Bob Baffert has nearly US$300 million in earnings; more than 3,000 victories; 20 champions, including three Horses of the Year; 15 victories in Triple Crown races; 15 in Breeders' Cup races; four Eclipse Awards; and two Triple Crown winners. He has become the face of horse racing, the game's most recognizable luminary, and a member of the Hall of Fame.
Horse racing's unbreakable record has been legendary trainer Ben Jones' six Kentucky Derby Gr.1 victories. Until D. Wayne Lukas won with Charismatic in 1999, only one trainer other than Jones had won more than three: Herbert J. And Baffert could soon be the one to win his sixth Kentucky Derby, which is a much tougher proposition than it was in Ben Jones' day.
And aimed in the direction of Louisville squarely at the first Saturday in May, he has three of this year's leading Derby contenders: Thousand Words, Nadal, and Authentic.