Maturation process

War Emblem still learning on the run

Exercise rider Dana Barnes guides War Emblem in his final workout at Churchill Downs. AP

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- The warning is a white plastic bucket, strategically placed a few feet from Stall 29, inside trainer Bob Baffert's Barn 33 at Churchill Downs.

For exercise riders, grooms, hotwalkers and trainers, it's a reminder: War Emblem lurks.

"If you get too close, he will bite you, he will kick you," said John Good, one of Baffert's assistants. "If you get lazy and walk to the inside of the bucket, he's standing back there in his stall to lure you in.

"Then he'll size you up, stick his head right out and get you -- he'll take a chomp. He's nipped a few people but nothing serious."

Yes, Triple Crown hopeful War Emblem is still ornery, although Baffert says a mean streak is not a bad thing. But there's something new -- the irascible colt who once threw a rider is showing signs of turning into a lovable kid.

"When he takes a candy from you, he's so gentle, said Dana Barnes, War Emblem's exercise rider, who feeds him peppermints.

"You barely feel his lips hit your hand."

Barnes said the black colt is a far different animal than the one who arrived in Baffert's barn three weeks before the Kentucky Derby.

"The first day Bob brought him over, I'd never seen a horse pin his ears so flat on his head and look at you so hateful," Barnes said. "Now he comes out of the stall, and he's gotten much nicer. He grabbed one of the hotwalkers and didn't bite her, though he could have had her.

"Maybe he's not quite as mean as he wants people to think."

He's one tough racehorse, though. The Derby and Preakness winner attempts his Triple Crown try on Saturday in the Belmont Stakes, where he's expected to be heavily favored in a field of 12 3-year-olds.

War Emblem breezed five furlongs in 1:01 under Barnes in his final tuneup on Tuesday. He will be shipped to New York on Wednesday morning.

Baffert called the work "perfect" and "awesome," and said War Emblem is "looking good" for his bid to become just the 12th Triple Crown winner. The workout was impressive enough for other riders to pause and watch.

War Emblem moved so effortlessly along the Churchill Downs strip it was tough to hear his hoofs hit the ground as he strode past the grandstand. He certainly looked as if he could conquer the Belmont's 1 1/2 miles, the longest of the Triple Crown races, without breaking a sweat.

"He's got a long, fluid, efficient stride and he covers a lot of ground," Baffert said. "He's fast, he can get himself out of trouble and he's got this really strong will to win. He's got a lot of heart and he's got a lot of stamina. He's got all the ingredients."

Barnes was all smiles after the workout.

"He's like a cloud, everything about him he does so easily," said the rider who works most of Baffert's top horses. "You don't even hear his feet hit the ground. He glides over the racetrack."

From the moment War Emblem crossed the finish line in the Preakness, Baffert knew he'd have three weeks of worries before the Belmont. But War Emblem is cooperating beautifully, and it's making life much easier for the trainer who came close to a Triple Crown twice before.

"He's handling this well, and behaving much better," Baffert said. "I'm very excited at this point, but we still have to keep his energy up. A lot of things can go wrong in this business, and we'll keep our fingers crossed and hope everything goes smoothly."

Saudi Prince Ahmed bin Salman bought War Emblem for $900,000 and sent him to Baffert's barn on April 11. The trainer got War Emblem to relax with less strenuous gallops, and asked his fiancee, Jill Moss, to befriend the colt. Moss began feeding him mints and carrots, his work habits improved, and he doesn't even bite the lead pony any more on the way to workouts.

"He seems to be content now," Moss said. "He'll engage you. Maybe he feels people respect him more. Whatever it is, he's a lot calmer."

After the Preakness, War Emblem chomped at the pony taking him back to the winner's circle. But that was more a sign of wanting to keeping running than being downright nasty.

The workouts have changed.

"He's gotten our routine and now knows how to go away from pony," Barnes said. "From his first work before the Derby until now, his head keeps getting a little lower as he goes away. It means he's much more relaxed."

Something Baffert is trying to do, too.

"I think he's kind of nervous inside but never lets it affect his judgment," Good said. "Inside, I'd say he's got little butterflies."

Baffert said a third Triple try is nerve-racking, "but I'm just worried about the horse. I just want to keep this horse healthy, fresh and ready to roll. That's my main concern."

And staying away from the bucket.

 

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