Patrick Semansky/Associated Press
For nearly 20 years, Bob Baffert has been the face of American thoroughbred racing, a trainer who took one fast horse after another to the Triple Crown races, winning many of them. His white hair has made him distinctive, and his silver tongue has made him memorable.
At ease in front of microphones, he has filled up reporters’ notebooks on mornings at the track, where he famously shows up in the hour from 8 to 9 — long after his rivals, who keep to a sunup schedule.
On Thursday, however, after The New York Times reported that Justify, the 2018 Triple Crown winner trained by Baffert, had failed a drug test shortly before the Kentucky Derby, Baffert let his lawyer do most of the talking.