Bob Baffert Retains Del Mar Glory With Pride in Question Following Multiple Losses

If you thought this season had slowed Bob Baffert down, think again. Del Mar is his playground once more, and with the Breeders’ Cup just a couple months away, all eyes are on him. Saturday’s Del Mar Debutante (Grade 1, 1400m / 7 furlongs, dirt, for 2-year-old fillies) and Sunday’s Del Mar Futurity (Grade 1, 1400m / 7 furlongs, dirt, for 2-year-old colts and geldings) are shaping up to be his stage for redemption. After a season of ups and downs, Baffert is stacking the fields in a way that makes bettors, fans, and rivals sit up and take notice. But the big question looms: will this weekend cement his dominance, or will cracks in his armor show?

Saturday’s Debutante is loaded with seven fillies, and Baffert claims Explora, Himika, and Bottle Of Rouge, half the field. Explora, a $350,000 Blame filly, impressed with a 4½-length debut win under a hand ride, aiming to give Baffert an 11th Debutante victory. Himika and Bottle Of Rouge add depth to his arsenal. Competing against them are Fourlynnones (L. Mendez), Grandma Mary (M.S. Ruls), La Wally (M. Glatt), and Bourbon And Ginger (R.E. Mandella). Each has potential, but history suggests Baffert’s fillies at Del Mar are tough to topple.

As @blindadosalas1 shared a post on X, captioned it as, “#Hipismo The #ClosingWeekend is coming up at #DelMar with the #DelMarFuturity (Fillies and Colts). Once again BOB BAFFERT is the master and lord, dominating the favoritism with EXPLORA (Fillies) and BRANT and DESERT GATE (Colts).” With trust so high in his horses, it’s hard not to feel his hand on the trophy before the gates even open. But can any outsider steal the spotlight? The tension is real.

Sunday’s Futurity ups the stakes. Six colts and geldings enter, and Baffert saddles four: Brant, Desert Gate, Cazno, and Litmus Test. Brant, a $3 million Gun Runner colt, is the morning-line favorite after his July 26 debut, winning by 5¼ lengths with the fastest Equibase and Beyer Speed Figures in the field. Desert Gate dominated the Grade 3 Best Pal Stakes on August 9, winning by 8¾ lengths and earning a 101 Beyer.

Cazno and Litmus Test add more firepower, while Brigante and Civil Liberty, both trained by D. O’Neill, are the outsiders. With Flavien Prat riding Brant and Juan Hernandez aboard Desert Gate, Baffert’s team is not just competitive, it’s intimidating. But can his opponents overcome these stacked odds, or is this a foregone conclusion? The drama is only beginning.

Out of a total of 17 horses entered, Bob Baffert is training seven. After a grueling season filled with ups and downs, this race feels like redemption, a moment for the legendary trainer and his team to flex their dominance.

Bob Baffert’s rocky road in 2025

Bob Baffert’s 2025 season has been a rollercoaster, and not always the fun kind. Across 217 starts, he scored 70 wins, 50 seconds, 28 thirds, and $8,138,200 in earnings, yet the Triple Crown proved a bitter pill. Kentucky Derby favorite Rodriguez was scratched days before the race with a foot bruise, and Citizen Bull, last year’s juvenile champion, could only manage 15th.

The Preakness brought no relief, with Rodriguez sidelined again and Goal Oriented finishing fourth. By Belmont, Rodriguez limped home fourth behind Sovereignty, Journalism, and Baeza. Even on the world stage, none of his horses cracked the top ten, with Nysos at 17th. For a trainer used to dominating, it’s been a humbling year. But now, hope is back,  and it comes with speed.

At Del Mar, Baffert’s 2-year-olds are poised to steal the spotlight in both the boys’ and girls’ juvenile divisions. And Bob Baffert seems to be confident. Saturday’s Debutante Stakes features undefeated Himika taking on Explora, and the trainer is brimming with cautious optimism.

“She’s doing very well,” he said of Himika. “She’s training well, came out of the race well. I don’t like them next to each other in the starting gate. They’re both fast, and you don’t know what’s going to happen.” Explora, fresh off a maiden win at Del Mar, is equally impressive. “Her first race was impressive,” Bob Baffert added. “She came back and worked well. I don’t see her regressing any at all.” After a disappointing Triple Crown, this weekend is Baffert’s chance to reclaim momentum.