Baffert Travels the Long Road Back to Churchill Downs

The date was May 1, 2021. That was the day that Medina Spirit won the Kentucky Derby under the tutelage of Bob Baffert. At the time, the dark bay colt became the 7th Kentucky Derby winner on Baffert's unrivaled training resume. However, it was not meant to be after Medina Spirit failed a drug test (showed 21pg/mL of betamethasone) and was disqualified to last.

The 2021 Derby ended up being the last Derby that Baffert was allowed to enter as a runner. The drug positive was Baffert's 5th infraction over the prior 13 months, putting him on the hot seat at race tracks all over the country. On May 9 of that year, Churchill's Board of Stewards has seen enough. They immediately suspended Baffert from entering any horses at the historic track. After a series of appeals and legal battles, Churchill's ruling was upheld.

The suspension was scheduled to end just after the 2023 Derby. Unfortunately, the suspension was extended an additional year while Baffert had a few colts that were targeting the 2024 race. According to insiders, Churchill's new ruling was made as a result of the track's stewards not being satisfied with Baffert's contrition.

Baffert Makes His Long-Awaited Return to Churchill

Baffert has never been one to the spotlight. After more than three (3) years away from the Churchill Downs backstretch, Baffert made his formal return to the racing card on November 27, 2024, the day before Thanksgiving.

It was quite a surprise that 2-year-old unraced colt Barnes ended up being entered in a Maiden Special Wight event under jockey Martin Garcia. This is a colt that was purchased for a whopping $3.2 million by Amr Zedan (Zedan Racing Stables) out of a top yealing sale 15 months ago. In a real twist of fate, Zedan Racing Stables was also the owner of Medina Spirit.

After the long wait, Baffert and Zedan were rewarded with a Barnes victory, if only by a nose in a photo finish. Baffert confirmed the win was a big weight lifted off his shoulders. Barnes won at odds-on, rewarding the confidence of retail and online horseplayers all over the U.S.

After the race, Baffert was spotted shaking hands with Churchill chief Bill Carstanjen, the same man who suspended Baffert and faced off against him during a contentious appeals process. It was a sign of great sportsmanship on behalf of both parties. It was time to let bygones be bygones and get on with the business of racing horses.

As if all of the about wasn't enough, there was another layer to this story. The horse that ran 2nd to Barnes was Innovator. Innovator is trained by the legendary D. Wayne Lucas, who himself has trained (4) Kentucky Deby winners. It just so happens that Baffert did a short stint as an assistant under Lucas. As the two aforementioned colts crossed the finish line, smiles were seen on the faces of Baffert and Lucas who had been sitting right next to each other in the stands.