As the 2025 Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Del Mar get closer on October 31 and November 1, the excitement around the “Win and You’re In” qualifiers is heating up. For Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, this event is a great opportunity to build on his already impressive record, which features four wins in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and six in the Juvenile. But before he can get to this year’s championships, he has to tackle a big challenge at Santa Anita.

We’re gearing up for an exciting showdown at the Grade 1, $300,000 Goodwood Stakes, which is a crucial qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Baffert changed his game plan for the race just a few moments before it, after his horse, Gaming, was scratched. Baffert kept it straightforward, saying, “Not a good spot for him. We’ll look for something else.” The trainer now has to work with two other three-year-old colts, Privman and Nevada Beach, who he says are still figuring out their potential.

They’re going to be up against a tough competitor in Brad Cox’s First Mission, who’s the 8-5 morning-line favorite for the Goodwood. The five-year-old, by Street Sense, has demonstrated Grade 1 talent but hasn’t landed a top-level win yet, so this race is a key goal for Cox. According to Horse Racing Nation, when discussing his horse, Cox mentioned, “We’re trying to win a Grade 1 with him, and obviously that’s our focus, so we’ll see. We’ve always thought he was a Grade 1 talent. He’s come up short when given the opportunity at that Grade 1 level. Hopefully, we can break through on Saturday.”

Cox has faith in First Mission. He is, after all,  6-3-1 in races below Grade 1. Well, the colt just has to replicate the perfect trip he had in his Oaklawn Handicap win in April, where he stalked the pace before finding room to take the lead.

The result of the Goodwood Stakes is going to have a direct impact on the Breeders’ Cup Classic lineup, as the winner gets an automatic spot in the race. If Baffert wins, it’ll just solidify his top spot as we head toward Del Mar. On the flip side, for Cox, it would be a big moment, marking that long-awaited Grade 1 win for a really talented horse. Even with Baffert’s impressive summer achievements in Del Mar, he just couldn’t move up in the global rankings.

Bob Baffert has seen little improvement on a certain ranking list

So, on September 21, the TRC Global Trainers Rankings came out, and it turns out that Bob Baffert is still sitting pretty at fourth place in the world. This ranking is based on a detailed look at how trainers have performed in top races over the last three years, and his recent wins at Del Mar helped him stay in that spot.

Baffert was at 2,396 points, trailing behind Ireland’s Aidan O’Brien who had 3,615 points, the UK’s Charlie Appleby with 2,576 points, and American Chad Brown at 2,536 points.

Even though Baffert’s two-year-olds were impressive, not having a top contender in the big three-year-old division this season—where you see stars like Sovereignty, Journalism, and Sierra Leone—likely kept him from climbing higher in a ranking system that really appreciates success in high-stakes open-class competition. But hey, there’s still time. The season’s still in full swing, and Baffert has a chance to shake up the rankings if things play out in his favor.