The Saratoga Conversation: Bob Baffert

American Pharoah. Justify. Real Quiet, Silver Charm. Point Given. The list goes on and on and on. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has had them all in his barn. American Pharoah, his 2015 Triple Crown champ, acted like a pet when around big crowds of people. There was a secret to that.

Who did Baffert have a moment with on an airplane? What is his favorite track? All of that and more in the Saratoga Conversation.

TDN: Growing up, did you ever, ever think that Bob Baffert was going to become a trainer of two Triple Crown winners and be the face of the sport?
Bob Baffert: Growing up in my little town of Nogales, Arizona, on the border, I never even thought about horse racing. I had no idea what I was going to do. I grew up on a ranch, riding horses with my dad. Loved animals, loved horses. We had cattle, chicken. We had everything, and I never even thought of it. I was in love with the Quarter Horses. I grew up watching Quarter Horse racing with my father. The first Thoroughbred race, Kentucky Derby race, I ever watched was in 1971 on television. Canonero II.

TDN: Did that hook you?
BB: It hooked me on watching the Derby. I had to watch the Derby and read about it. We would get the Tucson, Arizona paper. I would read it the next day, and it had three pages of different pictures of the start, the first turn, the backside, all the horses. Three full pages!

TDN: Boy, those days are gone.
BB: After that, I just made it a point to watch the Derby and sometimes the Preakness.

TDN: When did the light bulb turn on and you said, “I want to train Thoroughbreds?”
BB: It didn't go off until I met Mike Pegram. I was always intimidated by the Thoroughbreds. Growing up in Arizona, the Thoroughbreds they ran there weren't very good. I really didn't like Thoroughbreds; it was all about the Quarter Horses. Mike had bought a Thoroughbred and wanted to send it to me. Wayne Lukas had done the big jump, and I was watching him. I thought the only one that could do it was Wayne because he was fearless. When Mike asked me if I would think about it, I said I would give it a try. I still had a big Quarter Horse string, and I was doing well. I said I would give it three years.

TDN: And here you are. With all the horses you have trained, is there one that's your favorite?
BB: I've had a lot of favorites. Silver Charm. His pedigree was a little sketchy, but he was all racehorse. He would not let a horse pass him. He was probably the gutsiest horse that I had. But I have to say as a favorite, American Pharoah. He was just a machine. Silver Charm would do just enough in his races. American Pharoah was just so dynamic. He was such an athlete. His athleticism was just incredible.

TDN: I remember him being like a dog. He was so docile. You could wade him into crowds, and he wouldn't flinch.
BB: He wouldn't flinch because we put earplugs into him. Without earplugs, he was not that docile.

TDN: Really? I did not know that.
BB: I found that out after his first out. We ran him and he was a complete mess in the paddock. He was a mess going to the gate. Didn't run well. Turned out he was very sensitive to noise. A few days later we were walking to school him in the paddock, and all of a sudden, a guy turned on a tractor and when he heard the tractor noise, he freaked out. So, we put cotton in his ear, and he was great. I ran him one race with cotton in his ear and it didn't look cool. I got it from John Shirreffs, who put cotton in Zenyatta's ears. I didn't like the white cotton look on him, so I went on the internet and found some little sheepskin earplugs for $6.99. And for $6.99, I made a Triple Crown winner out of him. How about that?

TDN: I never knew that story. You have won two Triple Crowns. What else is there left for you to do?
BB: As long as I have the clientele and the good horses … I still love competing at the top level. That's what keeps me going. I love winning Breeders' Cup races. I love winning classics on the big days here in New York. You know, like winning the Met Mile, the Whitney, those big races. As long as I'm in the big arena, that's what I want to do. I really enjoy developing young horses.

TDN: What's the secret?
BB: The secret is that I just I enjoy it. I never take any vacations. I love what I do. I enjoy going to the barn in the morning. I just like the challenge. You know, it's a very challenging sport. I love when I get a horse that's not behaving or doing something. How can I get this horse and bring him to his full potential? The beauty about the Thoroughbred is that they are born to run. You have to teach them how to utilize their speed and keep them quiet and calm. I have a passion for it. Once this racing gets in your blood, there's no way out.

TDN: What is your favorite racetrack?
BB: I think Santa Anita is my favorite track. It's a beautiful track. I would say Santa Anita and Churchill Downs.

American Pharoah winning the Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland | Coady

TDN: You're a California guy, even though you have spent a lot of time in Kentucky this year. In the summer, you are a Del Mar guy. What do you like about Saratoga when you come?
BB: I love the barn area. I love the atmosphere here with the trees. You know you just feel like you're in this wooded area. And the town… everyone talks about horse racing, like it was at the old Prescott Downs in Arizona.

