Baffert to Sit Out Derby

This is not a surprise. It's sad though considering how many 3 yr olds he has. What's really going on in the Baffert barn?

Trainer Baffert to Sit Out Kentucky Derby 139
By Ron Mitchell,


Three-time Kentucky Derby (gr. I)-winning trainer Bob Baffert said April 29 he will not have a starter in this year's May 4 classic, noting that none of the contenders he had early in the season would be competitive in the 1 1/4-mile race.

Baffert, the white-haired Hall of Fame conditioner who had at least three horses on the road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), decided not to continue to point Mike Pegram's Govenor Charlie to the race after he won the Sunland Derby (gr. III) and also ruled out Gary and Mary West's Code West from contention. Govenor Charlie, who lost training time due to a foot bruise, and Code West, who was 21st on the points list that will determine the Derby starting field, both galloped April 29.

"We just decided to wait," Baffert said. "When they tell us they're ready to go then they will go again. You cannot have any kind of a hiccup. Going into the Kentucky Derby, at a mile and a quarter, you just have to be so ready.

"It's disappointing for the owners, but you have to be competitive...my owners are not going to run just for the heck of it. We're just going to watch. Good luck to everybody else."

In addition to Govenor Charlie, Baffert had also been pointing Flashback to the Derby but the Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) runner-up developed a small chip in his right knee.





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