Bayern jogs Friday ahead of San Antonio Stakes

ARCADIA, Calif. – Bayern, the winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic in November, was jogged Friday with a bar shoe protecting a foot made tender by a recent abscess, trainer Bob Baffert said.

Bayern has missed training in the last week because of the foot issue, and the situation has cast doubt on whether Bayern can be ready for the $500,000 San Antonio Stakes at Santa Anita on Feb. 7. The Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes is expected to include the top 4-year-olds California Chrome and Shared Belief.

On Friday, Baffert said he was not ready to abandon having Bayern ready for the San Antonio.

“You never give up,” Baffert said. “I don’t want to make that call until I have to.”

Baffert described Bayern’s ailment as “very minor,” but the colt missed a scheduled workout Jan. 10 and did not have another one scheduled as of Friday. Owned by Kaleem Shah, Bayern has won 6 of 10 starts and earned $4,389,680. He earned all of his prize money in 2014, making him the richest horse to race in the U.S. last year.

The absence of Bayern in the San Antonio Stakes would deny the race a showdown among three of the first four finishers of a controversial running of the BC Classic. Bayern led throughout the BC Classic over 1 1/4 miles but bumped the favored Shared Belief shortly after the start. California Chrome finished third, with Shared Belief fourth.

The stewards conducted an inquiry but did not change the order of finish.

Since the BC Classic, California Chrome and Shared Belief have returned to win stakes. California Chrome won his turf debut Nov. 29 in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar, while Shared Belief won the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes for 3-year-olds over seven furlongs Dec. 26.