Bayern bothered by quarter crack

ARCADIA, Calif. – The first start of 2015 for Bayern, the Breeders’ Cup Classic winner, is in flux, due to a quarter crack, trainer Bob Baffert said on Saturday at Santa Anita.

Baffert said Bayern missed a scheduled workout on Saturday morning because he has been dealing with a troublesome hind foot, which began following the Classic.

“He popped a quarter crack after that race. We had to patch it,” Baffert said. “And now with the rain, I’m just going to have to be patient.”

Baffert initially had penciled in next month’s San Antonio Stakes at Santa Anita as the first start of the year for Bayern. The possibility of making that race is now in jeopardy, though California Chrome and Shared Belief are expected to run in that spot. Bayern’s owner, Kaleem Shah, has said that his main goal for the first part of the year was the Dubai World Cup at the end of March.

Bayern won the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 1. After a month off, he had four works, all at Santa Anita, on Dec. 11, Dec. 19, Dec. 27, and Jan. 3. He was due for his fifth work Saturday morning, but Baffert said he had only jogged Bayern in recent days while Baffert tries to get the foot to a satisfactory stage.

Bayern had a foot issue last spring that prevented him from running in the San Felipe Stakes after winning the first two starts of his career. He came back blazing, especially the second half of the year, winning four of his last five starts, including the Classic and the Haskell.

Bayern is a finalist for Eclipse Awards as both champion male 3-year-old, and Horse of the Year. Those winners will be announced next Saturday.