DEL MAR, Calif. – After a three-year banishment from the Kentucky Derby, trainer Bob Baffert will be permitted to run horses in the world’s most famous horse race in 2025.
It’s six months away, sure, but it already looks like Baffert has a horse or two for Kentucky Derby 151.
Taking advantage of a stumbling start for the favorite, East Avenue, Citizen Bull was able to make the lead under Martin Garcia, then get away with pedestrian fractions to beat his Baffert-trained stablemate Gaming by 1 1/2 lengths in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Del Mar.
Baffert nearly ran 1-2-3 in the race, but Hill Road, the European import, rallied from last under Umberto Rispoli to get third by a neck over Baffert’s Getaway Car. Ferocious finished fifth, followed by Chancer McPatrick, Jonathan’s Way, Ecoro Azel, East Avenue, and Shin Believe.
The win gave Baffert a record sixth Breeders’ Cup Juvenile breaking a tie with D. Wayne Lukas.
The win also earned Citizen Bull 30 qualifying points to the Kentucky Derby. He had already earned 10 points for winning the American Pharoah last month.
Baffert was banned by Churchill Downs from participating in the Kentucky Derby following the positive test for a regulated substance found in the post-race sample of Medina Sprit, who finished first in the 2021 Kentucky Derby but was subsequently disqualified. In July, Baffert was reinstated by Churchill Downs.
“It means we don’t have to discuss that situation, that’s what it means,” Baffert said when asked what it meant to have a Derby horse. “Right now, it’s too far out. You really don’t know if you have a Derby horse until January, February. Things happen. I don’t get too far ahead of myself.
“It’s good to be in the conversation, but it’s still a long ways off,” Baffert added.
Under Martin Garcia, Citizen Bull was able to get ahead of his nine rivals soon after the start. That was due in part to East Avenue, the 9-5 favorite, stumbling badly out of the gate from post 1 and finding himself near the back of the pack under Tyler Gaffalione.
“I just think he outbroke himself,” Gaffalione said. “He really fired really out of there, he dropped and really tried to cut. I think he got a little ahead of himself.”
Gaffalione tried to have East Avenue settle and come with a run, but it never really happened.
With East Avenue in the back, Citizen Bull got to the front by running a quarter in 23.44 seconds and was 1 1/2 lengths clear of Gaming, under Irad Ortiz Jr. Citizen Bull maintained the lead through a half-mile in 47.89 seconds – by comparison the Baffert-trained Nooni went the opening half in 44.99 in the Juvenile Fillies – and six furlongs in 1:12.21.
Gaming, who had not started since winning the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 8, tried to make a run at Citizen Bull, but he was late to change leads and Citizen Bull kept on going.
Citizen Bull covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.07, earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 96, and returned $33.80. Citizen Bull, a $675,000 Keeneland yearling purchase, is owned by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Diane Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert Masterson, Tom Ryan, Waves Edge Capital, and Catherine Donovan.
Before Friday, Martin Garcia had won four Breeders’ Cup races, including the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Classic aboard Bayer and the 2016 Sprint, both for Baffert. Lately, he’s been riding sparingly in Kentucky. He picked up the mount on Citizen Bull for the American Pharoah when he happened to call Baffert just hours before entries were taken. After Garcia rode Citizen Bull to win the American Pharoah, naturally he kept the mount for the Juvenile.
Baffert credited his ownership group with standing by him during his Derby ban and for his decision to use Garcia.
“They supported me, they’ve been with me all the way, they have trust in me,” Baffert said. “I went to the bullpen, got Martin, they were good with it, let’s do it. It’s like baseball, it’s like managing.”
Garcia said Citizen Bull “was really fast coming out of the gate. When he was by himself, he relaxed. I have the other horse outside, he was just cruising. When it was time to go, he just took off.”
Ortiz said he liked his position early in the race and thought he was going to catch Garcia and Citizen Bull.
“From the half-mile we picked it up, I was confident, but when I turned for home Martin opened up two or three lengths on me, he was hard to catch,” Ortiz said. “My horse is a good horse too.”
Hill Road, a Kentucky bred son of Quality Road, who made his first two starts on turf in Ireland for trainer Adrian Murray, was 9 3/4 lengths back after six furlongs under Umberto Rispoli. He split horses at the top of the lane and came with a good run to get third, beaten 4 3/4 lengths.
“What I really liked about him, not many horses from where we were made up [that] much ground,” Rispoli said. “And believe me, if I could have had another sixteenth of a mile, I’m not far away from winning the race.”
Hill Road, owned by Amo Racing, is scheduled to remain in the U.S. and will be transferred to Jorge Delgado and will likely winter in Florida.
Perhaps Hill Road will make it to Kentucky for the First Saturday in May.
If he does, chances are Baffert will be there too.
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