EXPLAINER: Why is Bob Baffert not in the Kentucky Derby?

By BETH HARRIS
AP Racing Writer

Bob Baffert has been the face of American horse racing for nearly 30 years. The 69-year-old Hall of Fame trainer has won a record-tying six Kentucky Derbies but he won’t be at Churchill Downs on Saturday for the 148th Derby. Baffert is serving a 90-day suspension handed down by Kentucky racing officials after last year’s Derby winner Medina Spirit failed a post-race drug test. That punishment will keep him out of the entire Triple Crown series. At the same time, Baffert has been banned for two years by Churchill Downs.