Absent Baffert, Kentucky Derby Aims to Shine Through the Clouds

Absent Baffert, Kentucky Derby Aims to Shine Through the Clouds
Horses take part in race 4 on 148th Thurby, the Thursday before Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., on May 5, 2022. Amira Karaoud/Reuters
Reuters
Updated:

The 148th Kentucky Derby might be remembered as much for the talent on the track as the trainer absent from the sidelines as Saturday’s first leg of the Triple Crown goes off without one of racing’s most recognizable figures.

Bob Baffert, whose horses have won the Kentucky Derby six times, was suspended after last year’s winner, Medina Spirit, tested positive for a banned substance and was stripped of the title.