Saudi prince to America: 'I love you'

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- A Saudi prince with money to burn bought himself a horse last month. It was money well spent.

War Emblem led wire-to-wire to win the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, earning Prince Ahmed Salman the gold trophy from America's most famous race.

"It's been my dream," said Salman, a member of Saudi Arabia's royal family and the first Arab to win the Derby. "I love you guys in America."

War Emblem won the Illinois Derby on April 6 in the same wire-to-wire style he used Saturday. Always on the lookout for a good horse to buy, Salman started placing calls.

He liked the colt's name, and was further intrigued when War Emblem's trainer at the time, Frank Springer, said the Preakness Stakes was a better fit than the Kentucky Derby.

After doling out a reported $1 million, Salman became the owner of War Emblem. He sent the colt to Bob Baffert, who trained Point Given, Salman's fifth-place Derby runner last year.

"I thought the price was extremely reasonable," Salman said. "I think it's much smarter to buy a horse four weeks ago than to raise them."

War Emblem was initially sold for $20,000 at the Keeneland September yearling sale two years ago.

Active in sales for the last several years, Salman often buys the topper, or the costliest horse in the ring.

He can afford it.

Salman's racing outfit, The Thoroughbred Corp., earned $8,012,163 in purses last year -- second-best in North America. The group of international businessmen from Saudi Arabia, Europe and the United States also is among North America's top 10 breeders.

When he's not appearing in winner's circles worldwide, the 43-year-old prince runs a far-flung publishing empire of newspapers and magazines in London and the Saudi cities of Riyadh and Jeddah.

A dapper dresser, Salman favored a John Travolta-like white suit and green tie -- his racing colors -- during Point Given's Triple Crown campaign last year. He toned it down this time, with a dark suit and tie.

A year ago, Salman believed he had a Triple Crown winner in Point Given, who confounded the prince and Baffert with his Derby failure. The colt went on to win the Preakness and Belmont, and was selected horse of the year.

"I thought this was a piece of cake because he proved it in Preakness and Belmont, but things don't work out sometimes," Salman said.

Sent off at 20-1, War Emblem paid $42 to win. Salman didn't have a piece of the action.

"I'm not a gambler," said the nephew of Saudi's King Fahd. "I wish I could do that."

One of Salman's earliest major victories was in another derby -- England's Epsom Derby with Oath in 1999. His brother, Fahd, who died last May, had won the race previously.

Salman was relaxed before the race, laughing and chatting in his box seats.

"Last year, I could not even move," he said. "Funny thing, I won the English Derby and I was not nervous. I guess when you are not nervous, that's the secret. You win them."

Salman first tried the Kentucky Derby in 1999. Desert Hero finished 13th, making the prince determined to keep coming back until he won.

Because he entered the Derby picture just a month ago, Salman faced questions about whether he bought a victory Saturday.

"Everybody buys the Derby because you have to buy a horse or raise a horse," he said. "If you tell me who's going to win it, I'll buy it again."

The good-natured Salman, often smiling at Baffert's humor, figures anytime he buys a horse, he's shelling out various fees.

"That's called spending money, isn't it?" he said.

Salman's fellow Arab, Sheik Mohammed al Maktoum, tried to win his first Derby on Saturday with Essence of Dubai, who was ninth among 18 horses.

"I wish if I don't win it, he does because he's a friend of mine," said the prince, who held War Emblem's reins as he guided the colt into the winner's circle.

Springer, War Emblem's former trainer, wasn't close enough to smell the fragrant garland of red roses placed on the colt's back.

"There is still a lot of pride in it for me," he said. "This is like having one of your children succeed."

 

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