Bob Baffert: two Triple Crowns, 17 Triple Crown race wins, and over 3,400 career victories. You’d think this Hall of Famer, now 72, would be dominating the 2025 Saratoga jockey and trainer standings, right? That’s exactly what everyone expected. But when the rankings dropped after Day 24 on August 10, 2025, Baffert’s name was nowhere to be found. Not in the top ten. Not even close. So, what’s going on with the legendary trainer? Is this the beginning of the end?

Andy Scoggin from Horse Racing Nation shared the standings and the results on X. There, the leading jockeys are Irad Ortiz Jr. with 40 wins, Jose Ortiz with 36, Flavien Prat with 26, Ramon Santana with 22, Jose Rosario with 19, Kendrick Carmouche with 16, Dylan Davis with 14, Luis Saez with 12, John Velazquez with 11, and two jockeys tied at 10 wins each.

On the trainers’ side, Chad Brown leads with 22 wins, followed by Linda Rice and Todd Pletcher tied at 16 each. Mark Clement holds 12 wins, Jonathan Sharp and Mark Casse are tied at 10, Bill Mott has 9, George Weaver holds 8, while Steve Asmussen and Michael Maker are tied at 7 wins each. Yet Bob Baffert is missing from the list entirely. For a man used to winning, that’s a shock. Is new talent finally pushing him aside, or is something else happening behind the scenes?

Well, Bob Baffert hasn’t disappeared from Saratoga. On August 3, 2025, his horse Midland Money cruised to victory in Race 7, a six-furlong allowance race, winning by over three lengths with Flavien Prat in the irons. And back in June, his horse Rodriguez ran in the Belmont Stakes here, setting the pace early but ultimately fading to fourth behind Sovereignty. So Baffert’s still in the game, but his presence on the leaderboard isn’t as commanding as before.

As Saratoga rolls into Week 6, new names like John Velazquez, who recently notched two winners, are stepping into the spotlight. For now, the leaderboard tells a story of change, but in horse racing, nothing stays certain for long. So, why is Bob Baffert’s name missing from the top ranks this season?

Bob Baffert targets big meets beyond Saratoga

Bob Baffert’s presence at Saratoga this season has been noticeably lighter than usual. In the 2025 summer meet, he entered just seven races, securing two wins and two runner-up finishes, with total earnings of $726,900. Compared to his past dominance at this prestigious track, this reduced activity signals a strategic shift in his approach to the racing calendar. However, this year has tested Baffert in many ways.

Disappointing results across the Triple Crown races and the loss of his longtime friend and fellow trainer, D. Wayne Lukas, have made 2025 a challenging chapter in his career. Still, Baffert is clearly recalibrating. His focus now seems to be on high-impact meets like Del Mar, the Breeders’ Cup, and a stronger return to Churchill Downs, tracks where he has historically built his legacy.

Even at Del Mar, Bob Baffert and jockey Juan Hernandez have reignited their winning partnership with spectacular results. Hernandez has ridden several of Baffert’s promising 2-year-olds to victory, including Himika’s commanding win in the Grade III Sorrento Stakes and Desert Gate’s dominant triumph in the Grade III Best Pal Stakes.

With a record 12 Best Pal wins under his belt, Baffert is clearly nurturing a new generation of talent. Himika and Desert Gate are now set for major upcoming races like the Del Mar Debutante and the Del Mar Futurity, showing Baffert’s sharp focus on rebuilding momentum beyond Saratoga.