
via Imago
Horse Racing: Black-Eyed Susan May 17, 2024 Baltimore, Maryland, USA Trainer Bob Baffert during morning workout at Pimlico Race Course. Baltimore Pimlico Race Course Maryland USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xMitchxStringerx 20240517_jla_ax1_009

via Imago
Horse Racing: Black-Eyed Susan May 17, 2024 Baltimore, Maryland, USA Trainer Bob Baffert during morning workout at Pimlico Race Course. Baltimore Pimlico Race Course Maryland USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xMitchxStringerx 20240517_jla_ax1_009
The 2025 racing season has really thrown some curveballs at Bob Baffert, making it one of the toughest times in his impressive career. The Hall of Fame trainer, famous for his success in the Triple Crown series and Breeders’ Cup, has had a tough year, not managing to win any of the three Triple Crown races. Citizen Bull, his hopeful for the Kentucky Derby, really let him down. Then, Rodriguez had to pull out of the Derby because of a foot bruise.
The Preakness Stakes played out similarly, with Goal Oriented struggling to stay with the leaders. In the Belmont Stakes, Rodriguez, his only entry, ended up in fourth place, trailing behind the strong trio of Sovereignty, Journalism, and Baeza. This season has been quite a change for a trainer who used to dominate the Triple Crown with champions like American Pharoah and Justify.
The challenges go further than just the Triple Crown. It’s pretty telling that none of Bob Baffert’s horses are in the top 10 of the world’s best racehorses right now, according to the latest rankings from TRCommentary on X.
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It really shows how his influence in the sport is shifting. So, while competitors like Sovereignty, who won the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes; Journalism, the Preakness Stakes winner; and Sierra Leone, the defending Breeders’ Cup Classic champion, are leading the American horses at 4th, 5th, and 6th place, respectively, Baffert’s top horse, Nysos, is sitting pretty far back in 17th place. But wait, there’s more!
There are a couple of other American horses out there, like Thorpedo Anna and Mindframe, who are sitting in ninth and tenth place, respectively. Baffert not having a standout three-year-old this year has really hurt, especially since the Triple Crown races and Breeders’ Cup Classic rankings usually hinge on how this division performs.
GLOBAL HORSES RANKINGS, AUG 3
1⃣🇭🇰Ka Ying Rising
2⃣🇫🇷Calandagan
3⃣🇦🇺Via Sistina
4⃣🇺🇸Sovereignty
5⃣🇺🇸Journalism
6⃣🇺🇸Sierra Leone ⬆️(#32)
7⃣🇭🇰Voyage Bubble
8⃣🇬🇧Rebel's Romance
9⃣🇺🇸Thorpedo Anna
🔟🇺🇸MindframeFull list: https://t.co/dv2BCZAZbB pic.twitter.com/xxsBbXZhto
— TRC (@TRCommentary) August 5, 2025
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So, the big question is whether this season is just a fluke or if it marks the start of a longer downturn. Nevertheless, the trainer recently made a significant bid.
Bob Baffert is keeping up the standard high
Dave Portnoy, the founder of Barstool Sports, publicly confronted legendary horse trainer Bob Baffert over a failed $2.8 million bid at the 2025 Saratoga Sale. Portnoy was really looking forward to buying a promising racehorse, but he says Baffert outsmarted him at the auction and ended up getting the horse for himself.
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What’s your perspective on:
Has Bob Baffert lost his magic touch, or is this just a temporary setback in 2025?
Have an interesting take?
“I bid 2.8 million for hip 79 today. I got outbid by @BobBaffert and Zedan. And then he crashed my interview,” Portnoy wrote in his social media post. During an interview with a reporter about what happened at the Saratoga Sales, Portnoy got interrupted by Bob Baffert, who clearly just wanted to have a good laugh at Dave’s expense.
Portnoy shared his love for gray horses and explained why he pursued the horse mentioned in the earlier Hip. “Just so you know, you crushed my dreams,” Portnoy expressed his frustration over the situation at the Saratoga Sale. However, Baffert replied back with a compliment, acknowledging that Portnoy really does have a good eye for horses. But, Portnoy gave the fans the wrong info about the Hip number. So, Portnoy went ahead and placed a bid for Hip 179, which is a Gun Runner colt. However, that was definitely an interesting interaction between the two, wasn’t it?
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Has Bob Baffert lost his magic touch, or is this just a temporary setback in 2025?