Barbara D. Livingston
Baeza ran a bang-up race in the Kentucky Derby despite running into traffic problems. Trainer John Shirreffs said he has continued to improve the past five weeks.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Baeza was all the buzz in the weeks leading up to the Kentucky Derby. A potential victim of the tweaking of qualifying rules by Churchill Downs left Baeza on the Derby fence even through entry day, when he was relegated to the also-eligible list.
Two days before the race, when Rodriguez was scratched from the Kentucky Derby due to a bruised foot, Baeza, the Santa Anita Derby runner-up, drew into the field. Baeza validated all the angst of his potential exclusion with a solid third-place finish behind Sovereignty and Journalism in the Kentucky Derby.