Real Quiet-Victory Gallop rivalry good for racing

Rematch of Triple Crown hopefuls may come in Travers

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Posted: Sunday June 07, 1998 07:14 PM

Victory Gallop (left) and Real Quiet had a stranglehold on the top of the board at this year's Triple Crown races (AP)

ELMONT, New York (Reuters) -- Though Real Quiet lost his bid to win the Triple Crown by a nose when Victory Gallop nipped him at the wire in the Belmont Stakes, the racing world was smiling Sunday at the birth of a new rivalry.

The lure of seeing a Triple Crown winner brought out the second-largest crowd in Belmont Park history 80,162, to watch Saturday's Belmont Stakes.

In an unprecedented move, another 36,419 watched the race at Yankee Stadium when Yankees owner George Steinbrenner held up a baseball game between innings to televise the event. The thrilling stretch duel between Victory Gallop and Real Quiet in front of a national television audience gave thoroughbred horse racing a much-needed shot in the arm.

Bob Baffert, the affable trainer of Real Quiet and last year's Triple Crown hopeful Silver Charm, was proud that his horse represented the game so well.

"I feel that both Real Quiet and Victory Gallop ran hard, winning records," said Baffert. "And that's pretty gratifying for a trainer to know that his horse didn't pack it in at the top of the lane like some of the other horses. The fans came here and they saw a horse race all the way to the end. The Belmont yesterday was about history and the fans. It was there and we had it. But what can you do. You can't re-run the race. We're getting closer. We'll get it down one of these times."

Even Baffert's rivals were impressed by the showing Real Quiet put up.

"Going into the race I didn't believe Real Quiet was as good as he showed he was yesterday," said H. James Bond, trainer of fifth-place finisher Raffie's Majesty.

"To see 80,000 people in that place and hear the roar of the crowd for a $2 admission, you'd have to say they got their money's worth. It's just unbelievable how great this game really is. It's not just the gambling, it's fun. Yesterday made me very proud to be in this game."

Elliott Walden, trainer of Victory Gallop, was almost apologetic about breaking up the Triple Crown bid.

"It wasn't about trying to beat Real Quiet or Bob Baffert," said Walden. "We were just trying to win the race. It would have been difficult to be second in all three Triple Crown races, especially when you think you're due."

The Triple Crown warriors may meet again as early as this summer.

Walden is planning to run Victory Gallop next in the $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on August 9, then the Grade I, $750,000 Travers at Saratoga on August 29. Baffert has not come up with a firm plan for Real Quiet, but he indicated that the Travers was a possibility.

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