Bob Baffert’s three-year suspension from the Kentucky Derby ends this year, and the Hall of Fame trainer is already molding a feared collection of promising horses that should contend for the 151st Run for Roses on the first weekend in May.

Mr. Baffert’s suspension from Churchill Downs for a failed drug test that ultimately disqualified 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit was lifted last summer. The hostility between the trainer and the storied racetrack ended when Mr. Baffert took responsibility after he unsuccessfully sued Churchill Downs last year in an attempt to enter one of his horses, Muth, in the 150t Derby.

Mr. Baffert, a six-time Derby winner and 17-time Triple Crown winner, said he paid a “very steep price” due to the suspension. “My family and I want to put this behind us and get back to doing what we love to without any more distractions or negativity,” Mr. Baffert said.

He has wasted no time gathering a group of potential contenders for the first leg of the 2025 Triple Crown. His top protests appear to be Citizen Bull, Barnes, and Rodriguez, a 3-year-old sired by Authentic.

As a 2-year-old, Barnes earned Mr. Baffert his first victory at Churchill Downs following the lifting of suspension last fall, while Citizen Bull won the Robert B. Lewis at Santa Anita earlier this month with Rodriguez, finishing second. It was the seventh consecutive and 13th overall Bob Lewis victory for Mr. Baffert, who won the Triple Crown with American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018.

Winning the Bob Lewis earns Citizen Bull 20 qualifying points, which gives it 60 for the season and all but guarantees a spot in the Derby.

“He’s grown and filled out,” Mr. Baffert said of Citizen Bull, who earned the Eclipse Award for the 2-year-old champion following victories in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) and American Pharoah S. (G1). “He looks really healthy and fantastic. There’s nothing like getting an Eclipse Champion. I’m happy for the owners, clients, and everyone involved. I’m always happy to get a champion.”

Mr. Baffert thinks Rodriguez will be a late bloomer much like his sire Authentic, the 2020 Kentucky Derby winner trained by Mr. Baffert. “He’s just starting to fill out,” Mr. Baffert said. “These jockeys are still finding out what they like to do and how do they want to run and sometimes it takes a race or two to find out what the horse is happier doing.  His last race was pretty impressive and I think he’s going to get a lot better.”

Mr. Baffert will likely wait until the Santa Anita Derby to run Citizen Bull again before the Derby. Barnes and Rodriguez will likely have two more starts to ensure they accumulate enough points to qualify for the Derby.

Mr. Baffert called this time of year “preseason,” though several meaningful races are starting this weekend. To earn a spot in the Derby, horses compete in a series of designated races, with points awarded to the top five finishers in each race. The 20 horses with the most points earn a spot in the Run for the Roses on May 3.

The Risen Star, a G2 $500,000 race on Saturday at the Fairgrounds is the first of the Kentucky Derby Championship Series that offers 50 points to the winner, 25 for second, 15 for third, ten for fourth, and five for fifth.

Mr. Baffert doesn’t have an entry, but there are three notable favorites among of field of 13.  East Avenue, trained by Brendon Walsh, Jonathan’s Way trained by Philp Bauer and Built, trained by Wayne Catalano are the top choices with many tabbing East Avenue as an early Derby favorite.

Mr. Baffert has entered potential Derby contender Getaway Car in the Sunland Derby set for Sunday at Sunland Park at New Mexico. The $400,000 race offers Derby qualifying points of 20-10-6-4-2.

Getaway Car could make a name for himself after languishing in the shadows of Barnes and Citizen Bull.  Yet Getaway Car should be tested by Caldera, a D. Wayne Lukas entry coming off his maiden victory.

The points race kicks into high gear on March 22 when the Louisiana Derby and Jeff Ruby Steaks offer 100 points to the winner on a scale of 100-50-25-15-10. The 100-point races continue through the Wood Memorial on April 5 at Aqueduct.

“You really don’t know until the last prep how you stand,” Mr. Baffert said. “The last prep tells you what kind of chance you have in the Derby. This is preseason right now, trying to get them going. We don’t think about the points.”