It was believed that Bob Baffert’s Goal Oriented was going to sail at the 2025 Pennsylvania Derby. Bets were piled high, and the crowd was leaning forward, and whispers of an easy win were in the air. But does racing go on script? It was not the time for Baffert’s horse to win, so when the last turn was to be made, it was Baeza.

He dashed around the field, taking the one million dollar and grabbing the Grade 1 win that had painfully slipped away three times before. And in answering why it was so much, one only has to look at trainer John Shirreffs, who was barely able to contain his emotions as he witnessed history in action.

Winning was not another stat on the sheet of Baeza. It was only his second career victory, though he’s been knocking on the door for a while with third places finishes at the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes along a host of other podium finishes. And so victory number 2 pushed his earnings past the $1.5 million mark.

But for Baffert, it was a comedown after predicting a big effort from his horse earlier. Steven Asmussen’s Magnitude finished in second, while  Goal Oriented, ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. and trained by Bob Baffert, failed at the end and had to settle for third place at 4-1.

But the drama didn’t end at the finish line. Racing Dudes immediately took to X, sharing trainer John Shirreff’s words: “Today was one of the most exciting races I have ever participated in, to tell you the truth. And that includes races with Zenyatta. This was like, ‘prove yourself today.’ And he did.” You could almost feel the collective pulse of the racing world in those words.

From the start, the field split into two groups. So Sandy, David of Athens, and Goal Oriented set the early pace, with Baeza, Magnitude, and Gosger just behind. That formation held through the backstretch and into the final turn, with the fractions reading 23.01, 46.63, and 1:10.51. Then, Baeza made his move, swinging wide around the turn and powering past the leaders to take a 1 1/2-length lead at the stretch call.

When Baeza was running to the finish, Magnitude ran to overtake him, but Goal Oriented and So Sandy were too far behind, and only escaped to beat the others. But even as he was sprinting to the finish, Magnitude was already challenging. But ultimately, Baeza won it.

Tracing Baeza’s path to stardom

Prior to Baeza stunning the world at the 2025 Pennsylvania Derby, he was already creating a low-profile buzz as one of the new superstars in the horse racing world. This bay colt was born on May 13, 2022, and is not another yearling sold at the $1.2 million price tag because he was the son of McKinzie and Puca. He possessed a tale and it was only awaiting to be told.

Baeza got his splash and shine with a commanding win in his maiden race at the Santa Anita Park on February 14, 2025, with the guidance of his trainer John Shirreffs and jockey Hector Isaac Berrios, who passed the finish line 43/4 distances ahead of the rest of the runners. That victory was a clear indication that more significant levels were going to be achieved.

From there, Baeza kept raising the bar. He finished a close second in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby, narrowly losing to eventual Preakness winner Journalism, and then placed third in the Kentucky Derby, just  1 1/3 lengths behind Sovereignty. His family background is also quite impressive: his mother, Puca, was also the producer of Mage, a 2023 Kentucky Derby winner, and Dornoch, a 2024 Belmont Stakes winner.

Immediately after the Pennsylvania Derby, Shirreffs was not sure of what Baeza was going to do next in relation to the Breeders’ Cup. “I always look forward to another shot at Sovereignty,” he said. “We were just one length behind in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy in July. Maybe we can make that up. We’ll see.” Baeza is developing into a horse that the racing world will not forget with breeders of talent, an outstanding background, and a will on his side.