A biography for Bob Bafferthasn’t been written yet.
“Bob Baffert is not stupid.”
“I didn't just show up as a walk-on back in 1989. I've done this my whole life, and I'd tell any young trainer to start in quarter horses because you have to do everything. I broke them, rode them, wrapped them and slept with them since I was a boy.”
“Breeders' Cup is your last chance to make serious money, and it's for championships, which impacts how much these horses earn to breed. Ton of money on the line.”
“Because of the new regulations the regulators have put, they're testing these horses at contaminated levels and it's been a horrible experience.”
“It's something that gets in your blood. Out in California, Darrell Vienna left his trainer's job to practice law, and now he's back training again, so that's how this game can get a hold on you.”
“I always said that if I moved to California I'd live by the ocean.”
“It's one of those things that makes the Derby a great event, is when 150,000 people show up.”
“I really thought Tiz the Law was unbeatable.”
“I wanted to be a horse trainer against my mother's will.”
“I never learned from a real trainer so it was trial and error. Mostly error.”
“There is a lot of pressure and you're trying to find the right jockey. These guys ride all year long and they can't stay up all the time. They stay up, then they go down. But me, I ride it out.”
“This is not about you or me; it's about a horse making history. It's sacred. Most people don't remember the trainer or jockey or owner of Secretariat or Affirmed. I have to look most of them up. This is about the horse.”
“American Pharoah loved human contact. He was a very sweet horse and is still very sweet. He loves people, will put his head in your lap. I'm probably closer to that horse because of his temperament.”
“When a horse is feeling good, you can sense that, a lot like the tension a fisherman feels on his line when he hooks something.”
“Great trainers and great jockeys keep a horse from getting beat.”
“The Apollo curse is something I don't even think about.”
“Nothing is more important than the health and safety of our equine and human athletes, and nothing impacts their health and safety more than the policies and procedures concerning drugs.”
“The horse that wins the Derby is usually the best horse.”
“Racing has its ups and downs, but the ups make up for the downs.”
“Art Collector, I think he's a very good horse.”