ILL FATE IN STARTING GATE SEEMS TO BE EMBLEMATIC.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 DEL MAR Del Mar is the name of several places in the United States of America:
War Emblem must have felt he was toting not just a jockey but every one of the 36,041 fans at Del Mar as he struggled around the oval. Burdened by being the heavy favorite in an event where favorites seem cursed, by being his sport's latest would-be redeemer, by being this season's Cigar, he had it all go wrong from the start. Twice, War Emblem reared in 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 twice the crew backed him out of stall 6 as his rivals waited. ``He was rearing up and pawing at the gate,'' Del Mar starter Gary Brinson said. ``I was afraid if we didn't back him out, he would hook a foot over the door and hurt himself.'' As soon as War Emblem walked into the stall for the second time, Brinson pushed the button springing the gates open. War Emblem came out a little behind the rest of the horses. ``He wasn't ready,'' jockey Victor Espinoza Victor Espinoza (born May 23, 1972 in Mexico City, Mexico) is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. He began riding in his native Mexico and earned his first win there in 1992 before moving the following year to compete at racetracks in California. said. ``The back door to the gate wasn't even closed when they opened the front one.'' For trainer Bob Baffert, it must have been deja vu, recalling the moment War Emblem stumbled and nearly fell leaving the starting gate at the Belmont Stakes, costing the committed front-runner any realistic shot at completing the first Triple Crown since 1978. ``(Brinson) closed the gate and then they were gone,'' Baffert said. ``I understand the starter was trying to help, but I don't need that kind of help. I kind of think he caught him up in the air.'' Espinoza chose not to gun War Emblem in an attempt to take the lead from Bosque Redondo and Sky Jack, preferring to settle in third as they sped through the first half-mile. War Emblem worked his way to the lead narrowly as the field turned into the stretch but couldn't keep up with winner Came Home and ended up 4 1/4 lengths back in sixth. This wasn't what the third-largest crowd in Del Mar's 65-year history came to the seaside to see. Strangely, Del Mar had never before played host to a Kentucky Derby winner in the year of his Kentucky Derby victory. Del Mar doesn't celebrate Derby winners, it produces them. Tomy Lee (1958), Gato del Sol Gato Del Sol (February 23 1979 – August 7, 2007) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He was foaled at Stone Farm in Paris, Kentucky, the son of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee, Cougar II, and out of the mare Peacefully whose grandsire was Bold Ruler, another Hall of (1981) and Silver Charm (1997). All won the Del Mar Futurity The Del Mar Futurity is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. Beginning in the racing season of 2007, this race has been upgraded by the American Graded Stakes Committee from a Grade II event to a Grade I. on their way to winning the Derby. So, there was something in the air, although it wasn't as electric as the 1996 Pacific Classic day when Cigar drew 44,181 fans for his attempt at a record 17th consecutive victory. Fans lined up 10-deep around the paddock, crowded the terraces at the back of the grandstand and clubhouse, and snapped cheap cameras at the parading War Emblem (and only War Emblem). The fans bet War Emblem down to 6-5 odds, presumably pre·sum·a·ble adj. That can be presumed or taken for granted; reasonable as a supposition: presumable causes of the disaster. at least in part on the strength of his celebrity. Hey, Cigar was 1-10 and he got beat here, too. ``I think it's great, anytime a horse has a following,'' said Trudy McCaffery, one of Came Home's owners. ``Look at the crowd they had here. Everybody wants a hero. ``I'm sorry we beat him.'' McCaffery said it teasingly. A victory here, in War Emblem's first start against older horses, might have locked up the 3-year-old championship and made the colt a solid favorite for Horse of the Year. Losing to a fellow 3-year-old hurts. This affirms the knock on War Emblem. He can't come from behind. Baffert announced plans to freshen fresh·en v. fresh·ened, fresh·en·ing, fresh·ens v.intr. 1. To become fresh, as in vigor or appearance: freshened up after the day's work. 2. War Emblem before, presumably, readying him for the Oct. 26 Breeders' Cup Classic The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade 1 Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3 years old and older run at a distance of 1¼ miles (2012 m) on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup. at Arlington Park near Chicago. By then, the burden of expectations will be pounds lighter. |
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