Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert "probably" done with Del Mar

By Ed Zieralski, UNION-TRIBUNE

Monday, August 23, 2010 at 11:03 a.m.

DEL MAR, Calif — Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert said today his days of racing at Del Mar may be over if the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club doesn't follow Santa Anita and return to a natural dirt surface.
""The dirt was needed bad there, and Santa Anita just may get California jump-started back again," Baffert said.
Del Mar officials have been adamant about not removing the Polytrack and returning to dirt. Baffert doesn't see them changing their minds.
"They always say they’re not going to do it, but if they don’t do it, they'll see the quality of the racing continue to decline here," he said. "Right now, this track is different every day. I thought it was better last year than this year. But I quit complaining about it. I’m just going to do my own thing, and I’m probably going to go somewhere else next year. That’s the way I feel about it. A lot of my clients, they don’t want to come back."
Baffert wasn't sure which track he would relocate to next summer.
"I’ll go back East," he said. "I have a lot of clients who are frustrated with it. It’s tough for 2-year-olds, and I have a lot of young horses. But I just can't do it here. It just makes it more difficult, especially this year. I love Del Mar. I don’t want to leave. I have a house here. I’d rather just take the month off. I’ll come down here and vacation, though."
Baffert was the leading trainer at Del Mar seven straight years, from 1997 to 2003. He has struggled at Del Mar since Polytrack was installed in 2007.