TDN: When you are here or Churchill, or anywhere, you get recognized, right?
BB: Yes. If I'm here or Kentucky. I like the fact they love horses.  It's nice to be in an area where people love horse racing. They understand the sport. I've been through airports. I'm the horse guy. 'Aren't you the horse guy?' I've always tried to promote the sport as much as I can. I remember when Bill Mott brought Cigar to Del Mar (in 1996 for the Pacific Classic). I was like a little kid going, 'let's go watch Cigar train.' I was in awe. 'Wow! There's Bill Mott!' I thought if I would ever have a good horse, I would want to share him. Everyone wants to see a superstar up close.

TDN: I remember when you brought American Pharoah to Saratoga for the Travers. The day before the race, 20,000 people came out to see him gallop!
BB: It was crazy! I've never been so overwhelmed in my life.

TDN: He probably thought it was a race.
BB: He did think it was a race. I wish I could take that one back. He should have won that day (Keen Ice beat him in the Travers). It was a last-minute thing to come up here.

TDN: If you had one do-over, would that be the one?
BB: I would like two do-overs. Point Given in the (2001 Kentucky) Derby and Pharoah (in the Travers).

TDN: If you could have a half-hour to sit in a room with anyone from the history of horse racing and pick their brain, who would it be?
BB: I was with Charlie Whittingham. I picked his brain. He was the master. He could really get a horse to run off a year layoff. He could get a sprinter and make him go a mile and a quarter. He was stabled next to me, and I just watched him constantly. Another great horseman I learned a lot from was Ron McAnally. And Wayne (Lukas) was a really good horseman. Richard Mandella. Gary Jones, when he was training. I would watch everybody.

American Pharoah first time by in the Travers | Sarah Andrew

TDN: I ask this question to everybody: If there is a movie made about your life and you can pick the actor to play you, who you picking?
BB: It depends on what age. There was a guy who wanted to do a movie about me, and I go, 'Well, who is going to play me?' He told me Matt Damon. I said, 'no way.' No Matt Damon. Back in the day, Steve Martin, right? (laughs). Let's go with Tom Cruise.

TDN: Ok. We'll go with that. How about this. You can have dinner with three people, living or dead. Who are they?
BB: Muhammad Ali. I met him one time and I was starstruck. Speechless. I saw him on a plane one time. I was taking a puddle jumper with Jill (his wife) from Cincinnati into Louisville. We barely made the connection, and I was in the fourth row and putting my stuff (in the overhead compartment) and there was a guy with a suitcase and he's ruffling through his things. And I go, 'Excuse me sir. I think you're in my seat.' And his head comes up and it's Muhammad Ali. I see two empty seats in the front, and I said, 'oh, I believe those are my seats up front!' Everyone started laughing.

TDN: Did he laugh?
BB: No, he didn't say anything. I also met him in the paddock (at Churchill Downs) and I had a longshot, didn't have a chance. Someone said, 'hey Bob, we want you to meet someone' and I turned around, and it was Muhammad Ali. I went to shake his hand, and he says, 'are you ready to rumble?' And I said 'Nooo!” It was really cool to meet one of your idols.

TDN: Who are the other two dinner guests?
BB: Charles Barkley, Love Charles Barkley, I never met him but there is just something about him. And Nick Saban. I got to meet him, just briefly. I was nervous and starstruck. I met him at the Rose Bowl this year. And Joe Torre. I have been to dinner with him.

TDN: That's four. Ok. We'll give you four.
BB: People like that; they have been at the top and people just try to tear them down.

TDN: You've gone through that.
BB: You see these people – like Tom Brady – and how did they handle it? I really thought when I got into the Hall of Fame (2009), they would ease up on me, but they didn't. (laughs).

TDN: You have thick skin.
BB: I do. And I don't hold grudges. One thing you have to learn is how to lose in this game because you lose so much. To me, once it says 'official' on the board, it's over. You lose. You take it. You have to have a stomach for it. If you get beat, once you lose, you move on with your life. Don't ever look back. Bob Lewis, one of the greatest owners of all time told me that. One time I was crying and moaning about something, and he says, 'Robert' – he always called me Robert – 'it's water under the bridge. Don't look back. Always look forward.'

TDN: Last question. You have five open stalls in your barn, and you can put five horses from history in them but none of them are yours. Who do you pick?
BB: Secretariat. What a machine he was. Seattle Slew. Ruffian was unbelievable. It's tough. Oh, Spectacular Bid. He was just a freak. And Candy Ride. He was an unbelievable racehorse.