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The California Horse Racing Board has officially disqualified Justify from his win in the 2018 Santa Anita Derby (G1), according to a ruling dated March 30.
Runner-up Bolt d'Oro, owned by Mick Ruis, has been declared the winner. All purse money paid to owners China Horse Club, Head of Plains Partners, Starlight Racing, and WinStar Farm ($585,000), along with jockey Mike Smith and trainer Bob Baffert ($58,450 each), were ordered returned to t he paymaster of purses at Santa Anita by April 29 for redistribution.
In the fall of 2019, the New York Times reported that the 2018 Triple Crown winner had a positive test for scopolamine after the Santa Anita Derby in April 2018. Scopolamine is used to treat gastrointestinal illness in humans and is thought by some experts to behave as a bronchodilator. It’s naturally found in jimson weed, and has been believed to contaminate hay, sometimes resulting in a positive test.
According to the Times, trainer Bob Baffert was informed of the positive test prior to Justify’s trip to Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby, and exercised his right to a split sample test at that time. In August, the California Horse Racing Board – which did not issue a complaint or schedule a public hearing – voted unanim ously and privately in executive session not to proceed with the case.
Stewards had ruled that they lacked jurisdiction to conduct a disqualification hearing in this matter, but Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff disagreed. The Court decision issued in December of 2023 stated there is “no reason for remand” as there is “no doubt” the stewards would have disqualified Justify if they understood that they had the authority to do so, thus the Court directed the CHRB to issue a new ruling disqualifying Justify from the 2018 Santa Anita Derby (G1).
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Steelers Get More Good News on Rookie’s Injury
PITTSBURGH — With each passing day the injury news regarding Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Derrick Harmon continues to improve. After tweaking a knee in the Steelers' preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers, the panic and worry instantly skyrocketed. Would the team's first-round pick once again be sidelined by a preseason injury? According to Steelers insider, Gerry Dulac, the latest update regarding Derrick Harmon is another positive step while the defensive tackle deals with a mild knee sprain. The team has described the injury as moderate, but not severe or long-term. Futhermore, the rookie will not be heading to injured reserve to begin the season. Dulac shared via his X account that due to the short-term nature of the sprain Harmon is dealing with, the team does not feel it is necessary to place him on IR and cause him to miss the first four weeks of the season. There's also hope that he could miss as few as one game, which would force him out for just the opening week contest against the New York Jets. ”Steelers have no intention of putting Harmon on IR,” he wrote. “And think it’s possible he will miss only one game.” It's another step in the right direction for Harmon, who avoided catastrophe in the preseason finale against the Panthers. It was a routine pass rushing play, but as he tried to get the edge on the offensive linemen matched up against him, it was obvious that something tweaked in his knee. Thankfully, he was able to exit under his own power and he was never fully taken off the field, but rather evaluated by Steelers medical personnel on the sidelines. If Harmon does only miss one week that would put him an excellent position to continue on the trajectory he's been on since arriving at training camp earlier this summer. It took all of one week of practices for the Steelers to name him one of the starters along the defensive line and his impact both at practice and in preseason contests against other competition has illustrated clearly that Harmon is not only a strong first round pick, but a starting defensive player in the NFL already. Without Harmon available this will put added pressure on starters like Cam Hayward as he deals with his own contractual negotiation efforts with the Steelers, as well as third year defensive tackle, Keeanu Benton. Benton is on track to have another strong season and without Harmon taking away potential reps over the next couple of weeks, Benton can reestablish himself as one of the premier interior defensive lineman in the AFC. Supporting them will be players like Isaiahh Loudermilk, Daniel Ekuale and whoever the final member of the 53-man roster is. It should also mean a significant increase in snaps and practice time for fifth round pick Yahya Black. Along with Harmon, Black has been a standout along the defensive line in training camp and the preseason. His performance has given the Steelers all the more confidence that their recent draft class is going to be a very successful one. It will look even better once Harmon is ready and back in action.
'He’s Only 26': Former Oiler with Valid Point on Imminent Skinner Trade
Goaltending in Edmonton comes with pressures few players ever face — and Stuart Skinner, despite all of his faults — has handled them better than many expected. “He’s dealing with pressures that nobody else is dealing with,” former NHL goalie Devan Dubnyk told The Big Show this week. “That’s part of playing in a Canadian market, and he’s done a really, really impressive job of handling it.” Despite a season of ups and downs, including some highs and lows in the last two playoff runs for the Oilers, Skinner has been better than many fans give him credit for. Most importantly, he’s picked up what feels like a decade’s worth of experience in just a couple of seasons. It’s the kind of experience most NHL goalies never get. Perhaps most impressive about his career is that, despite the downs, he’s often found ways to mentally shake off the poor performances and come back with stellar starts. He’s played in playoff rounds that included back-to-back shutouts and posted steady performances that carried his team to a second consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearance. Dubnyk highlighted the young goalie’s experience: “He’s only 26 and already has more playoff experience than three-quarters of the league ever will. That’s remarkable. And he’s just hitting his prime.” Fans who are looking for the Oilers to trade Skinner quickly forget how much he’s learned in a relatively short career. And, as a wise person once told me, “You never lose, you either win or learn.” The assumption should be here that Skinner is learning. “I think going through it the first time, you go through that experience in the summer and then you realize the things you did well and the things you didn’t do well,” Skinner said to NHL.coms Derek Van Diest. “So going through it a second time, but being able to say you went through this does help you get over it quicker, just because you have to go back into training and do it all over again.” He’s figuring out what to do and what not to do. Skinner is learning what works and what doesn’t. If the Oilers trade that away for anything less than an obvious upgrade, they’re throwing away all of those valuable life and hockey lessons. How Long Do the Oilers Give Skinner? If we take into account his age, that he’s in his prime, and that Skinner is picking up lessons along the way that should contribute to his becoming a better and more reliable goaltender, there’s an argument that can be made to keep him in Edmonton. Still, questions remain about how long to wait before learning if he’s ever going to put all the pieces together. With expectations sky-high around stars like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the stakes are enormous. The Oilers are no longer in the window where they can afford to keep letting Skinner “figure it out.”
