Kentucky Derby 2025: Baeza into race after Rodriguez scratch

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Rodriguez, the Grade 2 Wood Memorial winner and one of two Kentucky Derby entrants trained by Bob Baffert, has been scratched from the race due a slight bruise in his right front foot, his connections said Thursday afternoon.

The scratch of Rodriguez opens a spot in the starting gate for Santa Anita Derby runner-up Baeza, who will be ridden by Flavien Prat. Prat was also named on Neoequos, the Florida Derby third-place finisher. Luis Saez has picked up the mount on that horse, according to Mark Cornett, part-owner of Neoequos.

According to Tom Ryan, head of SF Racing, which is part-owner of Rodriguez, the horse developed a slight bruise in the inside quarter of his right front foot. He galloped Thursday morning at Churchill.

Ryan believes Rodriguez can make the Preakness at Pimlico on May 17.

“For us, it was very minimal,” Ryan said. “It’s something that had a little sting in it. The quarters or bruises will have a little sensitivity. We really felt he was going the right way. It’s unfortunate, it’s bad timing. We’re confident the horse is going to be in tip-top shape for Pimlico.”

The majority of the same partners who own Rodriguez also own Citizen Bull, last year’s 2-year-old champion, who will now be Baffert’s lone starter in the Kentucky Derby.

The connections of Baeza had been hoping to get into the race since they shipped him from California on April 24. Trainer John Shirreffs had been training the horse as though he would get into the field, including galloping him two miles on Thursday morning.

“We’re really happy that Baeza got into the Kentucky Derby,” Shirreffs said. “Mr. [Lee] Searing and Mr. [Robert] Clay are excited about the prospects.”

Baeza, by McKinzie, is a half-brother to 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage and 2024 Belmont Stakes winner Dornoch. He won a maiden race by 4 3/4 lengths in his third career start and then came within three-quarters of a length of presumptive Kentucky Derby favorite Journalism in the Santa Anita Derby, a race in which Baeza had the lead in mid-stretch.

Due to a tweak in the rules that impacted how points were awarded in qualifying races with short fields, Baeza only earned 37.5 points for his runner-up finish in the five-horse Santa Anita Derby. Had more than five horses been in the race, Baeza would have earned 50 points and his connections would not have had to sweat all week about getting into the race.

:: DRF Kentucky Derby Package: Save on PPs, Clocker Reports, Betting Strategies, and more.

“It’s been awkward, but we knew that coming in, it was going to be this way,” Shirreffs said. “It was a matter of waiting and seeing what developed.”

Shirreffs said he’s been happy with Baeza’s preparation for the race.

“The first couple of days here, he was looking around a lot,” Shirreffs said. “He wasn’t really settled, but the third day he started to really settle in, get used to his barn and the environment and now things have gone as well as it possibly could.”

This is the seventh straight year that there has been a scratch from the body of the Kentucky Derby field after entries were drawn. In 2022, Rich Strike drew into the field the day before the race and he won it at odds of 80-1.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.