Horse racing trainer Bob Baffert named advisor to HISA

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert is among the three newest advisors to the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, officials announced Aug. 14. As a member of HISA's Horsemen's Advisory Group, Baffert is expected provide feedback on the Racetrack Safety, and Anti-Doping and Medication Control programs, which cover rules and regulations in horse racing. The others named to the 18-member advisory group Aug. 14 are trainers Jena Antonucci and Tim Keefe. "We are also 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," HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus said in a statement. Baffert, Antonucci and Keefe succeed outgoing advisory group members Kelsey Danner, Gavin Murphy and Jonathan Sadler. Baffert, 73, has trained six Kentucky Derby and two Triple Crown winners in a more than 40-year career. In 2021, Baffert received a two-year suspension from Churchill Downs after Medina Spirit, who had finished first in that year's Kentucky Derby, was found to have failed a postrace drug test. The suspension was later extended one year amid a lawsuit from Baffert, who had claimed Churchill was targeting him and trying to destroy his career. Baffert dropped the lawsuit on Jan. 22, 2024 and was reinstated by Churchill about five months later. Baffert has since fielded horses in the 2025 and 2026 Kentucky Derbys. HISA, established by Congress in 2020, is tasked with, among other things, regulating medication usage for thoroughbred racehorses, lab accreditations, racetrack safety programs and safety measures for injuries to horses and jockeys. HISA created several new measures in response to the deaths of a dozen horses in the leadup to the 2023 Kentucky Derby. More horse racing: Preakness 2027 changes date, moves further back from Kentucky Derby (This story may update.) Stephanie Kuzydym contributed. Reach reporter Leo Bertucci at lbertucci@usatodayco.com or @leober2chee on X, formerly known as Twitter This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Horse racing trainer Bob Baffert named advisor to HISA