In Baffert's Absence, Trainers Seek Derby Breakthrough

A silver-haired gentleman caused a few double-takes at Churchill Downs when he walked past Barn 33 the morning of May 3. Those second glances would confirm 'imposter,' as opposed to the onlookers initially, briefly thinking they were observing a most unexpected arrival or possibly some form of visual time travel. 

No, trainer Bob Baffert is not at the 2022 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) as he concurrently serves a 90-day suspension from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission as well as the first year of a two-year ban from Churchill Downs Inc. If someone went into a cave minutes after last year's Derby and emerged for this first Saturday in May, it would be a shocking turn.

For just over a week after the 2021 Derby, Baffert enjoyed a record-breaking seventh Derby win with Medina Spirit—but that all came crashing down when he announced his horse had failed a post-race drug test. CDI would soon announce its ban and Kentucky stewards this year announced the suspension of the trainer and disqualification of Medina Spirit.

Along the line, Churchill removed the green and white signs from the wall beside an entrance to Barn 33—the trainer's former Derby-week stamping ground—that acknowledged Baffert's half-dozen Derby wins: Silver Charm, 1997; Real Quiet, 1998; War Emblem, 2002; American Pharoah  , 2015; Justify  , 2018; and Authentic  , 2020. The track also removed Medina Spirit's name from the paddock building's fascia board and replaced it with Mandaloun , who was promoted from second following the DQ.

Even as trainers prepared their 2022 Derby runners, the absence of a trainer who has arguably been the face of the Derby since the mid-1990s, has won two Triple Crowns, and has enthusiastically promoted racing, certainly was noticed. Four-time Derby winner D. Wayne Lukas, who missed out on his 50th Derby starter when Ethereal Road  was scratched, said the Derby will miss Baffert's promotion of the race, whether it be through long sessions with the media to help the general public understand racing or his willingness to share horses like Triple Crown winner American Pharoah.

"I think he's missed here," Lukas said. "I definitely think that his being such a visible part of this game for the last decade; I think that the public will definitely know that he's not here."

The three trainers with multiple Derby wins who have entered horses in this year's race are Lukas, Todd Pletcher, who sends out Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by Resorts World Casino (G2) winner Mo Donegal , who will try to be the first horse since 1986 (Ferdinand) to win the race from the rail; Curlin Florida Derby Presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa (G1) runner-up Charge It , and TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) third-place finisher Pioneer of Medina ; and Doug O'Neill, who has entered grade 1-placed longshot Happy Jack .

Horses trained by Baffert were ineligible to earn Road to the Kentucky Derby points needed to qualify for the classic, a policy that saw the owners of Messier  and Taiba  transfer their runners from Baffert to Tim Yakteen ahead of the Runhappy Santa Anita Derby (G1). In just his second career race, Taiba, who is owned by Zedan Racing Stables—which also campaigned Medina Spirit—rallied from third to win that 1 1/8-mile test while the speedy Messier, owned by a partnership managed by SF Racing, finished second. O'Neill's Happy Jack finished behind that pair.

"It's been a unique year, you know?" O'Neill said. "Those two horses are in a great horseman's hands with Tim. He cut his teeth with Charlie Whittingham and Bob Baffert, so Tim knows what he's doing. And, he's got live horses. They've looked phenomenal. You've got to say those two have huge chances; that's for certain."

As for the Baffert suspension?

"Nothing surprises me now," O'Neill said. "It's unfortunate. To me, Bob's done a lot for the sport. He's basically been the face of the sport for a long time, so I have a lot of respect for Bob. 

"With all of the negative press, it hurts all of us. I think we're all in the same boat; eager to get this behind us and start talking about positive stuff."

Nothing like a Derby filled with talented runners to change the conversation. This year many of those standouts are campaigned by top trainers looking for their breakthrough Derby victory.

Multiple Eclipse Award winner Chad Brown falls into that category, with his best Derby finish from six starts being Good Magic  's runner-up to Justify. This year Brown sends out 3-1 morning-line favorite Zandon  off a 2 1/2-length victory in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G1) April 9 at Keeneland. Brown said Thursday the son of Upstart   prepared well for the Derby since his rally from 11th in the Blue Grass.

"He was so visually impressive in the Blue Grass and he's continued to do very well since arriving at Churchill Downs," Brown said. 

Steve Asmussen has watched his Derby runners earn placings four times—including third-place finishes by eventual Horses of the Year Curlin   and Gun Runner  —but has never smelled the roses in the Derby winner's circle in 23 starts. The Racing Hall of Famer will send out Epicenter  off a clear victory in the Louisiana Derby.

