Baffert Continues To Cultivate Talent At Del Mar

Trainer Bob Baffert has had plenty to smile about over the years at Del Mar.. Benoit Photo

BENOIT PHOTO

How does a coach continuously produce winners? Is it luck, hard work, talent levels in the ranks, execution of the gameplan, or a combination of the previously listed? Most familiar with competition understand it is usually some of all of the above. For one Thoroughbred trainer it has been all of the aforementioned plus a great garden spot that has been excellent for cultivating young horses.

Bob Baffert has long been considered one of the best in the Thoroughbred racing game. Rightfully so we must add as he has had more horses cross the finish line first in the world’s most famous race (7), the Kentucky Derby, trained more Preakness winners than anyone (8), has three wins in the Belmont Stakes, and has conditioned nineteen Breeders’ Cup race winners. For good measure, “Big Race Bob” also has more Grade 1 race wins (the highest level of competition) than any trainer in the game.

How has this Arizona native remained at the pinnacle of the sport since beginning his Thoroughbred conditioning career in 1991? It all begins with developing his younger talent where the surf meets the turf down at old Del Mar. Nestled just north of San Diego, this piece of Thoroughbred racing heaven has been a prime location for the Baffert barn over the years.

“There are lots of things that make Del Mar a great place for our young horses”, says Baffert, who has conditioned two Triple Crown winners (American Pharoah 2015, Justify 2018). “The weather is always good and there is very little rain which is very important. You don’t miss training time and that can be a big key in development. The track is always in great shape, the atmosphere is good, and it’s just a great environment to be in.”

Success has been synonymous with this Hall of Fame conditioner at the Seaside Oval as he has far more Stakes wins (177) at Del Mar than any other trainer. Among those are an incredible nineteen wins in the Del Mar Futurity and eleven in the Best Pal Stakes, two of the biggest races for two-year-old males at the track founded by Bing Crosby in 1937.

“Our program puts a lot of emphasis on developing young horses”, says Baffert. “We believe in doing it the right way. Some come around quicker than others. Each horse has to be handled a little differently because like any athlete, some develop quicker mentally and physically than others. Being patient is very important with all of them. Authentic is a good example of a horse we didn’t run at Del Mar in the summer of his two-year-old year because he just was not ready. At three he won the Kentucky Derby and the Breeders’ Cup Classic.”

Adare Manor and jcokey Juan Hernandez win the Grade I, $400,000 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes, Saturday, August 3, 2024 at Del Mar for trainer Bob Baffert. © BENOIT PHOTO

BENOIT PHOTO

Developing young talent with works and races at Del Mar every summer has long been a staple of his team’s success throughout the last three plus decades. Even though he is the man with the lineup card and pencil, Baffert points to other components as mainstays for his team’s success.

“I am very fortunate to have clients that want to run in and win stakes races”, says Baffert. “They give me the freedom to pick the horses we purchase and buying the right horses is where it all begins. Our goal is always to run in the biggest races across the entire country and go in with a real chance to win. Having great people around me and backing me is most important. And it also is fantastic to get those young horses going at a great place like Del Mar.”

The Bob Baffert barn will send two runners to post in the grade 3 Best Pal Stakes on Saturday, August 9. St. Petersburg will break from gate 3 and Desert Gate breaks from the 5 hole in the six furlong race over the Del Mar dirt.