a trace amount of betamethasone was found in the horse’s system.

He also spent three years banned from racing horses at Churchill Downs.

Baffert said the drug had entered Medina Spirit’s system through a topical ointment and denied drugging him.

The ban at Churchill Downs was lifted after Baffert issued a statement taking responsibility for the situation, saying: “I am responsible for any substance found in the horses that I train, and I have paid a very steep price with a three-year suspension and the disqualification of Medina Spirit’s performance.

“I understand and appreciate that Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby Horse Racing Commission took steps to enforce the rules that they believed were necessary to protect the safety and integrity of horse racing and the reputation of the Kentucky Derby.”

But Medina Spirit was not the only Baffert-trained horse to fail a drug test. Other cases involved Triple Crown winner Justify, Gamine and others, NPR reported in 2021.

The same year, an analysis by the Washington Post found that Baffert had the highest rate of horse deaths among trainers in California, when the number of races run was factored in.

In addition to Baffert, HISA said trainers Jena Antonucci and Tim Keefe will be joining the Horsemen’s Advisory Group, filling the spots vacated by outgoing members Kelsey Danner, Gavin Murphy and Jonathan Sadler.