"With Epicenter, you can't stand here and compare him to Curlin and Gun Runner yet—how they finished their careers made them who they were," Asmussen said. "But he is running faster right now than they were when they got here.

"He's a beautiful mover, just a really attractive horse that is very physical. He takes everything he does with a great amount of ease; it's always maintained. From last fall to him arriving (at Churchill), you can tell the difference in his confidence level, and just his demeanor from when he was here last fall."

Brad Cox officially is a Derby winner off last year's Medina Spirit DQ that put Mandaloun up. But the Louisville, Ky., native would love to be able to celebrate a win on Derby day. This year he sends out the talented trio of Arkansas Derby (G1) winner Cyberknife , Stonestreet Lexington Stakes (G3) winner Tawny Port , and Louisiana Derby runner-up Zozos . At the start, Cox will be able to focus on the outside as Cyberknife starts from post 16, Tawny Port post 18, and Zozos post 19.

The Florida Derby has produced more Kentucky Derby winners than any other prep but this year's winner of that race, White Abarrio , was listed at 10-1. The double-digit morning-line odds have not dampened the optimism of his trainer, Saffie Joseph Jr., a 35-year-old native of Barbados who previously saddled Ny Traffic  to an eighth-place Derby finish in 2020.

"I think Zandon is kind of the buzz horse coming off of that big race in the Blue Grass and the Florida Derby was before that race," Joseph said. "I think people kind of forget. In this game it's kind of a convenient memory of 'Who is the latest?' But I think the Florida Derby is going to prove to be a good prep. It has in the past; it's produced the most Derby winners. In this particular year, they're critiquing it a little harsh but if he jumps up and wins the Kentucky Derby it will turn out to be the best prep. No one knows in this game; everyone has their opinion."

Ken McPeek has won the Preakness and the Belmont but the closest he's come in the Derby was Tejano Run's second-place finish in 1995. He will send out Blue Grass runner-up Smile Happy , who last fall won the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) at Churchill; and last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) runner-up Tiz the Bomb , who tries the dirt off a victory in the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) April 2 on Turfway Park's synthetic surface.

The field features a pair of international horses in Japan-based Crown Pride  and Dubai-trained Summer Is Tomorrow , the respective one-two finishers in the UAE Derby (G2) for first-time Derby trainers Koichi Shintani and Bhupat Seemar.

Also sending out their first Derby starters are John Ortiz, with late-running Arkansas Derby runner-up Barber Road  and Brian Lynch with Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2) victor Classic Causeway . Antonio Sano sends out a Derby starter for the second time in the Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) winner Simplification .

Entries: Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1)

Churchill Downs, Saturday, May 07, 2022, Race 12

• Grade I
• 1 1/4m
• Dirt
• $3,000,000
• 3 yo
• 6:57 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Mo Donegal (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	126	Todd A. Pletcher	10/1
2	2Happy Jack (KY)	Rafael Bejarano	126	Doug F. O'Neill	30/1
3	3Epicenter (KY)	Joel Rosario	126	Steven M. Asmussen	7/2
4	4Summer Is Tomorrow (KY)	Mickael Barzalona	126	Bhupat Seemar	30/1
5	5Smile Happy (KY)	Corey J. Lanerie	126	Kenneth G. McPeek	20/1
6	6Messier (ON)	John R. Velazquez	126	Tim Yakteen	8/1
7	7Crown Pride (JPN)	Christophe Lemaire	126	Koichi Shintani	20/1
8	8Charge It (KY)	Luis Saez	126	Todd A. Pletcher	20/1
9	9Tiz the Bomb (KY)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	126	Kenneth G. McPeek	30/1
10	10Zandon (KY)	Flavien Prat	126	Chad C. Brown	3/1
11	11Pioneer of Medina (KY)	Joe Bravo	126	Todd A. Pletcher	30/1
12	12Taiba (KY)	Mike E. Smith	126	Tim Yakteen	12/1
13	13Simplification (FL)	Jose L. Ortiz	126	Antonio Sano	20/1
14	14Barber Road (KY)	Reylu Gutierrez	126	John Alexander Ortiz	30/1
15	15White Abarrio (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	126	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.	10/1
16	16Cyberknife (KY)	Florent Geroux	126	Brad H. Cox	20/1
17	17Classic Causeway (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	126	Brian A. Lynch	30/1
18	18Tawny Port (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	126	Brad H. Cox	30/1
19	19Zozos (KY)	Manuel Franco	126	Brad H. Cox	20/1
20	20Ethereal Road (KY)	Luis Contreras	126	D. Wayne Lukas	30/1
21	21Rich Strike (KY)	Sonny Leon	126	Eric R. Reed	30/1
22	22Rattle N Roll (KY)	James Graham	126	Kenneth G. McPeek	30/1