Bob Baffert Finds Hope in Horse Racing Season After Another Del Mar Victory

For much of this year, things just weren’t clicking for Bob Baffert. The legendary trainer, once unstoppable, faced one setback after another. Fans and pundits alike began to wonder if his best days were behind him. But as September rolled in, something shifted. Suddenly, Del Mar Racetrack looked like Baffert’s lucky charm. On September 6, a hint of revival came when Battle of Rouge, a gray daughter of Vino Rosso, powered through the seven-furlong Debutante Stakes in 1:23.05. It was Baffert’s record-extending 12th win in that race, and for the first time in months, hope began to flicker. Then came the real showstopper.

Just one day later, on September 7, Bob Baffert’s $3-million star colt, Brant, turned heads in the 78th running of the $300,000 Del Mar Futurity. This wasn’t just another race; it was a test of legacy. Brant, heavily favored at 1-9 odds, didn’t disappoint. Right from the start, he took the lead and never let go. His stablemate Desert Gate pushed hard, challenging him all the way, but jockey Flavien Prat knew exactly when to nudge him forward. The result?

Brant crossed the finish line in 1:21.92, one length clear of Desert Gate, with Civil Liberty trailing another 3¼ lengths back. For bettors, the payout was the modest $2.20 on a $2 bet, but for Baffert, the win was priceless. This wasn’t just another victory in the record books. It was Baffert’s 19th Del Mar Futurity triumph and his 186th career win at Del Mar, the most ever for a trainer there.

After months of doubt, whispers that Baffert’s reign was over, and a string of broken hopes, this powerful comeback proved one thing: legends don’t fade; they find new ways to win. As the season heats up, all eyes will be on Brant, the colt who just might turn 2025 into Bob Baffert’s year after all.

Bob Baffert’s return to form

Bob Baffert has had a few challenging years. Back in 2022, he faced one of the biggest setbacks of his career when his Kentucky Derby winner, Medina Spirit, tested positive for betamethasone, a corticosteroid. Although the use of that drug is therapeutically permitted under certain conditions, the drug did not comply with the legal parameters, which made it controversial and prompted a two-year suspension by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission since June 2022. Back then, Baffert was unable to place horses in the big Kentucky  Derby, and the question many people asked was whether the great trainer was fading away.

The prohibition was formally lifted in April 2025, and Baffert came back with a new zeal. “I’m going to have fun now that everything is behind me,” he said at the time, and his recent results suggest he’s keeping that promise. The season began, however, with early disappointments: Rodriguez, a Kentucky Derby prospect, was scratched with a hoof bruise, Citizen Bull, the juvenile champion last year, finished a dismal 15th in the Derby, and Goal Oriented, another leading candidate, did not place in either the Preakness Stakes or the $1 million G1 Haskell Stakes. It was a hard beginning to a trainer who is accustomed to dominating.

But at Del Mar, the turn of fortune has been dramatic on the 6th September, with Bottle of Rouge in the Debutante Stakes, and on the 7th, with the breathtaking win of Brant in the Del Mar Futurity. As the Breeders’ Cup is right on the horizon, the trainer appears to be renewed, which proves that despite adversity, he is capable of producing winners. It is apparent that 2025 will probably remain a year to become a part of Bob Baffert and his stable.