Bob Baffert

It's been a difficult few months for Bob Baffert, who acknowledged as much after Authentic (Into Mischief) won the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic and wrapped up the Horse-of-the-Year title on a terrific day of racing at Keeneland. He seemed every bit as relieved as he was excited, enjoying a moment where he could divert his focus from Scopolamine, drug positives out of Oaklawn or the latest hit job from the New York Times. It seemed that a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "That was awesome. I tell...

Authentic (Into Mischief) provided Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert with a fourth victory-all with 3-year-olds--in the $6-million GI Breeders' Cup Classic, leading throughout en route to a 2 1/4-length defeat of stablemate Improbable (City Zip) as the sun set in Saturday's main event at Keeneland. Ridden for speed by Hall of Famer John Velazquez, the GI Kentucky Derby hero and narrow GI Preakness S. runner-up led the Classic field under the wire for the first time, doing so with a minimum of fuss, and with stablemates Improbable and Maximum...

4th-DMR, $57K, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 5:00 p.m. ET Muir Hut Stables LLC's AFFABLE (Flatter) gets a start for trainer Mark Glatt. Out of the unraced mare Wildaboutshopping (Wildcat Heir), the chestnut realized a $600,000 final bid earlier this spring at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-olds in Training sale. The colt is the highest-priced offspring by the stallion in 2020. Always well-represented in these West Coast tests for babies, Bob Baffert saddles BARRAZA (Into Mischief) and SAVILLE ROW (Quality Road). Out of graded winner Halo Dolly (Popular), the former enters in this...

Already boasting two out of the three highest Beyer Speed Figures on the year for all 3-year-olds, 'TDN Rising Star' Gamine (Into Mischief) produced another spectacular performance, airing by 6 1/4 lengths in track-record time in Saturday's GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Keeneland. Content to stalk the blazing speed of last year's GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Serengeti Empress (Alternation) through early fractions of :21.77 and :44.27, the even-money choice put the screws to the frontrunner turning for home. Moving easily from there beneath Hall of Famer John...

In an atypical year for horse racing in which COVID-19 has played havoc on just about everything, it will be a typical Breeders' Cup Saturday, at least on the racetrack. Including also-eligibles, 104 horses have been entered to contest the nine races that will be offered and the list includes a who's who of the best horses not just in North America but in the world. Between the two days of racing, the Breeders' Cup could decide every Eclipse Award race but the 3-year-old filly championship, where Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil)...

Featuring five deep, competitive fields and plenty of intrigue, Future Stars Friday will get the two-day, 37th Breeders' Cup World Championships festivities underway from historic Keeneland Race Course. First post on the all-stakes card at the bucolic oval, hosting the Breeders' Cup for the second time, is 11:30 a.m. ET, with the first Breeders' Cup race set to run at 2:30 p.m. All in all, 184 horses were entered in the 14 World Championship races, which conclude with the highly-anticipated GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic, slated for 5:18 p.m. Saturday....

In a statement circulated to the media Wednesday morning, Bob Baffert pledged to do everything possible to ensure that he receives no further medication positives, saying that he wanted to be a positive influence on horse racing. Baffert, who has seen medication positives over overages three times in the last six months, outlined several steps his barn was taking. The statement in full reads: "2020 has been a difficult year for everyone. It has been no exception for my family, my barn, and me. I am very aware of the...

I read with interest the article "Baffert's Lawyer: Drape's `False' Story `Debunked'" published today on your website. Although I represent Mick Ruis, the following comments set forth facts that cannot be disputed and address a number of the patently false or clearly misleading representations contained in that article. JUSTIFY'S OFFICIAL SAMPLE AND SPLIT SAMPLE CONFIRMED THE PRESENCE OF SCOPOLAMINE. The prohibited substance, scopolamine, was detected in the official test sample collected from Justify following the running of the 2018 Santa Anita Derby. Split sample testing, requested by Justify's trainer, Bob...

Bob Baffert's attorney issued a statement Tuesday saying that New York Times reporter Joe Drape's reporting in 2019 on Justify's scopolamine positive was a "false story and narrative" which "were definitively debunked" in last week's California Horse Racing Board hearing on the matter. The statement from attorney W. Craig Robertson III reads, in full: "On September 11, 2019, Joe Drape of the New York Times published an article concerning trainer Bob Baffert and Triple Crown-winning horse Justify. The article strongly and inaccurately suggested that Mr. Baffert had intentionally doped Justify...

Continuing a trend of favorites and short prices drawing outside at Monday's Rood & Riddle Breeders' Cup Post Position Draw, the potent trio of Bob Baffert contenders in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic drew next door to each other in the three widest posts in a loaded field for the 1 1/4-mile test. Given a slight nod on the morning line at 5-2, Improbable (City Zip) was parked in the eight-hole when pills were pulled. The 'TDN Rising Star', who had an up-and-down 3-year-old season, has come into his...

Thoughts I had while perusing the pre-entries for what promises to be a terrific Breeders' Cup? What are the chances that Swiss Skydiver is named Horse of the Year? It now appears almost certain that Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) will go in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff instead of the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. "At this point we are going in the Distaff unless there is a late defection from the Classic," trainer Ken McPeek told reporters Saturday morning. The Classic field is loaded, so running Swiss Skydiver in the Distaff,...

Sackatoga Stables' GI Belmont S. winner and GI Kentucky Derby runner-up Tiz the Law (Constitution) capped off his serious work ahead of next Saturday's GI Breeders' Cup Classic with a five-furlong breeze at Keeneland Saturday morning. With his regular work rider Heather Smullen in the irons, the New York-bred drilled five furlongs in :59.20 and galloped out an extra eighth of a mile in 1:12.20 (video). "I saw just what I wanted. He went perfectly," said trainer Barclay Tagg who will send out his 11th Breeders' Cup starter next weekend....