Bob Baffert-trained horse will run at Del Mar despite ban, but Brad Cox’s colt can prevent the result organisers fear
An
American magazine cover some years ago carried a picture of the unmistakeable, white-haired figure of Bob Baffert, surrounded by dozens of reporters and photographers above the simple headline: “BOBZILLA!” For the organisers of this year’s Breeders’ Cup meeting at Del Mar racecourse, which concludes on Saturday, the parallel with a fearsome behemoth, looming over the proceedings and wreaking havoc with their carefully constructed PR, may be a little too close for comfort.
Baffert was banned from saddling runners at Churchill Downs, the home of the Kentucky Derby, for two years earlier in the season, after his colt, Medina Spirit, tested positive for betamethasone, a banned corticosteroid, after winning the US’s most famous race.