LOS ANGELES — Is it possible that Bob Baffert will have at least one horse in this year's Kentucky Derby? Maybe, it will all rest with a judge in Jefferson County, Ky., Circuit Court.

On Wednesday, Amr Zedan, one of Baffert's biggest clients, filed suit in Louisville seeking a temporary injunction that would allow Zedan horses, and others trained by Baffert, to run in the May 4 Kentucky Derby. Baffert is not a party to the lawsuit. In a mostly procedural move, motions will be presented on Monday afternoon.

All the previous litigation, which has gone against Baffert and his owners, has been directed at the merits of the case against Medina Spirit, the winner of the 2021 Kentucky Derby until he tested positive for a legal medication that was not legal on race day. Churchill Downs Incorporated suspended Baffert from all Churchill tracks for what was believed to be two years. But, despite no violations in those two years, Churchill Downs added at least one more year to Baffert's suspension. CDI said the hall of fame trainer didn't show enough contrition.

Medina Spirit was subsequently disqualified from that Derby.

But this case is based on a different set of circumstances. Zedan's attorneys, headed by L.A.-based John Quinn, contend that Zedan bought horses in 2022 based on the fact that they could run in the 2024 Kentucky Derby. The suit details how he spent about $10.7 million to purchase six horses including Muth and Maymun in the hopes of winning this year's Derby at the conclusion of what was thought to be a two-year suspension for Baffert.

Muth won Saturday's Arkansas Derby, which would have earned him 100 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to go with the 10 points he would have been awarded for winning the American Pharoah Stakes at Santa Anita last year. However, any points earned by a Baffert-trained horse were vacated, or left unawarded. The 110 points Muth would have won would have easily guaranteed him a spot in the Kentucky Derby.

Baffert could have up to four horses running in Saturday's Santa Anita Derby. The field will be drawn on Wednesday. Among those is Imagination, owned by a consortium not involving Zedan, who won the San Felipe Stakes and had to vacate 50 Derby qualifying points, which also would have likely been enough to get in the starting field of 20 horses at Churchill Downs. The first- and second-place finishers in this Saturday's race would likely have enough points to qualify for the Derby, unless they were Baffert horses, at least for now.

"Zedan's lawsuit is the latest meritless attempt to relitigate the Baffert suspension," a Churchill Down spokesperson said. "Lifting Baffert's suspension now would threaten the safety and integrity of races at Churchill Downs by changing the qualification rules just before the Kentucky Derby.

"The same issues in this complaint have been decided by the courts and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, which have repeatedly upheld Baffert's suspension and the disqualification of Medina Spirit."

Safety was the story of last year's Churchill Downs meeting as nine horses died in the week and a half before the Derby. Three more horses died after the signature race and racing was moved to Ellis Park as a precaution. Churchill Downs is among the few tracks that does not make public their racing fatality statistics compiled by The Jockey Club.

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