What to know about the Kentucky Derby: Bob Baffert’s return, Jayson Werth’s horse, and more
The former Phillie has a horse in the Derby for the second straight year.
It’s the worst drought in the history of the Kentucky Derby, and Steve Asmussen handles it with the grace of a five furlong workout on a Sunday afternoon.
“I don’t know if it’s healthy to want something [this] bad,” he told a group of reporters recently at Churchill Downs. “Maybe that’s why it’s eluded me.”
Asmussen is 0-for-26 at the Kentucky Derby. It’s the most starts for a trainer without a victory. Dale Romans is next with 12. Asmussen’s first start was a ninth-place finish with Fifty Stars in 2001.
He’s had close calls — three of his horses have finished second — but he’s never been invited to the winner‘s circle after his sport’s most prestigious race. Curlin ran third at the Derby in 2007 before winning the Preakness two weeks later.
Asmussen is bringing two more to the gate on Saturday: No. 13 Publisher, a maiden who ran second in the Arkansas Derby, opened at 30-1. No. 14 Tiztastic, coming off a win at the Louisiana Derby, is 20-1.
Asmussen has done just about everything else a trainer in his sport can do. He won the Preakness Stakes twice and the Belmont once. He has been victorious in the Breeders’ Cup, and perhaps his most famous horse, Curlin, was the Eclipse horse of the year twice — in 2007 and 2008.
Epicenter was the favorite in 2022 and had the lead in the backstretch before a stunning move by long-shot Rich Strike nipped him at the wire. Nehro in 2011 and Lookin At Lee in 2017 also ran second.
Next up is Publisher and Tiztastic. Asmussen knows he hasn’t won the Derby, but he’s also aware that the last three Derby winners never won another race. Horse racing is more than the first Saturday in May in Louisville. Still, it would be nice.
“I’m disappointed I haven’t won the Derby,” Asmussen explained, “but freakishly proud of what we’ve gotten done with horses who’ve run in the Derby afterward.”
Baffert goes for history
Bob Baffert is back at the Kentucky Derby after a three-year suspension following the disqualification of 2021 winner Medina Spirit for having a banned substance. It was a messy spat between Baffert, one of the most successful trainers in history, and Churchill Downs.
Baffert’s suspension was lifted last year and he returned to racing at Churchill in November. He is back at Barn 33, where American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018 started their historic runs to the Triple Crown.
He’ll have one horse in this year‘s Derby after Rodriguez was scratched on Thursday. Citizen Bull, fourth in the Santa Anita Derby, unluckily drew the rail. The last winner from the No. 1 post was Ferdinand in 1986.
A victory on Saturday would make Baffert the winningest trainer in Kentucky Derby history. He is tied at six with Ben “Plain Ben” Jones. Our man “Plain Ben” also helped guide a pair of Triple Crown winners: Whirlaway in 1941 and Citation in 1948.
Baffert spent the last three Derbies watching from afar, but now he’s back where he’s most comfortable.
“My greatest memories are the Kentucky Derby, and they always will be,” Baffert told reporters recently. “Without the Derby, horse racing would have a totally different look. It’s getting bigger every year.”
» READ MORE: Horse racing gives Jayson Werth those competitive juices he misses from his Phillies years
What to know
Jayson Werth, right fielder for the 2008 Phillies World Series team, is part of the ownership group for Flying Mohawk. It’s the second year in a row Werth has a horse in the Derby. Dornoch finished 10th in 2024 before winning the Belmont and Haskell Stakes.
Aron Wellman, one of the owners of Journalism, was the sports editor of his high school newspaper in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Luxor Cafe ran twice in one week last August then was idle for two months. He was sired by 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah.
Tiztastic ran twice in 11 days last summer and won both races. The first was 6½ furlongs. The second was a mile.
Neoequos will try to become the first Florida-bred horse to win the Derby since Silver Charm in 1997. Medina Spirit originally won the 2021 race, but was DQ’d afterward. Floridians are 0-for-their-last-35 entrants.
Sandman is trying to become the first No. 17 to win a Derby. Best finish in the 45 starts was Forty Niner, which ran second to Winning Colors in 1988.
American Promise earned its spot by winning the Virginia Derby, which was held in March at Colonial Downs in front of a record crowd of 8,000. Figure on more than 150,000 in attendance on Saturday for the Kentucky Derby.
Ian Wilks, trainer of Burnham Square, said the 1¼-mile track here shouldn’t be a problem. “He doesn’t get tired,” Wilks said after roaring back from last place to capture the Blue Grass Stakes. “The more distance, the better.”
Owen Almighty trainer Brian Lynch wanted to skip the Derby after a disappointing sixth in the Blue Grass Stakes on April 8, but his owners thought otherwise. “While we know he’s going to be a long shot for sure, you don’t get many chances at it,” Hunter Rankin explained to Bloodhorse.com, “and we’re going to take one more shot with him.” Owen Almighty opened at 30-1.
And finally
It’s hard not to root for 72-year-old trainer Lonnie Briley, who never had a horse in a stakes race much less the Triple Crown, but is here with Coal Battle, a 30-1 shot out of post 16.
“I’d watch [the Derby] on TV,” Briley said, “but I never thought I’d have a horse of that quality to run in the Derby.”