Where is Bob Baffert? Why six-time Kentucky Derby winner isn't at Churchill Downs

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — For a quarter century, Barn 33 at Churchill Downs has been the primary hub of activity and curiosity during Kentucky Derby week. 

That’s where Bob Baffert would hold court every day with his trademark white hair and sunglasses, offering opinions on his horses, his competitors and his ambitious goals. 

Baffert wasn’t compelling merely because he won a lot of races, but also because he stood out as a bit of an iconoclast in a staid, buttoned-down sport. He had a distinct style, a recognizable look and used his humor and deep knowledge of other sports to make the game seem accessible to the common fan. He was even famous enough following American Pharoah’s Triple Crown triumph to be the guest picker on ESPN’s College GameDay, an honor typically reserved for entertainers or pro athletes. With six Kentucky Derby titles and 16 Triple Crown race wins overall, Baffert was horse racing’s only crossover star. 

But for the second year in a row, Baffert is missing from the Kentucky Derby. Here's why:

Kentucky Derby win followed by shock of suspension

Days after Baffert trainee Medina Spirit won the 2021 Kentucky Derby, a postrace drug test turned up positive for betamethasone, a corticosteroid that is used legally to treat pain and inflammation but banned on race days. 

Baffert denied any wrongdoing and entered a protracted battle with the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, which announced in February of 2022 that Medina Spirit had been disqualified and Baffert stripped of what would have been his seventh Derby crown. Additionally, Baffert, who had already been under scrutiny for a spate of positive drug tests in California, received a two-year ban from entering horses at any track owned by Churchill Downs Inc. The racing commissions in Maryland and New York recognized the ban for 2022, meaning Baffert could not compete in any of the Triple Crown races last year. 

Medina Spirit died after a workout in December of 2021. A necropsy did not identify a definitive cause of death. 

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Baffert's legal fights continued into 2023

Baffert initially went on a media blitz during which he suggested he was a victim of “cancel culture.” But when that didn’t work, he moved his fight to the courtroom, claiming lack of due process. That didn’t get his ban overturned, either, with judges in multiple jurisdictions turning away his appeals. In February, a federal judge once again upheld Churchill’s decision, effectively ending Baffert's hopes of returning to the Derby until 2024. 

What used to be a mutual love affair between Baffert and Churchill has now turned extremely sour, with the racetrack stating last year that his lawsuit was “meritless and consistent with his pattern of failed drug tests, denials, excuses and attempts to blame others and identify loopholes in order to avoid taking responsibility for his actions.”

Baffert’s suspension no longer applies in Maryland and New York, and he is currently pointing National Treasure toward the Preakness.

Baffert still a factor in absentia

Baffert’s top Derby prospects last year, Taiba and Messier, were transferred to the barn of Tim Yakteen so that they would be eligible to run. Yakteen began working for Baffert in the 1980s, left to join the Charlie Whittingham barn, then returned to Baffert in 1997 and had an active role in developing Derby winners Silver Charm and Real Quiet. Yakteen started his own training operation in 2004. 

After the February ruling, a number of Baffert’s 3-year-olds went to other trainers. The only one that made it to this year’s Derby, however, is Reincarnate, who went to Yakteen and finished third in both the Rebel Stakes and the Arkansas Derby. He is considered a significant longshot at 50-to-1 on the morning line.

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Baffert will be back

Though Baffert argued in court that the suspension hurt his reputation and his business, he is still among the most successful trainers in the sport with loads of clients sending him top Derby prospects. This year alone, Baffert horses have already won a dozen graded stakes and $4.25 million in prize money, which ranks sixth in North America. Last year, his barn won $9.7 million despite a 90-day suspension. 

It’s still far too early to project horses for the 2024 Derby since most 2-year-olds won’t be making their debuts until the summer or fall, but rest assured Baffert will have some of the most expensive and well-bred juveniles in his barn gearing up for a Churchill return next May.

“The numbers are the numbers, and they show Bob's the best there is,” one of his longtime owners, Mike Pegram, recently told the New York Times. “But if someone attacks you personally, it hurts. Everybody handles it differently. Bob’s a big boy and is moving on.”

Follow Dan Wolken on Twitter @DanWolken