Baffert and Churchill Downs Confirm Plutarch Will Skip 2026 Kentucky Derby

Plutarch, the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) winner trained by Bob Baffert, will not be targeted for the 2026 Kentucky Derby, trainer Bob Baffert and Churchill Downs publicity confirmed in an update on Feb. 25. The colt's removal from Derby consideration removes a graded-stakes winner from the early 3-year-old picture.

Plutarch is an Into Mischief colt whose most recent notable victory came in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes. Baffert told reporters and Daily Racing Form about the colt’s condition following his Feb. 7 Robert B. Lewis start, and the Feb. 25 announcement from both the trainer and Churchill Downs publicity made clear that Plutarch will skip the run for the roses.

The Feb. 25 confirmation comes during the early stages of the 3-year-old campaign, when connections commonly decide whether graded-stakes horses are pointed toward the Kentucky Derby trail. With Plutarch taken off Derby plans, Baffert’s stable and the colt’s connections will need to recalibrate targets for the rest of the spring and summer.

Churchill Downs publicity issued its confirmation alongside Baffert’s update, signaling alignment between the track that stages the Kentucky Derby and the trainer who conditioned Plutarch to win the Robert B. Lewis. That coordinated statement on Feb. 25 leaves the field of Derby prospects altered before remaining prep races and point-earning opportunities unfold.

Plutarch’s absence from Derby consideration reshuffles a list that had included a graded-stakes winner trained by one of American racing’s most prominent conditioners. As of Feb. 25, Baffert and Churchill Downs have closed the door on a 2026 Derby bid for Plutarch, and further announcements about the colt’s campaign are expected to come from the trainer and the horse’s connections.