Bob Baffert Reveals Real Reason Behind Skipping $1.25 Million Travers Stakes

Bob Baffert’s 2025 season has been quite a ride—lots of hopes but not quite the results everyone was looking for. After a tough 15th-place finish at the Kentucky Derby and then a couple of fourth-place spots in the Preakness and Belmont Stakes, it looked like the Hall of Famer’s campaign might be hitting a rough patch. But just when things seemed to take a turn for the worse, Baffert started to regain his momentum.

Recently, there was an exciting moment at Del Mar when his promising young horse, Himika, surged ahead to win the Grade 3 Sorrento Stakes by an impressive 4 1/4 lengths. This victory is just one of several remarkable wins in a short period. It’s been a great run of wins that has brought back some hope in his barn.

With everything picking up again, all eyes were on Saratoga and the exciting $1.25 million Grade 1 Travers Stakes. At first, Baffert hinted that he was planning to send Goal Oriented, his young and promising colt, to take part in the “Mid-Summer Derby.” But in a recent update, Baffert confirmed a shift in strategy: Goal Oriented will not run in the Travers Stakes.

As reported by TDN, explaining his decision, Bob Baffert said, “He breezed nice, but not to my standards. I decided I wanted to wait. I thought it was a little too much coming back. [The Travers] is a very tough race. A mile and a quarter can be tough on them.”

The trainer further mentioned that the next likely target for Goal Oriented is the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby at Parx on September 20. It seems like a good opportunity with easier conditions for moving forward.

Baffert seems to be taking a careful approach by choosing to wait for the Pennsylvania Derby, showing he’s focused on building his colt’s campaign in a thoughtful and sustainable way. But this race has another contender who’s eager to make a name for himself too.

Bob Baffert’s colt got a massive challenger

Even though Baeza has performed well in all three Triple Crown races, coming in behind the strong competitors Sovereignty and Journalism, this colt, trained by John Shirreffs, still hasn’t managed to snag a stakes win. He came in third in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, just barely missing out again in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes, finishing a length behind Sovereignty.

With the Travers Stakes at Saratoga on the horizon, it looks like Sovereignty and Journalism are set to make quite the splash. So, Shirreffs is thinking about taking a different route. He’s decided to skip shipping to Saratoga and is now aiming for the $1 million Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby at Parx on September 20.

The trainer thinks the competition there might be a better fit and give Baeza a real shot at landing his first major win. The Travers might bring more glory, but the Pennsylvania Derby could be a better chance for Baeza to really shine—that long-awaited breakthrough he’s been chasing.