Coach Bob Baffert appears out on the observe early Friday morning at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. April 25, 2025.
Disgraced and embellished, Bob Baffert is again at Churchill Downs this week forward of the 151st Kentucky Derby with a story to inform.
With a a three-year suspension within the rearview mirror — stemming from 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit testing constructive for the corticosteroid betamethasone — Baffert returned to the horse racing highlight hoping to writer one other chapter in a sophisticated legacy.
“Everybody’s been very nice to me,” Baffert mentioned of his reception from different trainers and horsemen. “They are saying they’re blissful to see me, and I am blissful to be again.”
Morning line favourite Journalism, who has 3-1 odds out of the No. 8 place, is the deserving favourite based on the 72-year-old coach.
With a pair of entries within the first leg of the Triple Crown to be run Saturday night time in Kentucky, the draw wasn’t the reception he’d hoped to obtain.
Citizen Bull (12-1), which was anticipated to be the coach’s greatest likelihood at a powerful end, drew the dreaded No. 1 place.
“I want I had a problem flag. If I had it, I might have thrown it,” Baffert mentioned.
Citizen Bull, winner of the Eclipse Award as the highest 2-year-old in 2024, was the quickest of the 15 horses labored out at Churchill Downs on Monday with six furlongs in 1:12.40.
A six-time Derby-winning coach with two Triple Crown winners on his resume, Baffert can break the tie with Ben Jones along with his seventh victory this week. He has been actively operating horses in the course of the Churchill Downs suspension lifted in November, when he forfeited his authorized struggle towards the ban, and profitable.
To get a seventeenth win in a Triple Crown race this week, Baffert seems to have come to the conclusion it may be as much as Rodriguez, winner of the Wooden Memorial who drew the No. 4 place. Mike Smith, vying to turn out to be the oldest jockey to win the Derby at 58, shall be aboard and mentioned he’s pushing to get Baffert again within the Winner’s Circle. Smith was Baffert’s jockey piloting Justify to the Triple Crown in 2018 when he grew to become the oldest to finish that feat — at age 52.
Smith mentioned he informed Baffert he was simply “sitting right here on the bench quietly … ready so that you can put me in” when the choice lastly got here.
“You bought him if you would like him,” Baffert informed Smith.
American Promise, son of Justify, additionally labored out Monday earlier than returning to coach D. Wayne Lukas’ barn. The Virginia Derby winner has generated a number of buzz since his final outing. He has simply run the Derby distance and past, and Lukas confused stamina is a determined power.
“That could be a massive plus to not have to fret about something,” Lukas mentioned of the colt with 30-1 odds.
–Subject Stage Media