Will Bob Baffert be at 2023 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs? What to know ahead of race

Ryan Black, Louisville Courier Journal
·3 min read
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The 149th running of the Kentucky Derby is barely a month away. But for the second straight year, one of the biggest names in the sport won't be in attendance.

Bob Baffert, arguably the most well-known thoroughbred trainer, is banned from Churchill Downs through June and cannot enter a horse in the derby once again. He will have to wait at least one more year to attempt to win a record seventh Kentucky Derby.

Here is everything you need to know about Baffert not attending the Run for the Roses in person in 2023:

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Who is Bob Baffert?

Bob Baffert brings Triple Crown winner Justify out to see the media outside of the barn at Belmont Park on Sunday morning. June 10, 2018
Bob Baffert brings Triple Crown winner Justify out to see the media outside of the barn at Belmont Park on Sunday morning. June 10, 2018

No one has trained more Kentucky Derby winners than Baffert, recognizable with his ever-present sunglasses, pressed suits and mop of white hair. His six wins in the Derby are tied for the most by a single trainer alongside Ben Jones. Baffert has had seven horses cross the finish line first in The Run for the Roses, but Medina Spirit's win no longer counts toward Baffert's Derby tally.

And Baffert's success isn't limited to Churchill Downs: He has a record-tying seven victories in the Preakness Stakes (R. Wyndham Walden also had seven triumphs in the event) and three wins in the Belmont Stakes.

His 16 victories in Triple Crown races are a record for a trainer.

Baffert is one of just two trainers — James E. "Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons is the other — to train two horses that completed the Triple Crown: American Pharoah (2015) and Justify (2018). Fitzsimmons trained Gallant Fox (1930) and Omaha (1935).

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Can Bob Baffert run in 2023 Kentucky Derby?

Trainer Bob Baffert, back a 90 day ban, was all smiles at the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland Race Course. Nov. 4, 2022
Trainer Bob Baffert, back a 90 day ban, was all smiles at the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland Race Course. Nov. 4, 2022

Baffert is continuing to serve a two-year suspension from Churchill Downs. The suspension stems from the 2021 Kentucky Derby. Medina Spirit, the Baffert-trained horse that initially won that year's race, tested positive for betamethasone, a corticosteroid. It's considered a potential performance-enhancing drug and isn't legal on race days. After the positive test, Churchill Downs stripped Medina Spirit of the Derby victory and suspended Baffert for two years. In December 2021, Medina Spirit died after a workout.

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Does Bob Baffert have a horse in Kentucky Derby 2023?

Baffert does not officially have a horse in this year's derby. A new rule required all suspended trainers to transfer horses to non-suspended trainers by Feb. 28 in order for those horses to be eligible to race at Churchill Downs.

Baffert transferred 10 horses to three other trainers prior to the deadline, some of them Derby contenders.

Who took over training for Bob Baffert?

He sent eight to Tim Yakteen, including contenders National Treasure (15-1 odds according to Caesars Sportsbook as of March 27) and Reincarnate (18-1). Another thoroughbred, Arabian Knight, once one of the favorites for this year's race, was taken off the Derby trail in March by owner Zedan Racing. Other horses Baffert transferred to Yakteen include Arabian Lion, Carmel Road, Hejazi, Fort Bragg and Mr. Fisk.

Baffert also sent Fort Warren to trainer Brittney Russell while Steve Asmussen received Harlocap.

It is expected Baffert will regain control of the horses he once trained in time for the Preakness Stakes, which will be run May 20.

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Did Bob Baffert fight the suspension?

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, right, spoke to the media outside U.S. District Court in Louisville, Ky. on Feb. 2, 2023 along with his attorney Clark Brewster after a hearing to seek a temporary injunction to lift his ban from Churchill Downs so he can participate in this year's Kentucky Derby. The hearing was extended another day.
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, right, spoke to the media outside U.S. District Court in Louisville, Ky. on Feb. 2, 2023 along with his attorney Clark Brewster after a hearing to seek a temporary injunction to lift his ban from Churchill Downs so he can participate in this year's Kentucky Derby. The hearing was extended another day.

Baffert appealed the suspension, but in February a federal judge denied his injunction. Though the New York Racing Association — the state where the Belmont Stakes is held — also suspended Baffert for a year, that suspension expired in January.

When does Bob Baffert's suspension from Churchill Downs end?

Baffert's suspension ends in June 2023.

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @RyanABlack.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Will trainer Bob Baffert be at Churchill Downs for Kentucky Derby 2023