Emerging favorite

Florida Derby winner Empire Maker destined for success

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- On a sunny Sunday morning at Gulfstream Park, a day after Empire Maker blew away the competition in the Florida Derby, Bobby Frankel recalled the first time he realized the strapping bay colt he'd been training was something special.

No, he said, the 9 3/4-length victory wasn't what convinced him that his long wait for a Kentucky Derby win might finally end May 3 at Churchill Downs. Frankel knew last summer he had a potential champion, even before he ever set eyes on Empire Maker.

All it took was a brief chat with manager Garrett O'Rourke of Juddmonte Farms, breeder and owner of the 3-year-old colt.

"This is your Kentucky Derby winner for 2003," O'Rourke told Frankel when describing Empire Maker, one of the new horses Juddmonte was placing in the trainer's care.

Frankel, to be sure, has heard this kind of talk from owners for decades. But never from Juddmonte, the worldwide breeding and racing operation owned by Prince Khalid Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.

"I've had owners that send you crows and tell you they are the greatest things," Frankel said. "Juddmonte does not hype its horses. I know. I've trained a lot of their champions. If they say they have a nice horse, it usually ends up being a really nice horse."

The good-looking colt began fulfilling the hype early on. As an unraced 2-year-old, he worked in company with Medaglia d'Oro, now regarded as one of the top handicap horses in the world -- and beat him.

"I said, `Whoa' when I saw that," Frankel said.

Empire Maker also came through in his racing debut, winning his first time out by 3 1/2 lengths going a mile at Belmont on Oct. 20. A troubled start compromised his chances in the Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct on Nov. 30, and he still finished third behind Toccet. Then, in his 3-year-old bow, Empire Maker ran second by a length behind Man Among Men in the Sham Stakes at Santa Anita on Feb. 7.

That's when Frankel decided to go for blinkers, used primarily to keep a horse focused on running. The move paid off as Empire Maker broke quickly in the Florida Derby, stayed just off the pace, took control around the far turn, and won by the widest margin in the 52-year history of the race.

"Without the blinkers, he'd get away from the gate in a bit of a tangle or a daze," jockey Jerry Bailey said.

After the Florida Derby, Frankel briefly considered training the colt up to the Kentucky Derby but reconsidered and went to the Wood.

Empire Maker won without running his hardest, and that's exactly what Frankel wanted in the final tuneup as the colt reaffirmed his status as the overwhelming Derby favorite. Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia has said he'll install Empire Maker as the 6-5 morning-line choice. And who knows? The colt could go off as the shortest priced favorite since Arazi finished eighth in 1992 at odds of 4-5.

"I'm confident, but I've been around long enough that you can't be that confident," said Frankel, 0-for-4 in the Derby. "Things happen. I'm just hoping. I'm trying not to get too excited."

About 14 rivals are expected to challenge Empire Maker, but not one of them -- not even stablemate Peace Rules -- comes close in terms of pedigree, performance or connections.

Empire Maker is regally bred, perfectly conditioned and in the hands of a Hall of Fame trainer and rider.

Empire Maker's sire is 1990 Kentucky Derby winner Unbridled, who also won the Florida Derby and later that year took the Breeders' Cup Classic. His dam is Toussaud, who boasts four Grade 1 stakes winners -- a rare accomplishment indeed -- as Empire Maker joined the distinguished group of Chester House, Honest Lady and Chiselling, all trained by Frankel.

Frankel and Bailey each have won Eclipse Awards -- Frankel as the nation's top trainer; Bailey as the top rider. They also have teamed up for an incredible run of big race wins since 2000 -- no less than 14 Grade 1s, including six $1 million events.

The 61-year-old Frankel is in his 37th year as a trainer. Brooklyn born and California based, his reputation was built as a master at handling older, turf horses, many of whom excelled in Europe. Among his most recent stars are Banks Hill, Beat Hollow, Lido Palace and Medaglia d'Oro. Last year, he topped all trainers in earnings with a near-record $17,748,340.

Bailey is racing's go-to rider. He has six Eclipse Awards -- all in the last eight years -- and always seems to be aboard the winner of a big race. When trainers have budding stars, they turn first to Bailey. The 45-year-old does his homework as well as any jockey and rarely gets beat because he wasn't well-versed in his horse's -- or his opponent's -- tendencies.

He has two Derby wins -- Sea Hero in 1993 and Grindstone in 1996 -- but hasn't finished better than fifth since. Last year, he ended up 12th on long shot Castle Gandolfo, and in 2001 he was 17th aboard another long shot, Talk Is Money.

This year, he traveled the country searching for a top Derby contender. He rode early prospects such as the filly Composure (now injured) and Domestic Dispute and worked 2-year-old champion Vindication before the colt was injured. But Bailey felt all along Empire Maker was the right choice. He's known since September.

"Ever since I got on this horse, not only did I think I could win the Derby, but I thought, if luck goes our way, that all three were possible," Bailey said, referring to the Preakness and Belmont Stakes, the other races that make up the Triple Crown.

Juddmonte, meanwhile, has won the Eclipse as top breeder for the last two years. The farm, its American base in Lexington, Ky., has bred and campaigned Eclipse Award winners such as Banks Hill, Ryafan and Wandesta. When Frankel found out about Empire Maker, there were several reasons to think Derby.

"I trained the mother and all of her foals, so you get a little excited about that, too," said Frankel, who finished fourth in the Derby with Medaglia d'Oro last year, second with Aptitude in 2000, and 13th and 14th with Pendleton Ridge and Burnt Hills in 1990. "When he [O'Rourke] sent me Aptitude, he was very high on him, so he was not too far off. I think this is a better horse."

Empire Maker may be the most physically fit of the Derby bunch, even though he's lightly raced with just five starts. His last four races have been at 1 1/8 miles, so stretching out to the Derby distance of 1 1/4 miles shouldn't pose a problem. Traveling hasn't been a concern, either -- Empire Maker has raced in California, Florida, New York and is taking well to the track at Churchill Downs.

He's not an automaton, however. Frankel says Empire Maker is still learning. At times, the colt has reared up in the paddock and taken his time entering the starting gate.

"He just has a mind of his own," Frankel said. "But he's being getter better and better with each race."

Peace Rules, Frankel's other star who won the Louisiana Derby and Blue Grass Stakes, is the likely second choice for the Derby, giving the trainer one of the most formidable pair of contenders since Calumet Farms sent out Citation and Coaltown to a 1-2 Derby finish in 1948. Citation won the Preakness and Belmont to sweep the Triple Crown.

With so much going his way, Frankel is trying his best not to get carried away by all the hype.

"It looks easy when you write about it and everything," he said. "But we still have to get there and run around the racetrack."

 

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