LEXINGTON, Ky. — Bob Baffert is back. Or at least back at Keeneland, thus back at this year’s Breeders’ Cup. As irony would have it, the sport’s most famous American Thoroughbred trainer is making his return to the national stage in the same state where his troubles began.
You know the story. The long, long story. In 2021, Medina Spirit tested positive for a banned substance after giving Baffert his seventh Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville. Churchill suspended Baffert for two years. The New York Racing Association issued a one-year suspension. The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission suspended Baffert for 90 days, a sentence that was completed July 2. Baffert is suing both Churchill Downs and NYRA.
This year’s Breeders’ Cup is Friday and Saturday at Keeneland, where Baffert is again allowed to both train and enter horses. And love him or hate him, the 69-year-old will undoubtedly make a BC impact with five horses currently under his guidance from his California base among the Breeders’ Cup pre-entries.
