Tuesday, June 04, 2002
Baffert: War Emblem another War Admiral
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Trainer Bob Baffert has two words when it comes to debating War Emblem's worthiness as a Triple Crown champion: War Admiral.
“He had to beat 32 horses, the most to get the Triple Crown,” the trainer said of the 1937 Triple Crown winner. “This guy's already beaten 29.”
This guy is Baffert's dashing black colt, who beat 17 rivals in the Kentucky Derby and 12 more in the Preakness. If War Emblem can overcome what looks to be 11 foes in the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, he'd stamp himself as the most tested Triple Crown winner.
War Emblem will have turned aside more Belmont challengers than any of the 11 Triple Crown champions before him. Seven is the most, by Citation in 1948 and Seattle Slew in 1977.
War Admiral, no relation to War Emblem, defeated 19 horses in the Derby, seven in the Preakness and six in the Belmont.
A record crowd of 90,000-plus is expected to pack Belmont Park to watch War Emblem's bid to become the first Triple Crown winner in 24 years. The colt will take on fresh faces as well as familiar foes.
“I don't think it's a lack of respect,” Baffert said of the big field. “It's a big race and it's easy to get caught up in it. I'm sure after the race some of them may feel, "What did I do that for?' ”
With a $1 million purse, a piece of the pie looks appetizing. The winner takes home $600,000, while there's $200,000 for second place, $110,000 for third, $60,000 for fourth and $30,000 for fifth.
Among the 3-year-olds trying to play spoiler are two Derby-Preakness horses, Proud Citizen and Medaglia d'Oro; a pair who ran in just the Derby, Perfect Drift and Essence of Dubai; and one who made only the Preakness, Magic Weisner.
The rest are new to the Triple Crown trail — Artax Too, Like A Hero, Puzzlement, Sarava, Sunday Break and Wiseman's Ferry. The draw for post positions is Wednesday.
As Baffert prepared War Emblem for Tuesday's final workout at Churchill Downs before the colt is shipped to New York, he said Proud Citizen is the horse he fears most. The D. Wayne Lukas-trained colt was an unchallenging second in the Derby and a credible third in the Preakness after a troubled trip.
Mike Smith, who rides Proud Citizen, can't wait for the 1 1/2-mile Belmont.
“I know they'd all be out there to spoil mine,” Smith said, “so I'm certainly out to spoil theirs.”
Proud Citizen, who broke his maiden at Belmont last June 28, had his final tuneup Monday at Churchill Downs, breezing five furlongs in 1:00. Lukas said the son of Gone West has a chance to improve “although nobody is ever positive going into the Belmont.”
Sunday Break also looms.
Winner of the Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont on May 25, Sunday Break would have been among the Derby favorites but failed to make the large field because of insufficient graded-stakes earnings. The son of Forty Niner is trained by Neil Drysdale and never has been out of the money in seven starts — four wins, a second and two thirds.
“He's still learning and developing,” Drysdale says.
Medaglia d'Oro takes aim again, but this time he'll have a new rider, although trainer Bobby Frankel has yet to identify him. The Wood Memorial runner-up was fourth in the Derby with Laffit Pincay Jr. aboard and eighth in the Preakness with Jerry Bailey up.
“I'm more confident going into the Belmont,” Frankel said. Of his colt tiring badly in the Preakness stretch run, he said: “Just throw that one out and start over again.”
And then there's Magic Weisner, who went off at 45-1 and closed strongly for second in the Preakness, three-quarters of a length back.
“It was a big effort from an honest little horse,” jockey Richard Migliore said of the gelding's Preakness. “I'm hoping he's got another big one in him.”
Magic Weisner, owned and trained by Nancy Alberts, never has raced outside Maryland, but has six wins and three seconds in 11 starts and $433,110 in earnings.
Perfect Drift attempts to improve on his third-place Derby finish, while Essence of Dubai is looking to regain some respect after his lackluster ninth-place run. Both have been training well — Perfect Drift in Louisville, Essence of Dubai at Belmont.
Perfect Drift, with three wins and two seconds in seven starts, breezed five furlongs in 1:00.20 Saturday at Churchill's training center.
“We're hoping to catch some of these horses off a tough race in the Preakness,” Johnson said. “The time off hasn't hurt my horse. He's put on a little weight and seems to enjoy what he's doing.”
Puzzlement, second in the Peter Pan, gives 73-year-old trainer Allen Jerkens another chance to pull a major surprise. He's come up with some big ones, too, including a pair of upsets of Secretariat in 1973.
Sarava, winner of the Sir Barton Stakes on May 18, is trainer Ken McPeek's third-stringer — Repent was injured before the Derby and Harlan's Holiday ran out of the money in the Derby and Preakness.
After winning an allowance race on May 15, Artax Too was thrown into the Belmont fray.
“This is a big-time racehorse,” owner Ernie Paragallo said of his colt, who has two wins in five starts.
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Baffert: War Emblem another War Admiral
