“I very much look forward to returning to Churchill Downs and getting back to the Winner’s Circle,” Bob Baffert shared after his three-year suspension was lifted from Churchill Downs. It was a huge moment for him because he got the opportunity to compete at the 2025 Kentucky Derby. However, in horse racing, especially when talking about the Kentucky Derby, there are definitely some interesting details to consider.

Consider the 20th post in the Kentucky Derby as an example. The outermost gate in the 20-horse field is often seen as a tough spot because it’s pretty far from the rail, which can lead to a wide trip around that first turn. But there have definitely been some game changers. On X, Equibase shared a historic fact, stating, “On this day in racing history on May 3, 2008… Big Brown won the 134th running of the G1 Kentucky Derby by 4 3/4 lengths, becoming the first horse in history to win the Derby from post position #20!!” Guess what? Bob Baffert is facing a similar challenge.

What’s that all about? So, Citizen Bull isn’t starting from post position 20; instead, this colt is all set to go from post position 1. Oh, this one’s got its own kind of curse too. Did you know that the last horse to take home the Kentucky Derby win from post position 1 was Ferdinand back in 1986? Wow, 39 years!

Looks like we still haven’t got any new winners! That sounds pretty tough, doesn’t it? Ever since, no horse has managed to win from the innermost gate, which really makes it one of the toughest starting spots in the Derby.

The close rail position can really cause some traffic problems and make it tough to maneuver, particularly in the early parts of the race. Has Baffert talked about this before? For sure!

Bob Baffert is aware of the challenges

Bob Baffert has faced his fair share of challenges. This isn’t his first time at the Kentucky Derby, you know. He noticed that Citizen Bull is starting from post position 1 and remarked, “Once you get the 1 hole, I don’t have to give instructions on what (jockey Martin Garcia) is going to have to do. He’s going to have to leave there running, but the horse wants to do that anyway. But I would have liked to have been a little outside.”

The three-year-old colt is set to have one of the best jockeys in the saddle. Yep, that’s Martin Garcia. Given his experience, he could definitely make it happen, especially since Baffert has faith in him. But the trainer knows this is going to be pretty tough, and he would have preferred to get a post position a bit outside.

Citizen Bull has this front-running style and early speed that often puts him in the lead right from the get-go. He really stood out with his wins, like the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and the 2025 Robert B. Lewis Stakes, where he took charge early and kept that lead all the way to the finish line. Well, it really comes down to how the colt kicks off his race at Churchill Downs.