Bayern will move on to Met Mile after flop in Churchill Downs Stakes

While trainer Bob Baffert landed the big prize, taking the Kentucky Derby with American Pharoah, he came away empty-handed with five other graded stakes starters on the weekend at Churchill Downs. The most disappointing performance belonged to 2014 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Bayern, who was never a factor while finishing last of six in the Grade 2 Churchill Downs Stakes in his season debut.

On Sunday morning, Baffert reported that Bayern emerged from the poor effort, in which he was 11 3/4 lengths behind victorious Private Zone, in good order.

“They’re all allowed a bad race,” Baffert said.

Jockey Martin Garcia said after the race that Bayern “didn’t handle the track at all; he didn’t like it.”

Baffert said Bayern would target the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap on the Belmont Stakes undercard June 6. In his lone prior trip to New York, Bayern romped by 7 1/2 lengths in the Grade 2 Woody Stephens Stakes on last year’s Belmont undercard.