Bob Baffert Continues 12-Year Horse Racing Streak In Spite of Horrible Season

You know that feeling when you just have a hunch and it turns out to be right? That’s exactly what happened on Saturday, September 6, at Del Mar Racetrack. Seven promising 2-year-old fillies lined up for the Grade 1 Debutante Stakes, and three of them were trained by Bob Baffert. Now, if you know racing, you know that when Baffert has multiple horses in a race, the real question isn’t if he’ll win, it’s which one will take the spotlight. But the outcome? Let’s just say it wasn’t exactly the one everyone was talking about before the gates even opened.

Everyone’s money and attention, though, was on Explora, who cost $350,000. The filly had wowed fans in her debut with a 4 3/4-length win, and alongside Himika, who cost $900,000 and was the Sorrento Stakes winner, she looked set to make it a showdown between the two more favored Baffert trainees. Most bettors weren’t even considering Bottle of Rouge, the gray filly who went off as a 9-1 third choice, quietly waiting in the shadows. But, she went for a much more modest $100,000 as a 2024 Keeneland yearling sale graduate, owned by Jill Baffert, Bob’s wife, who insisted that Hall of Famer Mike “Money Mike” Smith ride her. Smith admitted, “She wouldn’t stop until he did.”And with that, the stage was set for something unexpected.

Starting a little inward and dropping back to fourth, Bottle of Rouge had to swing four wide in the turn, a tricky position, but she wasn’t done. In the stretch, she surged past Explora and Himika to win by a length, turning the pre-race predictions upside down. Explora finished second, La Wally third, and the rest of the field followed. Bottle of Rouge, a gray daughter of Vino Rosso, finished the seven-furlong race in 1:23.05, giving Bob Baffert his record-extending 12th win in the Debutante Stakes and marking Mike Smith’s first victory in this marquee race. And just like that, the spotlight shifted from the favorites to the filly no one saw coming.

For Bob Baffert, the result was more than another notch in the win column. It was proof of his unrivaled knack for timing a young horse’s peak, of Jill’s instincts in pairing the right jockey with the right horse, and of Smith’s ability to deliver under pressure. Bottle of Rouge’s upset yielded a $20.20 payoff for her backers and a cool $180,000 purse for the connections. But getting here wasn’t easy.

Bob Baffert’s 2025 season tested him

Trainer Bob Baffert has always had a special knack for the Del Mar Debutante Stakes. He first won here back in 1995 with Batroyale, and over the years, he’s built quite the collection: Sharp Cat, Vivid Angel, Chilukki, Sweet Catomine, Lookin at Lucky, Executiveprivilege… and now Bottle of Rouge in 2025.

Of course, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. There were plenty of “so close, yet so far” moments: La Force finishing second in 2018, Moonshine Memories coming up short in 2017, Songbird stealing the show in 2016, and Executiveprivilege just missing out in 2015. Every near-miss stung, but it also made the victories that much sweeter.

And 2025 had been exactly that kind of year- a rough, frustrating season that tested even a trainer of Baffert’s caliber. With 224 starts, 71 wins, 51 seconds, and 29 thirds, he earned $8.4 million, a noticeable drop from 2024’s banner numbers of 336 starts, 95 wins, 71 seconds, 55 thirds, and $14.5 million in earnings. On top of that, some high-profile disappointments piled up.

Rodriguez, a Kentucky Derby hopeful, was scratched due to a hoof bruise, effectively ending Baffert’s Derby hopes. Citizen Bull, last year’s juvenile champion, finished a disappointing 15th in the Derby. Goal Oriented, another top contender, failed to place in both the Preakness Stakes and the $1 million G1 Haskell Stakes. For someone used to dominating, it was a tough season, and morale was low.

That’s why Bottle of Rouge’s win at Del Mar on September 6 felt so important. With the Breeders’ Cup just around the corner, the victory wasn’t just a trophy; it was proof that Bob Baffert still knows how to get it done and that there’s plenty more to come in the season.