It’s Derby season, and Churchill Downs is buzzing like a beehive in May! But while the excitement’s sky-high for most, things are a little less sparkly for Bob Baffert. Yup, the man, the myth, the comeback king is back after a three-year timeout, ready to throw down in Louisville. But here’s the kicker; his horse, Citizen Bull, pulled the No. 1 post. And if you know your Derby drama, you know that spot is basically the haunted hallway of horse racing. Like… we’re talking cursed. Nobody’s cracked a win from there since 1986. Since then? Zero-for-37. Ouch. Add in the chaos of 20 horses and a track that’s tighter than a soda cap, and yeah—Baffert’s got a mountain to climb.
But don’t count the silver-haired stallion-whisperer out just yet. Even with the odds stacked like Jenga blocks, Baffert’s rolling with calm confidence. He’s got Martin Garcia in the saddle; an old hand who knows how to blast off from the gate like a rocket, which is basically the game plan when you’re squished on the inside rail. Baffert admitted he would’ve loved a cushier outside spot, but hey, Citizen Bull’s got the fire to charge early, and that might just be their lifeline. Handicappers are tossing around long-shot vibes, calling it one of the toughest Derby setups Baffert’s ever faced. Still, rumor has it, the ol’ legend’s got an ace up his sleeve. And who knows? Maybe this bull’s ready to break the spell, rail and all.
Over on Fox News, things got a lil’ splashy in the convo when the host hit Bob Baffert with a real-time weather bomb: “So it’s going to rain on Saturday. You’ve got two horses in the derby. What does that mean if you’ve got a muddy track?” And Bob? Oh, he didn’t miss a beat, he leaned right in with that signature confidence. “We have Citizen Bull and he was the champion two-year-old and he’s built like a bull. I mean he is powerful and he thinks he’s King Kong and I think he’ll like the wet. You know he could like the wet…” And just like that, you could practically hear the thunder rumbling behind Citizen Bull’s entrance music.
But wait, Baffert wasn’t done spilling tea, or in this case, puddle talk. He threw Rodriguez into the muddy mix, but with a big ol’ asterisk. “…and then I have Rodriguez. We noticed he bruised. He got a little crack on his hoof. A wet track is not a horse with a little fresh abs. If we can’t get him 100% then we’ll wait for the Preakness.” Translation? If Rodriguez ain’t feeling fresh and fierce, Baffert’s not risking the muddy mayhem just to force a flex. The Derby might be calling, but the Preakness could be where Rodriguez makes his splash.
This story is developing…
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