Wednesday, May 02, 2001
Baffert basks in Derby's glare
Trainer and horses Churchill favorites
By Neil Schmidt
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Baffert
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LOUISVILLE — Five years ago, Bob Baffert took his first Kentucky Derby trainee to Churchill Downs. He likened his awe to that of a child entering Toys 'R' Us for the first time. Now he is the bull, Churchill his china shop. He has become horse racing's top trainer and this event's overexposed symbol, expectations swelling to the point that on Saturday he'll either win his third Derby in five years or have to hide.
“I've got a quick escape route if things don't go well,” he said. “I hope I don't have to use it.”
Such is the change a half-decade makes. The wisecracking Californian, 48, is so revered that his horses, Point Given and Congaree, might be installed as the Derby's top two choices simply because fans always bet him. That they're also considered the best horses is gravy.
“Any number of these (other) horses would be favored any other year,” Millennium Wind trainer David Hofmans told the Louisville Courier-Journal. “We picked the wrong year. Damn Baffert.”
Baffert won the Eclipse Award as North America's top trainer three consecutive years before missing that honor in 2000, though he led all trainers last year in winnings ($11.8 million). He came tantalizingly close to consecutive Triple Crowns with Silver Charm in 1997 and Real Quiet in '98 — both won the Derby and Preakness before faltering in the Belmont. With Cavonnier coming within a nose of a '96 Derby triumph, Baffert almost became the only trainer to have won this race three straight years.
Yet the eyes have narrowed behind those signature sunglasses. The media that initially adored him because of his witty words have sometimes turned on him. Rival trainers who note his 7 a.m. arrivals on the backside — late by racetrack standards — whisper suggestions that his success might come from giving his horses illegal medication.
“They won't accept the fact that maybe I've just got good people around me who do a great job,” Baffert has said. “I try not to let it bother me.”
There were on-track droughts, starting with a poor showing in the 1999 Triple Crown series. He bot tomed out in the '99 Breeders' Cup, when a touted collection of horses — four favorites plus General Challenge, the second choice in the Classic — all came up empty.
Many of his remarks intended as jokes have backfired, causing him to be more guarded in his speech. His obsessive pursuit of the peak of his profession has cost him a marriage. And Baffert admits distraction while worrying about his mother, who has health problems.
Mike Pegram, a close friend of Baffert who has backed him financially and emotionally since the start of his career, said Baffert's climb from obscurity was only half the battle.
“The hardest thing in any business is to stay at the top,” Pegram said. “Going through the problems with some of the owners that he did, those were trials and tribulations (Baffert had) trying to keep everybody happy. You find yourself when you're going through that.”
Pegram said Baffert's laid-back demeanor masks intensity unsurpassed by his peers. Baffert also is loyal, employing the same grooms and assistants he did a decade ago. He ignored advice to replace jockey Victor Espinoza aboard Congaree even though Espinoza never has had a Derby mount.
Make no mistake, though. This is Baffert's spotlight, and he loves it. Having watched the Derby religiously as a youth in Nogales, Ariz., Baffert fell in love with Louisville when he reached his first Derby. He said Derby triumphs are a bigger goal than that elusive Triple Crown.
“When you go to the (yearling) sales, this is what he's got in his mind,” Pegram said. “When you start breaking the 2-year-olds and you get a runner, one of the first things you ask yourself is, "Can he get the (Derby) distance (1 1/4 miles)?' There's no doubt that he lives and breathes this race.”
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