The horse racing world is never at rest, and the favorites are continuously changing. However, there are few horses that have received the same mass attention as Bob Baffert’s latest contender. The renowned horse trainer, who is involved in a lot of controversies, has shown a completely different angle by comparing his new Kentucky Derby favorite, Barnes, to the legendary Triple Crown winner American Pharoah.

After finishing 1-2 in the San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita on Saturday, Baffert colts appeared prepared to go on the “Road to the Kentucky Derby,” where he currently holds three of the top four positions. Barnes made his stakes debut in the Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita Park on January 4, 2025, where he secured a decisive victory, showcasing his potential as a Kentucky Derby contender. Do you know Baffert was banned in 2021?

The track’s owners banned the trainer as he was found positive for a dr*g test for Medina Spirit in the 2021 Kentucky Derby. Bob Baffert made his comeback to Churchill Downs in July 2024 after Churchill Downs Inc. lifted his suspension, which had been extended in 2023 following Medina Spirit’s positive dr*g test. Barnes, however, has not raced at Churchill Downs as of January 2025. Fans considered it a disgrace. Coming back to American Pharoah, the horse has won the American Triple Crown and the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2015.

The horse has won 9 out of 11 starts and has single-season earnings of about $8.3 million. With this achievement, he was unanimously named Horse of the Year and won the Eclipse Award for Champion Three-Year-Old Male in 2015. He was retired to Coolmore America’s Ashford Stud farm in Versailles, Kentucky. These are enough reasons for Baffert to make American Pharoah his favorite.

Comparing both his favorites, Bob Baffert said, “Body-wise, Barnes has a lot of American Pharoah in him.” He further added, “I knew he would run well, but everyone who has worked him says he has another gear. They are all a little green. The second outing is the most important for all these horses.”

“I’m happy for Amr; he had to really stretch to get this horse. When you have a clientele like that, it is everything.” Amr Zedan bought Barnes for $3.2 million at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling sale. Barnes is named after Baffert’s longtime assistant, Jimmy Barnes. Baffert was banned due to a substance that was prohibited to be used on race day on Barnes, and the rest was history.

Kentucky Derby legend Bob Baffert had to pay a heavy price for the substance he used on horses

Bob Baffert had been a great trainer and received many awards and titles as a horse trainer. But one day, everything changed when his horse was found to have tested positive for a banned substance in 2021. The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission confirmed that Medina Spirit tested positive for betamethasone, a corticosteroid allowed in training but prohibited on race day.

Bob Baffert returned to Churchill Downs in July 2024 after Churchill Downs Inc. lifted his two-year ban, which followed his suspension due to Medina Spirit’s positive dr*g test in the 2021 Kentucky Derby. While Amr Zedan has been a key supporter of Baffert, lawsuits filed by Zedan Racing Stables were not the reason for Baffert’s reinstatement. What are your thoughts on Bob Baffert and his ban? Tell us in the comments below.