With the 2025 Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Del Mar just around the corner, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert is busy getting his top horses ready by navigating through some important qualifying races. So, back in September at the G1 Del Mar Futurity, Brant, the $3 million Zedan Stables Gun Runner colt, really made a name for himself and secured his spot in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

“I’m just glad he’s in my barn and I don’t have to run against him,” Baffert said right after the race. The trainer is now shifting their attention to the other two-year-old colts and the upcoming Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes at Santa Anita Park. This race is an important part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series, and the winner gets an automatic spot in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

As photographer J McLaughlin Safford reported on X, “Desert Gate (Omaha Beach) Del Mar Futurity runner up prepping for tomorrows G1 American Pharaoh Stakes under Humberto Gomez for HoF trainer Bob Baffert.” In his latest race, the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity, Desert Gate finished a solid second to his stablemate, the well-regarded Brant, even though he faced a bit of trouble right at the beginning. His track record of success against graded stakes competition really puts him in the spotlight as a top contender.

Desert Gate was bought by the trio of Michael Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman—often referred to as the Three Amigos—for $260,000. Interestingly, that’s the same amount they spent on another one of Baffert’s standout horses, Nevada Beach. Even though they both share the same sire, Omaha Beach, Baffert points out that the two are pretty different when it comes to their build. He describes Desert Gate as being “smaller and built for speed.”

The Omaha Beach colt has had quite the journey so far, with three starts under his belt—two wins and a second-place finish. He’s racked up $186,000 and seems to be getting better and better as he heads into the biggest race of his young career.

The American Pharoah Stakes is a big deal for Desert Gate and the Baffert team. If he wins, it would not just lock in his spot for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, but it would also keep Baffert’s impressive streak going. The Hall of Fame trainer has taken home the title in the last four American Pharoah races and has an incredible 13 wins overall. So, besides focusing on the Juvenile, Baffert has his horses lined up for other Breeders’ Cup events too.

Bob Baffert has his eyes locked on more races

Bob Baffert is bringing a strong group to the 2025 Breeders’ Cup World Championships. He’s managed to lock in “Win and You’re In” spots for several horses, like Imagination, Seismic Beauty, and Nevada Beach, thanks to some impressive wins in graded stakes races. Seismic Beauty was the first to lock in her place, grabbing an automatic spot in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff with a wire-to-wire win in the Grade 1 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar back in August. The filly has really stepped up her game since moving to longer distances and has now bagged three wins in a row.

“That wasn’t an easy lead, they were rolling. She’s a big filly. She looks like she’s going easy, but they were going fast. She’s just getting better and better. She’s still maturing, but I think she’ll improve off of that,” the trainer mentioned after Hirsch.

Recently, Baffert’s stable also had a great day at Santa Anita with a double success. The 4-year-old colt Imagination made quite the comeback in his first race since January, rallying to take home the win in the Grade 2 Santa Anita Sprint Championship. This victory also secured him a fees-paid spot in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

That same weekend, the three-year-old Nevada Beach scored a big win in the Grade 1 Goodwood Stakes, beating out older horses, including a defending Breeders’ Cup champ, to secure his spot in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. We’ll just have to wait and see if these horses can snag the big wins at the Championships later this month.