The road to the Kentucky Derby always seems to go through Bob Baffert, but rarely after a race like this. But first, there is the added issue that the hall of fame trainer is not eligible to run in the Derby.
On Saturday at Santa Anita, Baffert finished first, second, third and fourth in the eight-horse Grade 1 $300,000 American Pharoah Stakes as Cave Rock won his third consecutive lifetime race in winning the Derby prep by 5 1/4 lengths. It was a dominating performance and gave the horse an automatic bid in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Keeneland on Nov. 4.
Cave Rock immediately went to the front in the 1 1/16-mile race and cruised around the backstretch with a slight lead heading into the home stretch. Jockey Juan Hernandez used the whip once in the early stretch and then hand-rode him easily to the finish line. Hernandez has ridden him in all three of his races, including a 5 1/4-length win in the Del Mar Futurity four weeks ago.
