Derby fair odds: Trying to beat the Bafferts

By Ed DeRosa

April 3, 2026 8:40amSanta Anita Derby fair odds: Trying to beat the Bafferts

Photo: Richard Steele / Eclipse Sportswire

When it comes to whether to bet Bob Baffert on the Kentucky Derby trail, there are really only two paths: Either you love one of his charges and you single him, or you don’t and you try to beat him completely.

Merely liking a Baffert runner is rarely enough to warrant a bet because he gets bet so heavily. So it goes in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on Saturday at Santa Anita, where Baffert will saddle Cherokee Nation and Potente, the top two choices on the morning line