Journalism hot favourite, Baffert returns to Kentucky Derby

The crown jewel of American horse racing will welcome back the sport's most famous trainer at the Kentucky Derby this year, as Bob Baffert returns from a three-year ban, while heavy favourite Journalism hopes to make some headlines of his own.

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Two Baffert-trained horses will be on the track for the first leg of the esteemed US Triple Crown series on Saturday for the first time since 2021, with Citizen Bull and Rodriguez taking the first and fourth post positions respectively.

Churchill Downs banned Baffert for two years when his horse, Medina Spirit, failed a drugs test after winning the 2021 Kentucky Derby. The horse died of a heart attack months later and his title was subsequently stripped.

The track later extended Baffert's suspension through the end of 2024 but reversed course in July, after the trainer took responsibility for the positive drugs test, and lifted his ban.