It was Bob Baffert’s Kentucky Derby comeback year but 2025 has panned out a lot differently than the Hall of Famer would’ve hoped. After subpar results in prep races, letdowns in the Triple Crown Races, his horses have had a season to forget for the most part. At the all important Kentucky Derby, his sole participant, Citizen Bull, ended up in a disappointing 15th place in the Kentucky Derby, struggling with fitness issues. Meanwhile, Rodriguez, Baffert’s best hope, had to be scratched late due to a bruised foot.

Then at the Preakness Stakes, Goal Oriented finished a distant fourth, trailing behind Sandman in third while Journalism raced to victory. But by the time the Belmont Stakes rolled around, it looked like Baffert was in with the chance as Rodriguez had recovered enough to participate. But it wasn’t meant to be, as Baffert’s horse secured another fourth place finish. Even though Baffert went on to win the Santa Margarita Stakes with Seismic Beauty and the Triple Bend Stakes with Nysos, those wins didn’t quite happen under the brightest lights. But now it looks like there’s another colt that’s popped up as a possible contender for some big races coming up in the second half of the year.

On X, analyst Jonathon Kinchen shared some insights about Baffert’s colt, Sierra Silver, saying, “This Bob Baffert trainee stumbled at the start but recovered quickly to sit in behind four horses. Sierra Silver was patient sitting behind that wall of horses, and when it was time for the real running, Sierra Silver was impressive, earning a 95 Beyer. This New York-bred by Game Winner looks like he might have a serious second half of his three-year-old year.”

Kinchen highlighted how Sierra Silver bounced back from a shaky start and found a nice spot just behind the leaders. He stayed just off the pace, saving his energy and dodging the early crowd—perfect for making a well-timed move later on. Surely, the Santa Anita race was challenging, but eventually, the racehorse achieved his maiden.

That metric hints at more than just a quick burst; it shows real promise, with the colt likely to grow even stronger as his campaign goes on. Now that the American Triple Crown series has wrapped up, Baffert is setting his sights on the next big race coming up this year.

Next on Bob Baffert’s list

Bob Baffert is getting Nysos ready for the Breeders’ Cup. According to the trainer, for his four-year-old racehorse, “The main thing is to have him ready for the Breeders’ Cup.” There’s also another race on the horizon where Nysos is going to face some real challenges, sort of like a practice run before the Breeders’ Cup later in the season. Indeed, there’s a lot of time, as it will be held between Friday, Oct 31 – Saturday, Nov 1.

However, the trainer was considering putting the colt in the $1 million Stephen Foster Stakes, which is set for 1 1/8 miles at Churchill Downs on June 28. But Baffert then said that the $300,000 San Diego Handicap at 1 1/16 miles is a better fit for the 4-year-old colt’s schedule. He mentioned, “I was going to go for the Stephen Foster, but I thought I’d give him extra time.” Running in this race, followed by others in the future, will surely give the data that Baffert wants from the colt. There’s also the G1 Pacific Classic set to commence on August 31, where Nysos is a probable entrant.

Furthermore, Nysos has a great track record. Last time out, the colt grabbed a win in the Triple Bend Stakes at Santa Anita, and before that, he participated in the Churchill Downs Stakes, where he ended up in second place. It was the one race in his career where the colt ended up finishing behind the winner. So, it does look like he has a bright future ahead. However, all of these races, in which he will participate before the Breeders’ Cup, will provide an intriguing glimpse into his performance. And only if it will impress Baffert, the trainer will go ahead with the colt for the G1 glory.