“Now from here we can build and pick our spots. Eventually on to the Breeders’ Cup.” Bob Baffert is a relieved man. So many setbacks since the Kentucky Derby, his Triple Crown dreams getting dashed, but it feels like the legendary trainer’s season has turned a corner. 2 big wins at the Santa Anita Park, and the latest one has his fans on cloud nine.

On May 25, Baffert’s Seismic Beauty won the 1⅛-mile Santa Margarita Derby, and quite comfortably, we might add. A five-length victory as the 4-year-old filly romped to a dominating win in the G2 race. And now, a week later, on May 31, Nysos has run home in first place at the Triple Bend Stakes race, giving Baffert yet another win that puts his season right back on track.

On June 1, FanDuel Racing shared the news on Twitter: “#2 NYSOS ($2.40) was an easy winner of the $100,000 Triple Bend Stakes (G3) at @SantaAnitaPark. This is the third graded win for the four-year-old Nyquist (@DarleyAmerica) colt. @JJHernandezS19 was in the irons for trainer Bob Baffert.” It’s difficult to say how the 72-year-old trainer is actually feeling. Because, let’s face it, it’s been an unknown territory for the horse racing icon for a while.

The trainer who holds the record for Grade One wins has struggled to make his mark. The grand return to the 2025 Kentucky Derby after the controversial 3-year suspension, and many were thinking it would be his coronation as the winningest Kentucky Derby trainer. But his best bet, Rodriguez, had to be scratched from the field because of a bruised foot.

And when the race started, his other champion colt, Citizen Bull, couldn’t keep up with the likes of Sovereignty and Journalism. Citizen Bull finished 15th in the 2025 Kentucky Derby, and Rodriguez was scratched a few days before the race. Rodriguez was also not entered in the Preakness Stakes, so Baffert again had no runner in the second jewel of the Triple Crown. Meanwhile, his other colt Goal Oriented ran the Preakness and finished 4th.

But hey, maybe Bob Baffert’s luck is changing. Nysos had narrowly lost the G1 Churchill Downs Stakes on May 3. But on May 31, he got the job done at the Santa Anita racecourse, and how. The 4-year-old colt won the 7-furlong Triple Bend Stakes race by 5 and a half lengths, finishing in 1:21.28 minutes, and giving Baffert the perfect gift as he gets ready for the Belmont Stakes, the last Triple Crown race of the year.

As for the fans, they are in a jubilant mood. Bob Baffert is winning, so everything feels right.

Fans in the horse racing community celebrate Bob Baffert’s win

Nysos definitely deserves credit for the win. This is his 3rd graded stakes win. And the impressive colt has won 4 in 5 starts. And only one he didn’t win, remember we talked about it above? He came second in that G1 race. That’s an impressive resume. No wonder a fan tweeted, “Man, I love this horse!” Yeah, get in line. The Nyquist-sired colt is a dashing thoroughbred who has the talent, as acknowledged by Baffert.

And as for the fans following Nysos’ trajectory, they are just hoping misfortune stays away from Bob Baffert’s fate: “Very, very good horse! 👀 Fingers crossed that he stays healthy.🤞☘.”️ Like we said, get in line. Everyone’s in love with the horse and how he dominated in the win. Another fan said, “I’m such a big fan of this colt and I wish he ran in the Met Mile next week. Fingers crossed he runs in the Vanderbilt🤞.”

Well, the Met Mile participation had been a bone of contention, which has troubled Baffert, too. And he chose to be pragmatic. “I was looking at the Met Mile, but I thought two hard races back-to-back might be a little tough on him,” the 7-time Kentucky Derby winner said, according to DRF’s official website.

So, even though another fan also mentioned the Met Mile race by going, “Should’ve been in the Met Mile,” we think rather than second-guessing what could have been, we should focus on what is, which is an amazing outing by Nysos. Bob Baffert is pacing him. He raced in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes in February, the Churchill Downs Stakes in May, and now the Triple Bend Stakes.

Small steps, steady progress. Nysos did good, and Bob Baffert will be taking it from there. Like one fan commented, “121.24 is racehorse time.” Well, what he meant was 1:21.24, although the correct timing was reportedly 1:21.28. And yes, the run was impressive. It doesn’t matter; it was a 4-horse race. Once Nysos took the lead at half a mile, he just kept going, unrelenting and fast, increasing the gap till he crossed the finishing posts.

Bob Baffert will celebrate this win. And very quickly, he will turn his attention to the Belmont Stakes. That’s the race that defines him.