The Triple Crown Quest of Bob Baffert

American race fans’ search for the next Triple Crown winner has been a long and arduous one. For trainer, Bob Baffert, it’s a personal quest, to which no single person has come closer to reaching in the past 36 years. Five times the silver-haired Hall of Famer has won two of the three legs that make up American racing’s most recognizable series. In four of those five, Baffert brought a horse to the Belmont Stakes on the precipice of immortality, but in each of the first three, his charges fell short of victory in New York. Now, Baffert looks to have his most talented Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner yet. With an overpowering victory last Saturday in the Preakness, the American Pharoah Express is ready to roll into Belmont Park with a real shot to become the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years, and according to many, in Baffert, the new star of racing has the perfect trainer to get the job done.

After just missing his first Kentucky Derby victory in the last jump with Cavonnier in 1996, Baffert bounced back to win it the following year with the Bob and Beverly Lewis owned Silver Charm. The plucky son of Silver Buck proved as tough as a two-dollar steak in both the Derby and the Preakness, narrowly defeating his talented rivals, Captain Bodgit and Free House, in both. Captain Bodgit wasn’t able to run in the Belmont, but Free House was back for another try, as was the lightly raced Touch Gold, who ran a very big, but very unlucky, race in the Preakness. Silver Charm completed his game trio of performances in the Triple Crown, but just could not quite hold off Touch Gold in the late stages of the 12-furlong marathon. Close, but no cigar for his trainer, Bob Baffert.

One year after the wild ride of Silver Charm’s run at the Triple Crown, Baffert came back with a strong pair for the 1998 Kentucky Derby. The lightly raced Indian Charlie was sent off as the 5-2 favorite, while Baffert’s ‘other’ horse, the well traveled Real Quiet, was the 8-1 fifth choice. Turns out the bettors chose the wrong Baffert, and Real Quiet showed that he had developed into a top horse, with a half-length victory over the stretch running Victory Gallop. Two weeks later his Preakness was even better, again taking the measure of Victory Gallop, only this time it was an easier victory. Under an aggressive ride by Kent Desormeaux, Real Quiet looked home free in the Belmont, and on his way to becoming the first Triple Crown winner in 20 years. Funny thing happened in the Belmont stretch that afternoon, though. Despite being impeded late, Victory Gallop erased every inch of Real Quiet’s big lead, and won the Belmont Stakes in a head-bobbing, photo examining finish. After Silver Charm’s close call the year before, I cannot imagine how agonizing it must have been for Baffert to have been defeated in the Belmont in this fashion.

Great at what he does, Baffert kept coming to the Kentucky Derby with strong horses. Perhaps the best of all Bob Baffert trainees was Point Given. The big son of Thunder Gulch came to Louisville on a major roll, but did not run his best race at Churchill Downs. In fact, it was the champion’s only loss at three. After his fifth place finish in the Derby, the Thoroughbred Corporation owned star came back to prove clearly best in the Preakness, before demonstrating complete authority in the 2001 Belmont Stakes. In undoubtedly the best Belmont performance of the 21st century, Point Given won the Test of the Champion by more than a dozen lengths in 2:26.56. As of today, Point Given remains Baffert’s only winner in the Belmont.

Bob Baffert did not train War Emblem all along, but when Prince Ahmed bin Salman of the Thoroughbred Corporation purchased the son of Our Emblem after a big win in the Illinois Derby, Baffert suddenly had a contender in the 2002 Kentucky Derby. New to his barn, Baffert managed the speedster in the weeks leading up to the Run for the Roses, and throughout the remainder of his racing career. Catching lightning in a bottle, War Emblem flashed his speed at both Churchill Downs and Pimlico, and no horse in either field was good enough to run him down. As lethal as his speed was in the first two legs, though, when he did not break alertly at Big Sandy, the die was cast, and the speed horse was never going to rally in the 12-furlong Belmont.

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Baffert came oh so close to winning the Triple Crown twice. Then his third opportunity was over as soon as it began. He did win the Belmont with the horse that may have been his best ever. His best ever, perhaps until this year. Bob Baffert is back again. He’s been there, and done that. That is, everything but actually completing the Triple Crown. Is American Pharoah the horse to finally take the 62-year-old conditioner to the promised land? He just may be.