Bob Baffert donated $200k from Burger King appearance to charity

Horse racing fans were surprised to see Burger King's mascot standing behind American Pharoah's trainer Bob Baffert as the horse raced to its historic Triple Crown victory at Belmont.

Horse racing fans were surprised to see Burger King's mascot standing behind American Pharoah's trainer Bob Baffert as the horse raced to its historic Triple Crown victory at Belmont.

As you might have expected, the King is not a close personal friend of the legendary trainer, but rather paid a hefty fee to share in the sport's biggest moment in nearly 40 years.

Sports Illustrated's Tim Layden spent the day following Baffert and learned the fast food chain paid $200,000 for the peculiar product placement, which Baffert generously divided up between four equine charities.

This is not the first time Burger King has employed the strategy, paying boxer Floyd Mayweather a reported $1 million to let the King be a part of his entourage as he walked to the ring for his mega-fight against Manny Pacquiao.

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- Brendan Maloy