Rodriguez, who opened at 12-1 but had seen his odds shorten to 6-1 as the week wore on, was scratched due to a bruised foot by trainer Bob Baffert on Thursday evening. In his place, Baeza will draw into the field.

Bob Baffert was all set to have two horses in the 2025 Kentucky Derby with Rodriguez and Citizen Bull. But now, he'll have just one in the race at Churchill Downs. Why is that? It's because Rodriguez was scratched from the race on Thursday afternoon due to a bruised foot, as co-owner Tom Ryan wrote on that day on X (formerly Twitter).

On Thursday, the connections of Kentucky Derby contender Rodriguez announced that he will scratch from the prestigious race due to a foot bruise. “Out of an abundance of caution, we have made a very tough decision to scratch our Derby horse,

Rodriguez, who is trained by Bob Baffert, has a foot bruise, co-owner Tom Ryan said Thursday. Baeza will now join Kentucky Derby field.

Rodriguez out of 2025 Kentucky Derby with injury, Baeza takes his place. The Kentucky Derby is Saturday, May. 3.

The Kentucky Derby picture changed significantly Thursday as Rodriguez withdrew, allowing Santa Anita Derby runner-up Baeza into the field;

Kentucky Derby odds movement after Rodriguez was declared out due to a foot bruise, opening the door for Baeza to draw in.

Goal Oriented debuted April 6 at Santa Anita with an off-the-pace 3 1/4-length victory in a six-furlong maiden special weight event. He returned last Saturday at Churchill Downs, where he registered a front-running three-quarter-length triumph.