BAFFERT RAISES STAKES WITH BRAVE WORDS.Byline: KEVIN MODESTI Horse Racing horse racing, trials of speed involving two or more horses. It includes races among harnessed horses with one of two particular gaits, among saddled Thoroughbreds (or, less frequently, quarterhorses) on a flat track, or among saddled horses over a turf course with INGLEWOOD - Famous last words Famous Last Words may refer to:
``After Neidenfuer strikes out Clark again, we'll decide how to pitch to Van Slyke.'' ``Manning? Leaf? In this draft, how can you go wrong?'' ``The more exotic dishes might be hard on the stomach. I'll stick with a plain old cheeseburger.'' And, now, one from the race track: ``There's not another 3-year-old out there who can beat him.'' The difference is that Bob Baffert Bob Baffert (born January 13, 1953 in Nogales, Arizona) is an American horse owner and trainer. He graduated from the University of Arizona's Racetrack Management Program with a Bachelor of Science degree. actually said that about War Emblem War Emblem was the winner of the Kentucky Derby in 2002. This Thoroughbred's time was 2:01.13 around the 1 1/4 mile track. Victor Espinoza was his jockey for the Derby, never having seen the horse until the morning of the race. , the late-blooming colt who has won the Kentucky Derby Kentucky Derby One of the classic U.S. Thoroughbred horse races. It was established in 1875 and run annually on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs track in Louisville, Ky. With the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes, it makes up U.S. racing's coveted Triple Crown. and the Preakness Stakes Preakness Stakes One of the three classic U.S. horse races making up the Triple Crown. It is held annually in mid-May at Baltimore's Pimlico Race Course. The course distance is 1³⁄₁₆ mi (1.9 km). The field is limited to 3-year-old Thoroughbreds. and will go into the June 8 Belmont Stakes Belmont Stakes Oldest of the three U.S. horse races that constitute the Triple Crown. The Belmont originated in 1867 and is named after August Belmont (see Belmont family). The stakes is held in early June at Belmont Park, near Garden City, Long Island; the course is 1.5 mi (2,400 m). with a shot at the first Triple Crown sweep in 24 years. Baffert also said this last weekend, referring to the Belmont challenge: ``The mile and a half should be a piece of cake.'' You can be sure Baffert is sincerely confident in his horse. You also can be sure the trainer hopes a little pre-Belmont hype will be good for thoroughbred racing, a boost to the television audience for thoroughbred racing's event of the season. But if you believe in fate, karma or a racing god, you have to think Baffert is inviting disaster with this bold talk. Of all people, Baffert knows how hard it is to win a Triple Crown, even with a horse who has salted away the first two races and is the most accomplished runner in the third. ``We've been waiting for that `superhorse,' '' Baffert said after the Preakness. ``Now we've got him.'' Let's wait and see. Unknown in Louisiana last winter, War Emblem has turned into something special, beginning with his Illinois Derby The Illinois Derby is a race for Thoroughbred horses held in early April each year. First run in 1923, the Derby takes place at Hawthorne Race Course located in Stickney/Cicero, Illinois, just west of Chicago. victory before Prince Ahmed Salman bought him from Russell Reineman and Baffert took over his training from Bobby Springer. War Emblem removed the biggest doubt about him when, after a string of front-running victories, he came from behind in the Preakness. But since Affirmed became the 11th Triple Crown winner in 1978, seven special horses have gone into the Belmont with a chance to make history. Each of them was tripped up by, well, something. Spectacular Bid (1979) stepped on a safety pin in his stall - or so went the story told by trainer Bud Delp Grover Greer "Bud" Delp (September 7 1932 - December 29 2006) was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse trainer best remembered for his conditioning of Hall of Fame colt, Spectacular Bid. - before he finished third behind Coastal in the Belmont. Charismatic (1999) broke down while running in contention in the stretch and finished third behind Lemon Drop Kid Lemon Drop Kid (foaled 1996) is a Champion American Thoroughbred racehorse. He is among many stakes-winning Thoroughbreds to be descended from Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew. Seattle Slew is the sire of his dam, Charming Lassie. . In between, Pleasant Colony Pleasant Colony (May 4, 1978 - December 31, 2002) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the first two legs of the 1981 U.S. Triple Crown series. A big, gangly horse, standing just under seventeen hands, Pleasant Colony was a grandson of the great Ribot. (1981) was spooked by a cameraman at the starting gate starting gate n. Sports 1. A series of stalls with interconnected doors that open simultaneously at the beginning of a race. 2. and ran third behind Summing, Alysheba (1987) had traffic trouble and ran fourth behind Bet Twice, and Sunday Silence Sunday Silence (1986-2002) was an American thoroughbred race horse. He was foaled in 1986 Sired by Halo out of Wishing Well. Though he was registered as a dark bay/brown, he was in fact a true black. (1989) had the bad luck to have Easy Goer as a foil. And Baffert's first two Triple Crown hopefuls ran second in Belmont performances that long will be second-guessed. What if Silver Charm (1997) had seen Touch Gold coming on the other side of Free House? What if Real Quiet (1998) had not had his head yanked sideways by Kent Desormeaux in an attempt to make sure he saw Victory Gallop? As of Thursday, 15 horses were considered possible challengers to War Emblem at Belmont Park in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of : Essence of Dubai, Magic Weisner, Medaglia d'Oro, Perfect Drift, Proud Citizen, Request for Parole and Table Limit, each beaten in the Derby and/or Preakness; and Fast Decision, Ibn al Haitham, Like a Hero, Puzzlement puz·zle·ment n. The state of being confused or baffled; perplexity. Noun 1. puzzlement - confusion resulting from failure to understand bafflement, befuddlement, bemusement, bewilderment, mystification, obfuscation , Sarava, Sunday Break, Tracemark and Wiseman's Ferry, all newcomers to the Triple Crown. But history suggests War Emblem's biggest obstacle is fate. Better not to tempt it. --Prep win? Though it's a minor event in its own right, the $77,200 Alydar Stakes at Hollywood Park on Thursday could have an impact on the Belmont Stakes. Winner Like a Hero kept alive his trainer's hope of running the son of Pleasant Colony in the Belmont. Last-place Azillion showed he needs a vacation more than he needs a 1 1/2-mile race. ``We're nominated to the Belmont, so we can look at it,'' trainer Beau Greely said of Like a Hero, who scored his first stakes victory and is 3 for 4 in his career. ``We've brought him along slowly, and we'll decide within the next few days what to do next.'' Laffit Pincay, who rode Like a Hero to a 1 1/2-length victory over maiden World Light in the 1 1/8-mile Alydar, advised continuing the go-slow approach. ``I think he's still getting better and needs to be more mature to run with the type of horse he would face in the Belmont,'' Pincay said. ``In my opinion, it would be a good idea to just stay here for now.'' Greely indicated the July 14 Swaps Stakes is a fall-back option for Like a Hero. Azillion, who lost a photo finish to Perfect Drift in the Spiral Stakes, then finished a distant sixth to Harlan's Holiday in the Blue Grass and ran another bad race to finish fifth in the Alydar. Trainer Bob Hess Jr. had considered Azillion for the Belmont but said Thursday the colt would get a couple of months off. --The weekend: Of the six Grade I and Grade II stakes to be run on Memorial Day weekend, four will be at Hollywood Park. The Grade I Milady Handicap for fillies and mares is Saturday, and the Grade I Gamely Handicap for fillies and mares on turf, the Grade I Shoemaker Mile on turf and the Grade II Barrera Memorial for 3-year-olds are on the holiday Monday. The Milady marks Affluent's latest attempt to upend Apple Blossom winner Azeri. The Gamely pits Astra against Starine, with Snow Dance shipping in from Kentucky for trainer John Ward. The Shoemaker finds 2001 champion Irish Prize and 2000 runner-up Ladies Din trying to recapture that form. Elsewhere: --Sunday Break, the most promising of the horses excluded from the Kentucky Derby by the 20-horse limit, will run in the Peter Pan Stakes The Peter Pan Stakes is a race for thoroughbred horses run each year at Belmont Park on Long Island, New York. A Grade II event, it's open to three-year-olds willing to race nine furlongs on the dirt. The Peter Pan carries a purse of $200,000. on Saturday at Belmont Park, as trainer Neil Drysdale follows the pattern that set up A.P. Indy to win the 1992 Belmont Stakes. OUT OF THE GATE HOLLYWOOD PARK STANDINGS Through Wednesday Jockeys Wins Pat Valenzuela 26 Victor Espinoza 19 Laffit Pincay 18 Alex Solis 13 Martin Pedroza 12 Trainers Wins Jerry Dutton 8 Vladimir Cerin 7 Bobby Frankel 7 John Sadler 6 Five tied 5 ON THE STAKES SCHEDULE Hollywood Park Saturday --$200,000 Milady Handicap, 3-year-olds and up, fillies and mares, 1 1/16 miles Sunday --$100,000 3-year-olds bred in California, 1 1/16 miles on turf --$65,000 Willard L. Proctor Memorial, 2-year-olds, 5 furlongs Monday --$500,000 Shoemaker Mile, 3-year-olds and up, 1 mile on turf --$500,000 Gamely Handicap, 3-year-olds and up, fillies and mares, 1 1/8 miles on turf --$150,000 Lazaro Barrera Memorial, 3-year-olds, 7 furlongs Belmont Park --$200,000 Peter Pan Stakes, 3-year-olds, 1 1/8 miles Monday --$750,000 Metropolitan Handicap, 3-year-olds and up, 1 mile Lone Star Park Lone Star Park is a horse racing track located in Grand Prairie, Texas. History Lone Star Park opened in 1997. The track offers separate meets for Thoroughbred racing and Quarter Horse racing. In October of 2002, Magna Entertainment Corp. Monday --$300,000 Lone Star Park Handicap, 3-year-olds and up, 1 1/16 miles Bay Meadows Sunday --$55,000 Bay Meadows Oaks, 3-year-old fillies, 1 1/16 miles on turf Monday --$55,000 Palo Alto Handicap, 3-year-olds and up, fillies and mares, 1 1/16 miles on turf PINCAY WATCH If Like a Hero goes to the Belmont Stakes after winning Hollywood Park's second race Thursday, Laffit Pincay would have a long-shot chance at his fourth Belmont victory. Pincay won with Conquistador Cielo in 1982, Caveat in '83 and Swale swale n. 1. A low tract of land, especially when moist or marshy. 2. A long, narrow, usually shallow trough between ridges on a beach, running parallel to the coastline. 3. in '84, the first of trainer Woody Stephens' five consecutive Belmonts. Pincay's early-double sweep Thursday raised his record career-wins total to 9,360. CAPTION(S): box Box: OUT OF THE GATE (see text) |
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