The Most Dangerous Trainer in Derby Contention
In a continuing effort to amplify the excitement of the 2010 Kentucky Derby here is a simple trivia question relevant to this year’s race:
Who was the last trainer to have his name on two or more consecutive derby winners? Give up?
The answer in case you didn’t have the last two decades of winners memorized, is Bob Baffert with Silver Charm in 1997, and Real Quiet in 1998. For the record both horses were jockeyed by different riders, and both horses all had independent owners. Why is this relevant in 2010? There are a few reasons people may want to pay attention to this. Firstly, Baffert is the only common link in these two victories; which means that his exclusive training was the foremost factor over a decade ago. With an additional Derby Win in 2002, the elite thoroughbred War Emblem cemented Baffert’s legacy as a dangerous derby contender every year. Not to mention Baffert is also the only trainer to win back to back at the Preakness as well!
It is also relevant in 2010 because Bob Baffert’s prize contender Lookin’ at Lucky is comfortable at an estimated 6:1 odds in the upcoming Kentucky Derby. It seems as though this year the superior training methods that have worked in the past have once again culminated into a leading contender for Bob Baffert Stables. Many people attribute this unique success to a few major things:
1) One major attribute to Bob’s success is what those around him describe as an extremely keen horse sense. His ability to eye up the shape and stature of a thoroughbred combined with the experience in knowing what it takes to further a colt into a champion contender.
2) Baffert combined his background in Horses with Bachelor’s Degree in Science to train quarter horses early in his career. His experience with these trimmed animals gave him a powerful sense of how to prepare his horse(s) especially for peak performance.
3) There are few owners who are as recognized as Baffert, his high profile has allowed him not only to enhance the sport, but to help recreate it. His training methods are cutting edge, and therefore emulated as closely as possible by many. But the real secret to the Baffert legacy is having an outstanding balance of nature vs. nurture. It isn’t surprising to see winning horses have not only great bloodlines, but the best and most timely training to go along with it.
*We’ll soon see if Lookin’ at Lucky will make Bob Baffert look even more successful in less than a month at the 2010 Kentucky Derby!
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