In the months that followed the decision to drop the case against Justify, the racing board moved to lessen the penalty for a scopolamine violation from disqualification and forfeiture of purse to only a fine and suspension.

Baedeker said regulators had been considering a move to the lesser standard. He said the plan was to appeal for the lesser classification if the matter came before a hearing.

“Our staff failed to bring those changes to the board — we admit that,” he said.

Baffert has endured previous regulatory proceedings in California

In 2013, after seven horses in his care died over a 16-month period, he was the subject of a report by the board, which revealed he had been giving every horse in his barn a thyroid hormone without checking to see if any of them had thyroid problems.

Baffert told the investigators that he thought the medication would help “build up” his horses even though the drug is generally associated with weight loss. In that case, the board’s report found no evidence “that C.H.R.B. rules or regulations have been violated.”

In retirement, Justify mates as often as three times a day. Coolmore, the international breeding concern that bought Justify’s breeding rights, receives as much as $150,000 for a mating, or $450,000 a day over a five-month breeding season. That means Coolmore has already recouped its $60 million investment.

Justify is currently in Australia. Owners there have their mares lined up in the hope of getting what is supposed to be the perfect seed from the perfect racehorse.