Bob Baffert, the Hall of Fame trainer, had a bit of a rough patch in his 2025 Triple Crown campaign, as his horses didn’t manage to finish in the top three in any of the classics, which is pretty unusual for him. Rodriguez, his hopeful for the Kentucky Derby, had to be scratched because of a bruised foot, and Citizen Bull ended up struggling to 15th place in the muddy conditions. At the Preakness, his undefeated colt Goal Oriented ended up in fourth place, and Rodriguez’s Belmont Stakes comeback also fell short, landing in fourth.

But the 72-year-old maestro has adjusted his focus, taking joy in the smaller wins : Himika, a $900,000 filly, shone with a six-length debut victory at Santa Anita, and Gaming broke a losing streak with a wire-to-wire win in the Affirmed Stakes. These wins mig

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