Affirmed on the inside, Steve Cauthen up, wins the Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown ahead of Alydar, Jorge Velasquez up, in this June 10, 1978 photo. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        Two days ago, trainer Bob Baffert said it is the horse, not the trainer nor the jockey, that makes the difference in a Triple Crown race.

        He was talking about the jockeys who rode his previous Triple Crown contenders, Silver Charm in 1997 and Real Quiet in 1998, to runner-up finishes in the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes.

        “Gary (Stevens) and Kent (Desormeaux) had to have strategies, and that made it difficult,” Baffert said.

        He wants Victor Espinoza to have no such strategies today aboard War Emblem, the colt Baffert acquired just weeks before the Kentucky Derby. With two legs of the Triple Crown complete, Baffert is making his third attempt in five years at horse racing's top achievement.

        Espinoza, though, has done a lot to get him to this point. It was Espinoza who allowed War Emblem, then a 20-1 shot, to sprint to the lead in the Derby. He did the opposite in the Preakness, holding back the horse until the 3-furlong pole. In the end, he proved the effectiveness of the combination of a tactical rider aboard a speed-blessed horse.

        If War Emblem, the even-money favorite, gets to the post first today, it will be the type of combination that hasn't been seen since 1978 when Steve Cauthen rode Affirmed, the last Triple Crown winner.

        Cauthen is a resident of Verona, Ky., where he breeds horses and does promotional work for Turfway Park.

        “It takes a special horse to win the Triple Crown,” Cauthen said. “Obviously horse racing needs all the heroes it can get.”

        The sport might have had too many heroes for its own good in the '70s with the likes of Secretariat, Seattle Slew and Affirmed. The horses won the Triple Crown within five years of each other, with Seattle Slew and Affirmed going back to back in 1977 and '78.

        “We were blessed with a lot of great horses in the '70s,” Cauthen said. “And people started to say it was easy to win the Triple Crown. Well, I can tell you it's not easy. It will be good for racing if War Emblem does go out and win it and proves to be an out-and-out champion. But if he doesn't, it will prove again how extremely difficult it is to win.”

        Cauthen admits it is more horse than jockey when it comes to deciding win, place and show. But in a race of inches, a jockey's maneuvering of a horse often makes the difference in the outcome. In today's race, War Emblem will be tested right out of the gate, probably by Wiseman's Ferry. War Emblem's style is to stay on or close to the lead, which could be a burden for Espinoza.

        “Jockeys are probably as fit as any athlete in any sport,” Cauthen said. “People don't give them credit for that. And a jockey cannot make a horse faster, but he can get the maximum out of a horse.”

THE 134TH BELMONT STAKES

Time: Approximately 6:04 p.m.     TV: NBC 5, 22.     Where: Belmont Park, Elmont, N.Y.     Favorite: War Emblem, even money     Purse: $1 million     Web: www.nyracing.com/belstakes

        The pressure will be great for Espinoza, Cauthen says. On race day, all the trainer has to do is watch. The rest is in the jockey's hands.

        “I'm sure he'll feel the pressure,” Cauthen said of Espinoza. “It's different when you're going for the Triple Crown. He can discuss with Baffert what he wants to do during the race, but in the end, he's the pilot. The Belmont is a longer race, so he'll need to hold the horse back a bit, or else there will be nothing left at the finish.”

        Even a Triple Crown wouldn't put War Emblem in the same class as legends such as Secretariat, Seattle Slew and Affirmed, Cauthen said.

        “Affirmed had a great mind,” Cauthen said, “so you could settle him. I'm not sure if War Emblem has that yet. I don't think you can compare him to the great horses yet.”

       The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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