Kevin O'Connell bids farewell to Harrison Phillips, gives injury updates
Kevin O'Connell opened his press conference after Friday night's preseason finale in Tennessee by discussing the difficulty of trading away Harrison Phillips, a team captain who had started every single game for Minnesota over the past three seasons. "Did want to start out just talking about Harrison Phillips for a quick second," he said. "Obviously, a tough move to make considering just how impactful he's been to the Minnesota Vikings and our organization, on and off the field. First free agent we signed when Kwesi and I got here, and he was the first one we signed for a reason. The type of man he is, the type of teammate, the type of leader. "Moves like that are not made without a lot of thought. I got a chance to spend a lot of good time with Harrison, and I also had a chance to talk to (Aaron Glenn) and (Darren Mougey) in New York about the type of player they were getting. I know he'll have the same impact there, in a new regime there. As they build their culture up, Harrison Phillips will be great for it." The Vikings clearly felt Phillips was expendable due to the additions of Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, as well as the progress shown by a wave of young defensive tackles on their roster. But to deal away an impact starter so close to the start of the season comes with some risk. Phillips' departure also creates a void of leadership, although O'Connell doesn't sound too concerned on that front. "The thing that you have to understand, in the (DT) room, acquiring veteran presences like JA and Grave, they've really been immediate impact players on and off the field," he said. "Guys that have sustained it and done it at a high level for a really long time. That doesn't go into the hard decision like that, as far as the leadership goes, but you do know that we've got some ascending players on our roster, offensively and defensively, that are ready to assume that void. We've gotta make sure we're on top of that because of his impact." Injury updates O'Connell also gave some updates on a few young players who got banged up in Friday's game. OLB Tyler Batty (right knee) will be evaluated via MRI. RB Zavier Scott (right ankle) had an early 23-yard run but then left the field limping on one of his next carries. DT Elijah Williams (right hamstring) is a candidate to make the roster in the wake of the Phillips trade, but he could also potentially begin the year on IR (designated to return) if he has a hamstring strain. All three of those players have impressed over the course of training camp. Roster cutdown day is Tuesday, which will mean lots of difficult choices for the Vikings as they go from 90 players down to 53. More Vikings coverage
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Bengals have major PR blunder over invite to former player for Ring of Honor ceremony
The Cincinnati Bengals do not have the best reputation when it comes to their willingness to spend money. They have been regarded as one of the cheapest teams in the league over how much they are willing to pay players, over their front office, coaching, scouting staff and for pretty much anything else that comes with running a professional sports franchise. Now, one of their all-time greatest players is putting them on blast for the way they invited him to the team's Ring of Honor ceremony in October. Former quarterback Boomer Esiason revealed on his radio show on Friday that his invite to the Oct. 26 ceremony wasn't exactly one that made him willing to jump up and rush back to Cincinnati. Instead of a personal invite, Esiason revealed that he received a form-letter email that he had to RSVP with for the ceremony, two tickets to the game with the opportunity to purchase more on his own and a group rate for a hotel that he would have to book himself, while also providing his own transportation. Here is the entire story from Esiason. On one hand, the common fan is not really going to understand his gripe here, and he might even come off as a little entitled. Maybe spoiled. Maybe even something of a jerk. But, is he wrong when you consider the context? The context being, he is a former professional athlete who is already in the Bengals' ring of honor and a player who made significant contributions to the franchise. He is one of the top quarterbacks -- and players -- to ever suit up for the team. Usually, teams go out of their way to roll out the red carpet for those players and bring them back for events like this. At least, that is probably the type of treatment players are accustomed to from multi-billion-dollar professional sports teams. Could Esiason afford his own plane ticket and hotel room? Could he buy his own tickets to the game? Absolutely. He was a starting quarterback in the NFL for over a decade and is one of the highest-profile radio hosts on the top sports talk channel in the country. He's probably doing fine financially. A trip to Cincinnati probably is not out of his budget. Still, it's the lack of effort from the Bengals that really stands out here, and it's not a great look for a franchise that doesn't have the best reputation when it comes to spending money. Yeah, Esiason can afford it. But so can the Bengals. And if they wanted him — and any other player — to show up, they could at least make it worth their while and a little easier for them. This story also caught the attention of former Bengals running back Corey Dillon, who delivered his own shot at the team on social media. Tough look all around for the Bengals to have former players — all-time great players for the franchise — calling them out.
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