Bob Baffert is having one of the most unexpectedly frustrating seasons of his impressive career. The legendary trainer, famous for his success in major stakes circuits, has been having a tough time finding his groove in 2025. There were a bunch of unexpected performance dips, and on top of that, they had quite a few close calls at graded stakes, which really put some pressure on his barn. Not many saw it coming that the trainer who racked up 23 wins at the 2024 Del Mar summer meet would hit a rough patch, but that’s the story we’re seeing play out by mid-July.

So far, it seems like the cracks in his armor are more about luck than any real injury or other external factors. But fans are starting to wonder: can Baffert bounce back before the spotlight moves on for good? Welcome to Del Mar, the place where this Hall-of-Fame trainer has consistently worked to restore his reputation.

At the track with a view of the Pacific, Baffert was the one to beat in 2024, leading the trainer standings with 23 wins. He scored some major victories in the Sorrento, Best Pal, Debutante, and Futurity stakes. He’s back now, and everyone has high hopes.

In a recent report by Paulick Report, Bob Baffert had a pretty honest moment this week. As he looked ahead to the 2025 Del Mar meet, he simply said, “I forgot about that. I’m never here because I had to go to the sale in Kentucky, so I forgot all about it, and had to read about it. It’s been a long time between drinks there for me. It’s exciting to be leading trainer. The people that work for me are very proud that we’re leading trainer. Can’t do it without them. I got a great team.”

The trainer really hit the nail on the head: with everything going on this year — all the travel, those Kentucky sales, and trying to get things back on track after a rough start — he totally lost focus on a title he earned just a year back. But you can definitely feel the vibe: a mix of gratitude, a little reminder, and a sense of quiet determination.

You know, if there’s anyone who can really change the game this season, it’s Baffert — especially at the track where luck has usually been on his side. With the ocean breeze at Del Mar and new stakes to chase, he’s ready to write another chapter in his legacy. So, what actually happened at the G1 Haskell Stakes when Baffert’s Goal Oriented faced off against the impressive Journalism?

Bob Baffert’s hopes and dreams were crushed

Even if Bob Baffert was aware that Journalism would be at the G1 Haskell Stakes this year, he seemed pretty relaxed about the competition. The trainer mentioned, “Well, we felt we had a lot of time between races, and I think the way he’s trained really well. I think if Journalism is going to be a little vulnerable, it might be this week because he had those hard races, and sometimes it takes a little bit off your fastball, but he’s still a horse to beat. I still respect him. I’ve been watching him. He looks great and but I think I like our outside post.”

What was the reason for his confidence? So, his horse Goal Oriented was starting from the outside post, which was quite different from where the horse was assigned during the Preakness Stakes. Baffert felt pretty sure that starting from post position 2 would make it a tough race for Journalism. But, the race ended up being quite different from what the trainer had in mind.

Goal Oriented finished third, trailing behind the impressive winner Journalism and the second-place finisher Gosger. At the start of the stretch, Goal Oriented and Gosger were battling it out for the lead, keeping up a solid pace as they raced down the homestretch. Journalism really picked up speed on the outside and managed to pass both, but Goal Oriented stayed strong, proving its resilience after that intense race. In the end, Goal Oriented’s performance in the Haskell really showed that he’s a reliable and tough competitor in major stakes throughout the season.