The 2025 horse racing season was supposed to be the year of Bob Baffert in a bunch of G1 events. Especially in the American Triple Crown of horse racing. But that’s not really what went down. It was a tough day at Churchill Downs for the fairy tale comeback. After his three-year suspension, things didn’t go as planned. He had to scratch Rodriguez because of a foot injury, and Citizen Bull, who led for more than half the race, ended up falling behind in the final stretch, finishing in 15th place. That Kentucky Derby was a total disaster for the Hall of Fame trainer. But you can’t overlook his enthusiasm.
Before the G1 race, he mentioned, “In horse racing, if you’re winning 20 percent of the times, you’re really doing well, because we’re losing 80 percent of the time. So you cannot think about losses.” The trainer definitely understood that experience speaks volumes, and the key to winning is all about not giving up. After a tough Kentucky Derby, Bob Baffert was all set for the Preakness Stakes. But, it looks like the results weren’t great here either. So, Baffert’s colt, Goal Oriented, ended up in fourth place.
Even though Goal Oriented kicked things off on a high note, it faced some hurdles towards the end, including a little clash with the eventual winner, Journalism. They looked into the incident with a stewards’ inquiry, but in the end, it was dismissed and the race outcome stayed the same. Baffert shared more about the results, saying, “He didn’t get to run his race. I wanted to see him on the lead, Maybe he would have stopped, I don’t know. He is lightly raced. He ran well, but he is still green. He was not used to being behind horses and he got intimidated.”
Now, it’s time for the Belmont Stakes. It seems like after facing so many challenges, Baffert’s luck has finally taken a turn for the better. Tom Ryan, co-owner of Rodriguez, shared on X: “Lovely work from Rodriguez this morning at Santa Anita in 1:24.4 – Happy horse, extended nicely – he’s ready for a trip to Saratoga.”
Rodriguez finished six furlongs in 1:24.4, and it definitely grabbed the attention of his co-owner. According to Ryan, this time is fantastic, showing that Rodriguez is in great shape and all set for his upcoming race at Saratoga.
Lovely work from Rodriguez this morning at Santa Anita in 1:24.4 – Happy horse, extended nicely – he’s ready for a trip to Saratoga.@BobBaffert @BelmontStakes pic.twitter.com/ehJGNup0OP
— Tom Ryan (@TomRyanKY) May 23, 2025
It’s been a bit since the colt won the Wood Memorial Stakes, and he hasn’t raced since then due to a foot injury. It seems like Rodriguez is doing pretty well leading up to the Belmont Stakes. So, who will be competing in the next G1 race?
Bob Baffert will have serious competition
It looks like the lineup for the 157th Belmont Stakes, happening on June 7 at Saratoga Race Course, is coming together with some exciting contenders. Sovereignty, the Kentucky Derby winner, is set to come back after taking a pass on the Preakness Stakes to concentrate on the Belmont. Journalism, the Preakness winner, has made his way to Saratoga, but whether he’ll participate depends on what trainer Michael McCarthy thinks.
When talking about the colt, McCarthy mentioned, “I’d like to see what he’s kind of telling us. Now, it’s two races in two weeks. He ate up last night, seems like he’s pleased with himself. We’ll weigh the pros and cons.” The trainer really wanted to talk about the pressure of running in back-to-back races. These races are anything but ordinary; both the Preakness and Belmont are Grade 1 races. He didn’t say no to Journalism being involved, but he hasn’t confirmed whether the colt will be ready to race on the big day.
The two horses that the community is most interested in seeing are Sovereignty and Journalism. They really took the top two spots in the Kentucky Derby, and with Journalism snagging the win at the Preakness, it looks like the Belmont Stakes could be the ideal setting for their rematch.
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