Most Baffert horses staying put as suspension begins

ARCADIA, Calif. – Even while trainer Bob Baffert begins serving a 90-day suspension on Monday, immediate plans call for most of his horses to stay right where they are.

Sean McCarthy will train approximately 40 horses at Santa Anita, and oversee the training of approximately 35 more at Los Alamitos. Santa Anita-based trainer Tim Yakteen has already received a handful of Baffert runners, including graded winners Messier and Adare Manor. Kentucky-based Rodolphe Brisset, meanwhile, is the new trainer of stakes winner Blackadder.

While the size of McCarthy’s small stable has mushroomed, his support staff will remain as familiar as the surroundings. Two longtime Baffert assistants, Jimmy Barnes and Los Alamitos-based Mike Marlow, will retain their current positions for McCarthy. The 40 Baffert horses at Santa Anita will not be moved. They will stay in the same shed row.

Racing officials on Sunday were processing required paperwork and stall applications before finalizing the transfer from Baffert to McCarthy. McCarthy, 59, deferred comment on specific horses until after the process is complete. “We’re getting everything put together (Sunday). We’re processing everything,” he said.

Prior to taking over the Baffert string, McCarthy trained 14 horses. McCarthy said the number of new horses is “roughly 40, and the second string (approximately 35) at Los Alamitos. The feed bill got really big. We’re going to do the best we can, and sincerely appreciate Bob’s confidence.”

McCarthy’s barn at Santa Anita is a one-minute walk to the barn where the Baffert runners are housed.

The horses already transferred from Baffert to Yakteen have been widely reported; they include possible Santa Anita Derby favorite Messier and likely Santa Anita Oaks favorite Adare Manor. Others are Doppelganger, fourth in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby on Saturday; McLaren Vale; and Santa Anita Oaks nominee Under the Stars.

Sunday was the final day Baffert was allowed at Santa Anita. His 90-day suspension was levied by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and issued in reciprocity by the Board of Stewards of the California Horse Racing Board. The suspension runs April 4 through July 2.

Baffert supervised Sunday workouts from his usual spot in the Santa Anita grandstand, and offered minimal insight to the next three months. “I’m leaving it in very capable hands,” he said. “I’ll take my days. I am disappointed in the length of the suspension.

“I’ve been doing this for 42 years,” Baffert added. “I’ve been around these horses all my life. I wish all my guys luck.”

Baffert’s final starter at Santa Anita was race-6 allowance winner Shaaz on Saturday.

- additional reporting by Steve Andersen