To be fair, we do know that Dave Portnoy has a pretty poor track record when it comes to betting money and walking away a richer man from it. The Cincinnati Bengals have often put the Barstool Sports owner in a tough spot, but Portnoy refuses to be bogged down by the financial losses. But he probably didn’t expect to be upended by Bob Baffert.
After a weekend of scintillating racing action at Saratoga, all eyes shifted to the 104th Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale just a few blocks away. And that’s where Portnoy and Baffert crossed paths. While the American venture capitalist hit up the Humphrey S. Finney Sales Pavilion in hopes of having a larger footprint in the horse racing community, he had to cede ground to the Hall of Fame trainer. And Portnoy wasn’t happy about it at all.
Dave vented his frustration via a post on X on August 5. In the social media update, Portnoy noted down all the stunts that Baffert pulled on Tuesday to irk the former. “I bid 2.8 million for hip 79 today. I got outbid by @BobBaffert and Zedan. And then he crashed my interview,” he wrote in his post. In the accompanying video, he further elaborated on his reasons to be agitated at the 72-year-old trainer.
While talking to a reporter about how things went down at the Saratoga Sales, Portnoy was interrupted by Bob Baffert, who was evidently just there to have a laugh at Dave’s expense. Portnoy confessed his love of gray horses and underscored why he went after the horse in the abovementioned Hip. The two were soon joined by Amr Zedan, the Saudi businessman, whose association with Baffert goes a long way back. “Just so you know, you crushed my dreams,” Portnoy noted his displeasure to his peers, but Baffert did return the jibe with a compliment, admitting that Portnoy has a good eye for horses.
I bid 2.8 million for hip 79 today. I got outbid by @BobBaffert and Zedan. And then he crashed my interview. I will be rooting for this horse to be healthy but abnormally slow. pic.twitter.com/J1YyQeVPDO
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) August 6, 2025
However, Portnoy misinformed the fans about the Hip number. Portnoy actually put a bid for Hip 179, a Gun Runner colt. The retired horse is a Kentucky Derby winner, and it’s easy to understand why Baffert’s team went all-out to outbid Dave for the horse. Zedan and Baffert ended up shelling up $2.9 million for their horse, and it was all smiles at their camp following the win.
“He’s got a good pedigree and looks fast. We’re happy that we got him. Good horses bring the money, and he looks like a horse with a lot of upside,” Baffert told reporters on Tuesday. The sentiment was reflected by Donato Lanni, who represented Zedan and Baffert at the bidding. “This horse is such a cool dude. He’s very unassuming; he just stands there, and when he starts moving, he’s a very beautiful mover,” Lanni said about Hip 179.
Then again, there might have been more reasons for Baffert’s cohorts to go after the horse on Tuesday. Last Weekend, Sierra Leone, another Gun Runner colt, won the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes in a stellar style. Naturally, Bob wanted a piece of the same bloodstock. Could this be his way of getting into the winning mindset before he takes on the next set of challenges?
Bob Baffert will soon have to take on beefier opponents
The next few weeks will be full of horse racing extravaganza. The first thing that will arrive at entertain the fans would be the Travers Stakes, slated for August 23 at the Spa. This year hasn’t been all that great for Baffert, who failed to make it to the winner’s circle in all three of the Triple Crown races despite being the favorite to win each of them after returning to the Derby from his 3-year suspension levied by the CDI in 2021. And despite his losing streak, Baffert confirmed that he will enter two of his horses at the upcoming Grade 1 race.
Image via Facebook/Horse Racing Nation
Then, in November, the Breeders’ Cup Classic will be the next big thing that Baffert will be eager to conquer. With both Sovereignty, this year’s Derby and Belmont Stakes winner, and Journalism, the winner of the 150th Preakness Stakes, being speculated to partake in the race, it will be the perfect stage for Bob to show the world that the rocky days are behind him.
Moreover, with Baffert recently winning two races at Del Mar, he might be feeling all the confidence in the world right now. But can the recent purchase help to inject an additional boost to his systems as he heads over the Travers and then on to the Midsummer Derby? What do you predict?
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