The path to a Kentucky Derby win is monumentally difficult under any circumstances, but the return of legendary trainer Bob Baffert adds one more major challenge to the field in 2025.
Baffert is eligible to enter horses again after a suspension kept him out of the Kentucky Derby for three consecutive years, putting a bit of history on the line. With a win at Churchill Downs, Baffert would become the winningest trainer in the iconic race's history.
Of course, Baffert already held that title — only briefly. The disqualification of Medina Spirit in 2021 temporarily derailed Baffert's career, but with just Citizen Bull in the field this year after Rodriguez was a late scratch, he's hoping to claim what he believes is rightfully his.
Here's a look back at Baffert's Kentucky Derby wins and how many Triple Crowns he has won.
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Bob Baffert Kentucky Derby wins
Silver Charm, 1997
A younger Baffert picked up his first Kentucky Derby win with Silver Charm in 1997. Silver Charm was jockeyed by Gary Stevens, who previously won the Kentucky Derby in 1988 and 1995.
Finishing with a time of 2:02.44, Silver Charm took the lead over Captain Bodgit right near the end. Silver Charm would go on to win the Preakness as well, but his Triple Crown chase ended with a second-place finish in the Belmont Stakes.
The win came in Baffert's second Kentucky Derby appearance, and it marked his first win in an American Classic race.
Real Quiet, 1998
Baffert went back-to-back with Kentucky Derby wins when Real Quiet won in 1998. The derby also marked the first career win for jockey Kent Desormeaux, who would go on to win two more times.
Real Quiet finished the race in 2:02.38, edging out Victory Gallop, and he also won the Preakness Stakes before finishing second at the Belmont Stakes and narrowly missing the Triple Crown.
War Emblem, 2002
Baffert won his third Kentucky Derby with War Emblem, who won by four lengths over Proud Citizen. War Emblem was jockeyed by Victor Espinoza, who went on to win the Derby two more times.
Baffert only started training War Emblem about one month before the race and said a Kentucky Derby win would make it "the best and shortest training job ever." Despite fairly distant odds, War Emblem won comfortably.
War Emblem gave Baffert a third try at the Triple Crown after winning the Preakness Stakes, but he didn't come as close in the Belmont as Silver Charm or Real Quiet, instead finishing eighth.
MORE: 2025 Kentucky Derby post positions, odds
American Pharoah, 2015
Baffert finally got his Triple Crown in 2015, and it started at the Kentucky Derby with a win from American Pharoah. Baffert's first Kentucky Derby win in 13 years came via the same jockey who won in 2002 — Victor Espinoza — and pre-race favorite American Pharoah prevailed over Firing Line by one length to start what would be a journey to the first Triple Crown by any horse since 1978.
Justify, 2018
Justify was likewise no Cinderella Story at Churchill Downs, as he entered as the odds-on favorite and won by two-and-a-half lengths to give Baffert his fifth Kentucky Derby win. Mike Smith became the fourth jockey to win the Derby with a horse trained by Baffert, picking up his second win in the iconic race.
Justify went on to win the Triple Crown, matching American Pharoah's dominance and giving Baffert two Triple Crowns in four years after no one had won in 37 years.
Authentic, 2020
A year before Medina Spirit won and was subsequently disqualified, Baffert tied the all-time record with his sixth Kentucky Derby win. Authentic upset the heavily favored Tiz the Law in an unprecedented September race, which was moved due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The postponement changed the order of the Triple Crown races, as the Belmont Stakes was run in June. Authentic wasn't in that field, so this Kentucky Derby win didn't give Baffert a chance at a third Triple Crown. It did, however, deny Tiz the Law what many believed was a legitimate chance to win all three races.
Most Kentucky Derby wins by a trainer
| Trainer | Wins | Years |
| Bob Baffert | 6 | 1997, 1998, 2002, 2015, 2018, 2020 |
| Ben Jones | 6 | 1938, 1941, 1944, 1948, 1949, 1952 |
| D. Wayne Lukas | 4 | 1988, 1995, 1996, 1999 |
| Herbert J. Thompson | 4 | 1921, 1926, 1932, 1933 |
| James Fitzsimmons | 3 | 1930, 1935, 1939 |
| Max Hirsch | 3 | 1936, 1946, 1950 |
Baffert is tied for the most Kentucky Derby wins of any trainer with six, matching Ben Jones' mark of six. Baffert is the only trainer to win the Kentucky Derby at least three times in the 21st century.
Medina Spirit's initial win in 2021 gave Baffert what would have been his record-breaking seventh Kentucky Derby win, but the horse's disqualification — and Baffert's suspension — kept him at six.
Bob Baffert Triple Crowns
Baffert has won two Triple Crowns, matching trainer James Fizsimmons' record.
2015
American Pharoah entered the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes as the clear favorite, and he delivered. The legendary horse won by seven lengths in the Preakness and outlasted Frosted in the Belmont Stakes to make history as the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years.
2018
The Triple Crown drought wasn't nearly as long after American Pharoah, as Baffert won another with Justify. Justify entered the Kentucky Derby favored, and the odds got considerably shorter in the Preakness, which he won by only a half length. Favored again at the Belmont Stakes, Justify won by nearly two lengths over Gronkowski, which was named after NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski.
Justify's Triple Crown didn't snap the long-awaited drought that American Pharoah's did, but it gave Baffert a historic second Triple Crown to match the all-time record.
MORE: Full list of Kentucky Derby winners
Why is Bob Baffert controversial?
Baffert was suspended from Churchill Downs for two years in 2021 after Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit failed a drug test following the race. Medina Spirit was later disqualified, and Baffert was handed a heavy punishment.
Baffert fought the ban for much of the past two years, but his legal battles were unsuccessful. Churchill Downs then extended the ban in July 2023, keeping Baffert out of the Kentucky Derby through 2024. Churchill Downs explained that Baffert's suspension was extended due to "continued concerns regarding the threat to the safety and integrity of racing he poses to CDI-owned racetracks."
While a legal challenge to participate in 2024 failed, Baffert's ban is now expired. He is able to enter horses into the Kentucky Derby after three years away.
Baffert was also suspended from the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes as a result of Medina Spirit's failed test, but he was reinstated ahead of the respective 2023 races. Baffert wasted no time getting back to the top at the Preakness, as he won with National Treasure in 2023.