NYRA suspends Baffert 1 year; eligible to return in January

(AP) - The New York Racing Association suspended trainer Bob Baffert for one year Thursday for repeated medication violations.

A panel credited Baffert for time served from an initial suspension that makes the two-time Triple Crown-winning trainer eligible to saddle horses in New York again by late January.

The ban is shorter than the two-year suspension Churchill Downs handed Baffert after Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit tested positive for a substance that is not allowed on race day.

Baffert’s camp asked for a stay of the NYRA suspension that was immediately denied.