Kentucky Derby Watch 2023: Baffert horses on the move, and so is Juvenile champion Forte

Only two months remain until the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 6 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, and Bob Baffert-related storylines have again dominated the news on the Derby prep trail.

Last week, Baffert completed the transfer of several of his top Kentucky Derby-contending horses to other trainers, allowing the horses to be eligible to earn qualifying points toward the prestigious race.

Baffert is still suspended from Churchill Downs. Horses with Baffert as the trainer of record are ineligible to earn Derby qualifying points.

That didn’t stop Baffert from entering some of his horses in Kentucky Derby qualifying races earlier this season.

But now, for the second year in a row, Baffert has transferred some of his best horses to other trainers in time for key prep races closer to the Derby.

Baffert — a six-time Derby-winning trainer — had until the end of February to transfer horses so they could remain eligible to qualify for the Kentucky Derby.

Baffert probably won’t have to do this next year, though: His two-year ban from Churchill Downs is set to expire this summer.

Once again, the majority of Baffert’s top horses have been transferred to Tim Yakteen, a former assistant trainer to Baffert who also received several top Derby contenders from Baffert ahead of last year’s race.

Here’s a quick recap of which horses Baffert passed along to other trainers with Kentucky Derby prep season in full swing, along with a look at which horses are top Derby contenders with the Run for the Roses just two months away.

Baffert transfers horses to Tim Yakteen, others

The best horse that Baffert passed along to Yakteen is Arabian Knight, previously listed by Caesars Sportsbook as the favorite to win the Kentucky Derby.

Additionally, National Treasure, Fort Bragg and Mr. Fisk were all shifted from Baffert’s stewardship to Yakteen’s.

Baffert also sent several horses from his stable to Yakteen’s earlier this year, including Arabian Lion, Carmel Road, Hejazi and Reincarnate.

As of Monday, Reincarnate has 15 Kentucky Derby qualifying points, Hejazi has 10 and Fort Bragg has five.

“I was trying to set up as smooth a transition as I could for the horses and the owners and still allow them to get Derby points,” Baffert said, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Last year, Yakteen fielded two former Baffert horses in the Kentucky Derby: Taiba finished 12th and Messier finished 15th.

According to the Courier-Journal, several other trainers received former Baffert horses before the month changed: Fort Warren moved to the stable of Brittney Russell and Harlocap went to Steve Asmussen, North America’s all-time leader in wins by a trainer.

Baffert also told the Los Angeles Times he hopes the transferred horses will move back into his barn following the Kentucky Derby and ahead of the Preakness Stakes, to be held May 20.

More Derby contenders emerge after weekend races

Saturday marked a significant day on the road to the Kentucky Derby with four prep races taking place across the country.

Three of the four races — Fountain of Youth (Gulfstream Park), Gotham (Aqueduct) and San Felipe (Santa Anita) — awarded Kentucky Derby qualifying points on a 50-20-15-10-5 scale for the top five finishers in the race.

The other race, the John Battaglia Memorial at Turfway Park in Florence, awarded qualifying points on a 20-8-6-4-2 scale.

Forte moved back atop the Kentucky Derby qualifying points leaderboard with an easy win in the Fountain of Youth against a field that included other Derby contenders Rocket Can (second) and Cyclone Mischief (third). Forte —trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. — has now won five of six career starts, including the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Keeneland.

The 1-mile Gotham was won by Raise Cain, who navigated a muddy track and a loose horse at the front of the field to secure 50 Derby qualifying points. A former Baffert horse, Carmel Road, now under Yakteen’s care, finished eighth.

Originally bred by trainer Chad Brown but now under the guidance of Yakteen, Practical Move won the San Felipe over a field that included three horses recently transferred to Yakteen from Baffert. Practical Move has finished in the money in all six career starts.

Congruent (a gray horse) won the John Battaglia Memorial with a familiar face aboard: Jockey Sonny Leon, who famously won the 2022 Kentucky Derby on historic long shot Rich Strike. Saturday night’s result marked Congruent’s first win in three 2023 starts.

Who are the Kentucky Derby favorites two months out?

A total of 34 Kentucky Derby qualifying races have been run, with 26 as part of the American road to the Derby, five as part of the European road and three as part of the Japanese road.

The American leaderboard is headlined by the Todd Pletcher-trained Forte (90 points) and the Tim Yakteen-trained Practical Move (60 points).

The European leaderboard is topped by Cairo (Ireland) with 20 points.

The Japanese leaderboard is paced by Perriere (Japan) with 36 points.

Only one Kentucky Derby prep race will be run this Saturday, but it’s a big one: The Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs, which awards Derby qualifying points on a 50-20-15-10-5 scale.

According to Caesars Sportsbook, here are the top five current favorites for the Kentucky Derby (odds as of Sunday):

▪ Forte (7-2)

The Todd Pletcher-trained Forte owns three wins on the Derby prep trail — Breeders’ Futurity, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and Fountain of Youth — and has recorded an Equibase Speed Figure of 102 or greater in all three races.

▪ Arabian Knight (5-1)

The lightly-raced Arabian Knight is now under the watch of Tim Yakteen, but while Bob Baffert was the trainer of record, Arabian Knight went 2-for-2 including a win in January’s Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park.

Arabian Knight currently doesn’t have any qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby.

▪ Tapit Trice (15-1)

Another Todd Pletcher horse, Tapit Trice won its last two starts at Aqueduct and Gulfstream Park and is expected to be a favorite to win this Saturday’s Tampa Bay Derby.

Tapit Trice currently doesn’t have any qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby.

▪ Practical Move (15-1)

The Tim Yakteen-trained horse won the San Felipe last weekend and currently sits second in qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby.

▪ Instant Coffee (15-1)

Currently eighth on the Kentucky Derby qualifying points leaderboard with 32 points, the Brad Cox-trained Instant Coffee has posted consecutive wins in graded stakes.