Bob Baffert was really geared up for a fantastic horse racing season this year. After all, he was back at Churchill Downs after serving a three-year suspension. But the fairy tale return that a lot of individuals were hoping for at the Kentucky Derby just didn’t pan out. Ahead of the race, his best bet, Rodriguez, had to be scratched because of a foot injury, and his only other contender, Citizen Bull, couldn’t keep the lead as they approached the final stretch.

He had the same luck at the Preakness Stakes. At first, he was really excited to run Rodriguez, but then he ended up being moved to Belmont Skates. “He’ll be perfect for the Belmont. I couldn’t prep him like I wanted to (for the Preakness). Once he had the foot issue, you got to let those things simmer down. I didn’t have enough time,” Baffert mentioned regarding Rodriguez. On top of that, like Citizen Bull, Goal Oriented was also handed post number 1, further complicating the legendary trainer’s chances of winning the race.

But even then, nobody could count Baffert out, especially since Goal Oriented had a perfect track record with two wins back-to-back. But that record got broken at Pimlico when the horse came in fourth at the Preakness Stakes. The winner of the G1 event? Kentucky Derby favorite and runner-up, Journalism.

But Bob Baffert was graceful in defeat, saying, “Unbelievable. That horse, I’ve seen him do it all winter long and, you know, he’s a remarkable horse. I mean, we’ve seen him do that at Santa Anita, get in trouble, come running, and he’s just, he knows where the wire is. I’m a, you know, that’s a really good horse.” Baffert’s praise was hardly an exaggeration.

Journalism, despite a good start out of the gate, was running sixth for more than half of the track. What complicated things further was a bump by Goal Oriented round the final turn. But the Kentucky Derby runner-up had no intentions of settling for anything other than first place. He managed to quickly regain his momentum and had enough gas in the tank to overtake Gosger in the closing moments of the race to give trainer Michael McCarthy his second Preakness win.

Even with all those challenges, Baffert’s take on the Preakness result shows just how much he respects the sport and everyone involved in it.

Bob Baffert doesn’t mind the results

Bob Baffert, the Hall of Fame trainer, shared his honest thoughts on how his colt Goal Oriented did in the 2025 Preakness Stakes, where the horse came in fourth. Baffert thought a front-running strategy would work well, as he believed Goal Oriented would shine when out in front of the pack. But the race took a different turn, and the colt ended up trailing behind the other horses.

“I was wanting to be on the lead and when he’s behind horses, I knew he was intimidated and he was trying to, he’s never run, you know, that way, but I mean, he ran well, but he’s still too green for that,” said the 72-year-old trainer. In Santa Anita Park, last April, Goal Oriented had a slow start, running last in the seven-horse field, but left the other participants behind around the turn for a 3 1/4-length win. But the Preakness Stakes was a whole different ball game, and by far the most challenging field in his young racing career.

Baffert’s take on the colt feeling intimidated shows that Goal Oriented is still working on building the mental endurance needed for the biggest of races. Baffert noted that the horse did a great job, showing some real potential for future races as he gets more experience under his belt.