A final verdict on Arkansas Derby day results at Oaklawn Park appears forthcoming.
Various media reports Tuesday said two samples producing positive tests for a banned substance on the May 2 Oaklawn program will be sent soon for confirmation by an independent lab.
Daily Racing Form, citing multiple sources, said the 3-year-old colt Charlatan, first-division winner of the Arkansas Derby, had an initial test sample come back positive.
Bernie Hettel, Arkansas' state steward, said that by law he cannot yet divulge which horses tested positive May 2 and cannot reveal the substance in question.
An initial positive test is not enough to disqualify a horse. Trainers whose horses test positive select an approved lab to analyze the split sample, Hettel said on Louisville-based website horseracingnation.com. But with coronavirus protocols possibly slowing the process "it's a particularly bad time to be going through this for anybody.
"I can't do anything until I get that back, and then we'll proceed per rules from that point on," Hettel said on the website.
Tim Sullivan of the Louisville-based newspaper The Courier-Journal, citing an anonymous source, said Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert had two positives during the Oaklawn meeting. Baffert's nine victories at the meeting included both divisions of the split Arkansas Derby May 2 with Charlatan improving to 3-for-3 and Nadal to 4-for-4. Baffert also won on the closing-day card with Gamine, a $1.8-million 3-year-old filly whose record improved to 2-for-2 with a first-level allowance victory.
Also on the May 2 card, the 4-year-old colt By My Standards, trained by Bret Calhoun, won the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap.
Winners aren't the only horses subject to tests, in that stewards by Arkansas regulations can randomly order post-race samples from any runner.
Baffert responded with a statement to Horse Racing Nation: "The rules of the Arkansas Racing Commission mandate confidentiality concerning any investigation into an alleged rule violation until there is a written decision of the stewards. I am extremely disappointed that, in this instance, the commission has not followed its own rules on confidentiality.
"I am hoping for an expedited investigation and look forward to being able to speak soon about any written decision of the stewards, if and when it becomes necessary and I'm allowed to under the commission's confidentiality rules."
Arkansas Racing Commission attorney Byron Freeland told Daily Racing Form he "couldn't comment at all" about Charlatan or any other potential positive test at Oaklawn. "Anything that's going on before a ruling is confidential," he said.
Daily Racing Form quoted Nikki Langston of the Arkansas Racing Commission that there "haven't been any rulings" from the May 2 Oaklawn races. The commission was open for business Tuesday after being off the previous three days for Memorial Day weekend.
Charlatan and Nadal are candidates for the June 20 Grade 1 Belmont Stakes in New York. Both received 100 points in the Arkansas Derby toward qualifying for the Sept. 5 Grade 1 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. Nadal, with 50 points for winning Oaklawn's Grade 2 Rebel Stakes March 14, leads Derby qualifiers with 150 points.
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Kentucky Derby point standings
150: Nadal (trainer Bob Baffert)
122: Tiz the Law (Barclay Tagg)
104: Wells Bayou (Brad Cox)
100: Charlatan (Bob Baffert)
90: King Guillermo (Juan Carlos Avila)
74: Ete Indien (Patrick Biancone)
70: Modernist (Bill Mott)
70: Ny Traffic (Saffie Joseph Jr.)
60: Maxfield (Brendan Walsh)
60: Authentic (Bob Baffert)
50: Basin (Steve Asmussen)
50: Mischevious Alex (John Servis)
40: Shivaree (Ralph Nicks)
34: Gouverneur Morris (Todd Pletcher)
33: Enforceable (Mark Casse)
32: Storm the Court (Peter Eurton)
30: Sole Volante (Patrick Biancone)
30: Major Fed (Greg Foley)
25: Thousand Words (Bob Baffert)
25: Finnick the Fierce (Rey Hernandez)
Note: Top 20 in point standings qualify for the Kentucky Derby.
Sports on 05/27/2020