THIS MEANS NO WAR POOR START AT BELMONT DOOMS TRIPLE CROWN.Byline: Kevin Modesti Staff Writer ELMONT, N.Y. - At the track, a legion of pessimists say there's only one way to win a race and 1,000 ways to lose it. 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. must be starting to think he'll suffer all 1,000 in Triple Crown bids alone. On Saturday, Baffert trained a horse to the brink of the greatest prize in the sport for the third time in six years, and 103,222 fans crowded into Belmont Park Noun 1. Belmont Park - a racetrack for thoroughbred racing in Elmont on Long Island; site of the Belmont Stakes Belmont Elmont - a town on Long Island in New York; site of Belmont Park to see if 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. could succeed where Silver Charm Silver Charm (born February 22 1994) is an American Champion Thoroughbred race horse. Trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Gary Stevens, Silver Charm won the 1997 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes before falling short of the Triple Crown by placing second in the Belmont and Real Quiet failed. War Emblem hadn't taken his first sturdy step in the 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). before Baffert knew 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 Preakness winner was in big trouble. The fiery black colt stumbled out of 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. , his nose nearly bouncing off the soil and 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. nearly falling. Although he knifed through traffic to take a brief lead on the second sweeping turn, he tired from playing catch-up and faded to finish eighth in the 11-horse field, nearly 20 lengths behind the shocking winner Sarava and Edgar Prado Edgar S. Prado (born June 12, 1967 in Lima, Peru) is a thoroughbred horse racing jockey. Now a resident of Hollywood, Florida in 2004 Prado became the 19th jockey in thoroughbred racing history to win 5,000 races. . ``It was just too much for the poor guy to overcome,'' Baffert said of the bad break by War Emblem. ``It cost me everything,'' Espinoza said. The 134th Belmont Stakes will go into the history books for several reasons. The crowd was a record for a horse race, and possibly for any sports event, held 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 . Sarava's $142.50 payoff on a $2 bet to win - odds of better than 70-1 - was a record for the Belmont. War Emblem's finish was the worst by a horse trying to cap a Triple Crown. But the event inevitably will be remembered less for who won it than for who lost it. War Emblem became the eighth horse to miss a Triple Crown by losing the Belmont since Affirmed became the 11th three-peater in 1978. By next spring, the Triple Crown drought will have matched the 25 years between immortals Citation and Secretariat. By the time Sarava crossed the finish a half-length in front of 16-1 Medaglia d'Oro and 10 in front of 8-1 Sunday Break, 6-5 favorite War Emblem was practically in reverse gear. At least the first two times Baffert had gone for the Triple Crown, his horses had come down the stretch in contention, Silver Charm finishing second when he didn't see Touch Gold coming, Real Quiet losing an excruciating photo finish to Victory Gallop Victory Gallop (foaled May 30, 1995 in Ontario, Canada) was an American-based Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred by Ivan Dalos' Tall Oaks Farm, Victory Gallop was born later in the 1995 year than is common for most Thoroughbreds. after a questionable ride by Kent Desormeaux Kent J. Desormeaux (born February 27, 1970, in Maurice, Vermilion Parish, Louisiana) is an American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey who holds the U.S. record for most races won in a single year. . ``This is a tough loss because I really expected this horse to do it,'' Baffert said of the colt purchased by Saudi Arabian Prince Ahmed Salman after a romp in the April 7 Illinois Derby. ``I'd become very attached to this horse. He's a mean, nasty son of a (gun) - but he's tough.'' ``I'm sorry I let the fans down. But he's still a courageous horse,'' Baffer added, referring to War Emblem's effort to battle down. ``And we got the roses (at the Kentucky Derby).'' Having learned how to lose the Belmont gracefully, Baffert was almost sunny in a postrace news conference. ``I feel very lucky to have found this horse a month before the Derby,'' said the trainer, who had won four consecutive Triple Crown races with Prince Ahmed's Point Given and War Emblem. ``I'm glad it (the bad start) didn't happen in the Kentucky Derby. You've got to look at it that way.'' Coincidentally, Sarava is trained by Ken McPeek, whose Repent is the favorite upset by War Emblem in the Illinois Derby. To add a dramatic twist, it was McPeek whose Harlan's Holiday went into the Kentucky Derby as the favorite only to finish seventh - and to be moved to a new trainer this week by a faithless owner. ``You gotta be resilient to play this game,'' McPeek said. Baffert had instructed Espinoza to be patient and realize the Belmont is the longest race any of these 3-year-olds is likely to run. The 30-year-old jockey, one of the best in Southern California, never had time to be patient. After War Emblem bobbled, he was bumped from the outside by Magic Weisner and had to rush to join leaders Wiseman's Ferry and Medaglia d'Oro in the first turn. War Emblem found himself boxed in down the backstretch back·stretch n. The part of an oval racecourse farthest from the spectators and opposite the homestretch. before Espinoza seized daylight at the rail and poked his colt's nose in front of Wiseman's Ferry's for about 15 strides. By then, though, Medaglia d'Oro and Proud Citizen were swarming War Emblem and Sarava was poised to split horses at the top of the stretch. ``He was out of his game like that,'' Baffert said of War Emblem, a front-runner forced to try to rally. Proud Citizen pulled up soon after the finish, left the track in an ambulance and was diagnosed with a left-shin fracture that trainer D. Wayne Lukas Darrell Wayne Lukas (born September 2, 1935 in Antigo, Wisconsin) is a former educator who became one of the most successful horse trainers in American Thoroughbred horse racing history and a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee. said would sideline the Kentucky Derby runner-up for 90 to 120 days. Baffert licked his latest wound. ``(Silver Charm and Real Quiet) were in it from the start,'' Baffert said. ``This horse, from the start I knew we were doomed.'' THE NEAR MISSES (AND NOT SO NEAR) Since Affirmed recorded the latest Triple Crown sweep in 1978, eight horses have won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness only to come up short in the Belmont. A look: Year Horse Jockey Fin., Lengths Winner 1979 Spectacular Bid Ron Franklin 3rd, 3 1/2 Coastal 1981 Pleasant Colony Jorge Velasquez 3rd, 1 3/4 Summing 1987 Alysheba Chris McCarron 4th, 14 1/4 Bet Twice 1989 Sunday Silence Pat Valenzuela 2nd, 8 Easy Goer 1997 Silver Charm Gary Stevens 2nd, 3/4 Touch Gold 1998 Real Charm Kent Desormeaux 2nd, nose Victory Gallop 1999 Charismatic Chris Antley 3rd, 1 1/2 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. 2002 War Emblem Victor Espinoza 8th, 19 1/2 Sarava CAPTION(S): 2 photos, 3 boxes Photo: (1 -- color) War Emblem, right, stumbles out of the gate to all but end any chance to win the Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown. Long shot Sarava, left, won. Dave Martin/Associated Press (2) Jockey Edgar Prado rides Sarava to victory in the Belmont Stakes finishing ahead of Medaglia d'Oro ridden by Kent Desormeaux on Saturday at Elmont, N.Y. Mark Lennihan/Associated Press Box: (1) PAYOUT (2) THE NEAR MISSES (AND NOT SO NEAR) (see text) (3) 134th BELMONT STAKES CHART |
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