Baffert enters with Mor Spirit, less stress
Pressure much lower year after Triple Crown win
The most recognizable personality in horse racing has arrived at Churchill Downs in a much different frame of mind than in his last trip to the Kentucky Derby.
Admittedly, trainer Bob Baffert felt the pressure of having the two favorites in the race a year ago, one of whom he thought had a chance to win the Triple Crown. This time, though, there is no American Pharoah in Baffert’s barn. Which means his chances of winning a fifth Kentucky Derby rest with Mor Spirit, a colt that has shown potential and consistency but not the kind of brilliance that would make him a favorite for Saturday’s race.
“Last year, we were the headliner,” Baffert said. “Now, we’re the opening act.”
Baffert, 63, has been a nearconstant presence at the Derby since 1996, when his first starter, Cavonnier, got nipped at the wire by Grindstone in a photo finish. He has put 24 horses in the race since then, but none launched him to the level of acclaim he reached last year when American Pharoah ended the sport’s 37year Triple Crown drought.
Suddenly, white-haired Baffert wasn’t just a celebrity within the horse racing community, he also was getting stopped by TMZ at the Los Angeles airport and invited to be the guest picker on ESPN’s College GameDay.
But as Baffert knows, everything in horse racing is fleeting. Whereas last year he knew it would be one of the biggest disappointments of his career if he didn’t walk away with the roses — not only did he have American Pharoah but also the second choice in Dortmund — his annual haul of high-priced 3-year-olds did not pan out as expected.
Some weren’t physically or mentally ready for the rigorous Kentucky Derby trail. Recent Lexington Stakes winner Collected is talented but comes from a sprinter’s pedigree and didn’t have enough points to qualify for the Derby anyway. Cupid won the Rebel Stakes in March — as did American Pharoah in 2015 — but ran poorly in the Arkansas Derby and was found to have a minor respiratory problem.
Even for someone like Baffert, who prioritizes identifying and preparing horses for this race above all others, racing luck is a year-to-year proposition.
“I think they can all win it when they come in (as 2-yearolds),” Baffert said. “‘Is it that one? Is it this one?’ I had some that were a little bit late bloomers that are coming around, but you need to bring them at their own little pace.”
Still, Baffert isn’t just taking a wild swing with Mor Spirit, a $650,000 purchase as a 2-yearold for Pandora jewelry magnate Michael Lund Petersen. Mor Spirit won the Grade I Los Alamitos Futurity in December and has never finished worse than second in seven starts. But he’s also been beaten soundly in his last two starts in California, never threatening Exaggerator in the Santa Anita Derby, albeit over a sloppy track that wasn’t to his liking.
If Mor Spirit runs his best race Saturday, who knows? But Baffert is realistic. Things are going to have to go right, particularly for a horse whose form suggests he’ll have to come from off the pace.
“He never quits, he’s right there, he runs with his head down real low,” Baffert said. “He’s very consistent. He’s going to be there. If he can be right there, things happen. You have to break well, be lucky going into the first turn. I’m going in hoping he runs his race, and we’ll see what he does.”
That’s a far cry from the way Baffert was talking about his chances last year, not to mention the tension he felt all week. Everything about the 2015 Derby felt built up, from trying to win it for owner Ahmed Zayat, whose horses had finished second three times previously, to trying to end his own 13-year drought between Derby wins.
After winning the race three times between 1997 and 2002, Baffert wasn’t sure he’d ever have as good of a chance to get No. 4. When American Pharoah held off a charge from Firing Line in the final sixteenth of a mile, it was more relief than joy.
“It was a little stressful,” he said. “But there’s nothing wrong with having that stress.”
Mor Spirit is expected to have his final workout Monday, after which Baffert plans to make the one-hour drive to Ashford Stud, where American Pharoah lives. Baffert hasn’t seen him since he left the barn in November after a career-ending victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, and it will surely stir emotions and memories.
But Baffert doesn’t need to be reminded that the American Pharoah experience was probably once in a lifetime. All he has to do is look at how difficult it was to get even one quality Derby starter this year.
“It’s OK. I can deal with it,” he said. “I used to love when I used to come here like a younger trainer, you want to (hype) your horse, you want people to talk to you. Now I can understand it. You become more realistic. The owner, he’s all jacked up. The Derby is the greatest race in the world. Every trainer from any country would love to win it.”