Bob Baffert is on his way into the Hall of Fame, a three-time Kentucky Derby winner whose white hair and uberconfidence have made him as well known as the horses he's trained since coming out of Nogales, Ariz., to conquer thoroughbred racing.
He goes into the hall on a high, having won two stakes races last weekend at Del Mar, adding to his record total of 82 such wins at the seaside track north of San Diego.
"I didn't have to stagger in," he said Tuesday on a conference call.
Certainly not with the credentials he's built up over a 30-plus-year career, beginning with quarterhorses in his border hometown through an ill-fated attempt at being a jockey, a move to Southern California, and a switch to thoroughbreds that changed his fortunes.
"No matter what he comes up against, he always pulls the rabbit out of the hat," veteran California trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said.
Baffert has won eight Triple Crown races and his purse earnings rank him sixth on the all-time list.
"My whole barn, our attitude is to win the big ones, but have a great time because you're going to lose more than you're going to win," he said.
Also being inducted Friday into the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., are trainer Janet Elliot, jockey Eddie Maple and horses Silverbulletday, Tiznow and Ben Nevis II. After the ceremony, the honorees will ride around Saratoga Race Course in a parade of vintage cars.
Elliot is the just the second woman and first female trainer elected to the hall. Maple retired in 1998 with 4,398 victories in a 34-year riding career.
Baffert will be joined at the ceremony by Mike Pegram, who owns Silverbulletday and is one of his oldest clients and closest friends. Baffert trained Silverbulletday, who was the champion filly of her age group in 1998 and '99.
Hal Earnhardt, another longtime client, introduced Pegram to Baffert and the trio's association dates back to the 56-year-old trainer's early days in quarterhorse racing. Baffert won Breeders' Cup races for both men in 2007.
"They stuck with me through the good times and bad times," he said.
One of Baffert's winners last weekend was Lookin at Lucky, a promising 2-year-old co-owned by Pegram, giving Baffert an early candidate for next year's Triple Crown campaign.
"There's nothing like good 2-year-olds in the barn," the trainer said last weekend. "When you have good ones, they take care of the bad ones."
Baffert endured hard times as recently as a few years ago when clients Bob Lewis, Saudi Prince Ahmed bin Salman and John Mabee died in quick succession, drying up his access to good horses and the cash to procure them. Their losses dealt a serious blow to his high-profile stable.
Then came a 2006 mandate that California's major tracks switch from conventional dirt to synthetic surfaces for safety reasons. Baffert didn't like the mixture of fiber, rubber and sand, and neither did some of his horses and clients, who took their animals out of state.
One night over dinner at Del Mar, Baffert told his wife, "I can't run on this stuff. For the first time in my life, I'm scared to death."
"You think there's anybody better than you?" Jill Baffert replied.
Ever confident of his ability, Baffert said no and his wife urged him to adapt or leave California.
"I was ready to walk out of the sport," he said. "For that one moment, I had the white flag I was throwing in the ring."
The next year, in 2007, Baffert won two Breeders' Cup races at New Jersey's Monmouth Park and his barn became a major player again.
"I said I'll never let myself get in that position again," he recalled.
Baffert had so much success in his early forays to the Kentucky Derby he thought it would go on forever, winning the Run for the Roses three times in six years.
He nearly won America's most famous horse race on his first try in 1996. Cavonnier lost by a nose to Grindstone and trainer D. Wayne Lukas, igniting a rivalry between the veteran and the brash newcomer.
"There were a few years where we didn't talk to each other," Baffert said. "He set the bar and he set it pretty damn high. You need somebody like that that really keeps you going. I was like, 'I'm going to get to him."'
Lukas, however, still leads the way with 13 Triple Crown victories.
Baffert won the Derby the following year with Silver Charm (owned by Lewis) and repeated in 1998 with Real Quiet (owned by Pegram). Silver Charm went on to win the Preakness, but lost his Triple Crown bid in the Belmont.
But he hit rock bottom in 2001 after Point Given, sent off as the 9-5 favorite, was second turning for home and wound up fifth. His other horse, Congaree, led with a quarter-mile to go only to get beaten by four lengths.
In 2002, he picked up War Emblem three weeks before the Derby and the colt scored a gate-to-wire victory, giving Baffert the joy of hoisting the gold winner's cup.
This year he returned to Louisville with his first starter since 2006, when he went 0-for-3 in the Derby. Pioneerof the Nile finished second to 50-1 winner Mine That Bird.
Those happy and sad moments will be on Baffert's mind Friday. Looking on will be his elderly parents, Bill and Ellie, and some of his six siblings. He got his start at age 10 grooming and galloping quarterhorses on his family's ranch.
"That'll be the most emotional part for me, seeing my parents sitting there. I hope I can keep it together," he said. "They're proud of their little boy."
Bill Baffert's dream was to become a trainer, but running a 240-acre ranch and raising seven children didn't leave him time.
"I just picked it up and ran with it," the younger Baffert said.
Right into the hall of fame.