Baffert Stable Stands Pat as Santa Anita Derby Nears

Trainer Bob Baffert will not be adding any of the Thoroughbred Corp.’s horses to his stable.

“I just didn’t feel right about it, so I didn’t take them,” Baffert said.

On Saturday, Wally Dollase, who had been the private trainer for Prince Ahmed bin Salman’s Thoroughbred Corp., was fired and some horses were moved to other barns. Richard Mandella and Neil Drysdale each got four, according to Richard Mulhall, the racing manager for Thoroughbred Corp., and Sunday morning he said four were also expected to go to Baffert. The rest are being trained by Alex Hassinger.

Baffert, who won two 3-year-old stakes in California and another in Louisiana over the weekend, said San Felipe Stakes winner Prime Timber and General Challenge, who finished fifth in the Louisiana Derby, will next run in the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby on April 3. Baffert said either Exploit, who was beaten for the first time in six starts in the San Felipe, or Straight Man, who is perfect in two races, will also run in the Santa Anita Derby.

“[General Challenge] is really green and he didn’t ship well,” Baffert said after the colt lost for the first time as the 9-10 favorite. “He needed that race and he gave them about a 10-length head start [when he hopped at the break].

“His race was better than it looked.”