Hey, is that Ric Flair? No, it's horse trainer Bob Baffert - Los Angeles Times
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Hey, is that Ric Flair? No, it’s horse trainer Bob Baffert

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Trainer Bob Baffert, adorned with a head of white hair, may be the most well-known figure in horse racing, but given the niche nature of the sport, he sometimes seems recognizable but people can’t quite place his name.

“I’m getting a lot more, ‘You’re the horse guy,’ ” Baffert said Friday morning at Belmont Park, where his colt Justify hopes to become the 13th winner of the Triple Crown on Saturday.

“Last night, when the driver picked me up, he said, ‘You look familiar,’ ” Baffert said. “I used to get a lot of [people thinking I was] Ric Flair.”

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Flair is a legendary professional wrestler with a mane of white-blond hair. He also was a member of wrestling heel faction the Four Horsemen, which sounds like a group Baffert could be part of.

Bob Baffert.
(Lloyd Fox / Baltimore Sun)

“When I was in Dubai, some girl thought I was [televangelist] Benny Hinn,” he said.

“You get things like that. It’s pretty cool. I get called Lukas a lot. [Son] Bode gets a kick out of that.”

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Lukas would be longtime trainer Wayne Lukas, who has Bravazo entered in the Belmont.

Baffert likely will get a lot of screen time in Saturday’s telecast of the Belmont Stakes. He’s hoping some of that is in the winner’s circle.

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