Bob Baffert is again the center of attention at the Preakness, even without the Derby winner

BALTIMORE (AP) — Bob Baffert does not need to bring the Kentucky Derby winner to the Preakness to become the center of attention at Pimlico Race Course.

The two-time Triple Crown-winning Hall of Fame trainer is a magnet for attention as the sport’s most-known figure, and he has more Preakness victories than anyone else in the race’s nearly 150-year history. That was the case again Friday after Baffert was a late arrival for a second consecutive year, left with one horse in the field, Imagination, after favored Muth was scratched earlier in the week because of a fever.

Barred from entering horses in the Derby because of a ban from Churchill Downs dating to first-place finisher Medina Spirit failing a drug test in 2021, Baffert enjoys the relaxed atmosphere in Baltimore, where he’s treated like a star, not a pariah.

“I just look forward to it,” Baffert said. “I handle it like any other race. It’s a big race. It’s an important race. It’s a historic race, and it’s an exciting race to win. I get the same excitement. Any of the all the Triple Crown races, the classics, are very exciting.”

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