Kentucky Derby: Did Bob Baffert-Trained Imagination Steal $3 Million Race Position Despite Suspension?

For the country’s horse racing fans, it is the Kentucky Derby that is in sight the most. The Grade 1 stakes race is considered one of the most coveted events in the world and the best horses in the US are gearing up for a major showdown in Louisville on May 4. Ahead of that, this last Saturday (April 6) was highly anticipated among connoisseurs with two major events revealing the newest participants for the upcoming race. But for legendary trainer Bob Baffert, things are still as cloudy as it has been the last few years.

A recent post on X (previously known as Twitter) by TVG has shared the latest standings of the Kentucky Derby. April 6 saw three prep races across the country, with all of them offering the opportunity for a place in next month’s race. The accompanying list below shows Sierra Leone currently topping the list with 155 points to his name. The colt won this year’s Risen Star Stakes, while also securing a first-place finish at yesterday’s Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes, making sure of his qualification for the Kentucky Derby. But what about Baffert and Imagination?

Bob Baffert’s tryst with the Santa Anita Derby has a long history as well. Only recently, Baffert & Co. was handed a massive fine of over $700,000 after his appeal against a 2023 court ruling was nullified. Justify, the 2018 Santa Anita Derby winner was disqualified from his win after failing the post-race drug test. Baffert entered two of his horses in the Santa Anita Derby this year.

One of them, Imagination, clinched a second-place finish. However, with Bob being banned from the Kentucky Derby, he may have created a significant challenge for a possible entrant. Amid all this, how does the path to the Kentucky Derby look?

The road to the Kentucky Derby remains complicated for Baffert

Winning this year’s Florida Derby, Fierceness is also a top contender to win the Kentucky Derby and rightfully sits comfortably in the second place of the list with 136 points. On the other hand, the 2024 Santa Anita Derby winner Stronghold has also qualified for the prestigious $3m race and boasts 125 Derby points. The interesting fact is that, apart from Stronghold, no other top-five finisher from the Santa Anita Derby seems to appear on the list. And that’s exactly what makes the water murky.

Bob Baffert’s Imagination came in second at the Santa Anita Derby. While a second-place finish entails 50 points and a place in the Kentucky Derby, the happenings from 2021 create a significant obstacle for Baffert to win his seventh Kentucky Derby. After Medina Spirit won the 2021 Derby race, he failed the post-race drug test, resulting in a ban on Baffert. However, one of his clients has filed a lawsuit seeking a temporary injunction on the decision. With that, Imagination and Baffert may have halted one of their competitors, who could have otherwise participated in the elite race.

How do you think the situation will ultimately pan out? Share your thoughts with us!

Read more: Kentucky Derby 2024: Amr Zedan’s $10.7 Million at Stake As Bob Baffert’s Case Is a Ticking Time Bomb