Which Bob Baffert horses can make the 2026 Kentucky Derby field?

Bob Baffert was even more of a popular figure at Churchill Downs last year. The longtime trainer made his return to the Kentucky Derby after serving a three-year suspension with two horses in the field: Citizen Bull and Rodriguez , the latter of which was a scratch before the 151 Run for the Roses due to a foot bruise . Sired by Into Mischief, Citizen Bull finished 15th in the Derby but was the runner-up in the Grade 1 Breeder’s Cup Dirt Mile six months later.

Meanwhile, Rodriguez’s foot trouble persisted, keeping him out of the Preakness , though Goal Oriented, another Baffert-trained horse, finished fourth in the race. Rodriguez was healthy enough to compete in the Belmont Stakes a few weeks later and finished fourth. Baffert will look to be back in Louisville this year with more Derby-contending horses .

He currently only has two horses among the top 20 on the Kentucky Derby points leaderboard . Litmus Test was Baffert's only horse in the Arkansas Derby, and he didn’t have any entries in the Florida Derby last weekend . The Grade 1 Blue Grass, Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby and Grade 2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, all of which take place this weekend , are the final major Derby prep races left.

Here’s which Baffert-trained horses are still in the hunt for a spot in the 152nd Kentucky Derby on May 2: Potente Record: 2-0-0 in two starts Jockey: Juan Hernandez Sire: Into Mischief Career earnings: $162,000 Prior to Potente winning the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita Park on March 7 — his first-ever graded race — Baffert told FanDuel Racing that he instructed Hernandez to “just ride (Potente) like a Derby horse. ” “They’re probably going fast and I knew they were going to be at a fast pace because there always is in these races,” Baffert continued. “But for him to pull it off like that, it was so exciting.