LOUISVILLE — Ever since he lost his first try by a nose with Cavonnier in 1996, then won back-to-back with Silver Charm in 1997 and Real Quiet in 1998, trainer Bob Baffert has been “Mr. Kentucky Derby.”
En route to the Hall of Fame, he won it again with War Emblem in 2002.
But with entries due Wednesday for Saturday’s 139th Run for the Roses, there is a good chance that for just the fourth time in 18 years, “Bullet Bob” won’t have a Derby starter.
On a brisk morning yesterday at Churchill Downs, as the sun slicing through the clouds alternated with sudden downpours, Baffert said he would announce today the status of his two remaining Derby candidates: Code West, who was outworked by Baffert’s Kentucky Oaks filly Midnight Lucky when they breezed together yesterday; and Govenor Charlie, scheduled to work this morning for the first time since April 11 after a foot bruise and hind-end soreness sent him to the Rood & Riddle equine clinic in Lexington, Ky., for a precautionary exam.
Power Broker — like Code West, owned by wealthy entrepreneur Gary West — will not run, Baffert said yesterday. This follows three other defections: Flashback, the barn’s best 3-year-old, taken off the Triple Crown trail with a knee chip; Super Ninety Nine, a distant third in the Santa Anita Derby; and War Academy, eased as the favorite in the Arkansas Derby.
“People called a couple months ago and told me, ‘Man, you’re loaded [for the Derby],’ ” Baffert said. “But so many things can go wrong. It’s still fun to come here, but a lot depends on the kind of horses you bring, whether you have the horse to beat or you don’t.
“To me, if you don’t have something that can win, it’s an empty feeling. It means nothing.”
Code West looked like a Derby contender when he was beaten a nose in the Risen Star, but then was a dull sixth in the Louisiana Derby. Yesterday, he worked five furlongs in 1:00 2/5 while serving as the target for Midnight Lucky, who went in :59 3/5.
“I was really disappointed in his run [in the Louisiana Derby],” Baffert said. “Now it looks like he’s coming back, but he’s not quite there yet. I’m going to sit down and go over it with Gary West. There’s no rush to judgment. Mr. West does not want to compete unless he has a chance to win the race. Just leading them up there to be a part of it, that’s not how he rolls. When they turn for home, you want to be able to root.”
“That’s what you have to look at. By the summer, [Code West and Power Broker] are going to be really good horses.”
If Code West doesn’t run Saturday, his options are the Preakness or the Peter Pan, with the June 8 Belmont Stakes his main goal. Govenor Charlie, who set a track record winning the Sunland Park Derby in just his third start, could also await the Preakness. He is owned by Baffert’s good friend Mike Pegram.
“I want to monitor him really well,” Baffert said. “You can’t have a hiccup, and we had a little hiccup with him. It’s a shame. He looks really good now, but I’m a little tight with for time, and I don’t want to press him. With these Derby horses, you can’t miss a beat.”