Columnist Dean Juipe: Monarchos has earned our respect

Dean Juipe

Friday, May 18, 2001 | 9:51 a.m.

Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at juipe@lasvegassun.com or 259-4084.

It really wasn't until the Kentucky Derby was over did I, or most of us, for that matter, realize what a magnificent horse Monarchos is and how thoroughly enjoyable it would be to see him win the Triple Crown.

In the days and weeks that preceded the Derby, it was Point Given this and Point Given that, almost to ad nauseam. The prerace favorite was such a focal point that it made his 16 challengers blend into a nondescript haze.

Monarchos, 10-1 as he went off, was just another horse as he left the gate, no different than such easily forgotten colleagues as Balto Star and Arctic Boy.

Even a mile into the 1 1/4-mile race, Monarchos was unidentifiable as he ran sixth, melding into a pack that was little more than a blur as Songandaprayer and then Congaree established a Secretariat-like pace.

But as they hit the straightaway, a horse that had drawn little attention from either casual bettors or supposed authorities exerted himself and forced his way into our consciousness. Monarchos, overlooked and underappreciated in the prerace hype, sped forward and charged to a win that measured almost five lengths over runner-up Invisible Ink (and about 11 ahead of fifth-place Point Given).

It was stunning in virtually every respect.

Not only had an underdog mopped the field, he barely missed Secretariat's 1973 race record and appeared as strong as any Derby winner in recent years.

Now this wonderful animal comes to Saturday's Preakness with all eyes upon him.

Those of us who would cherish a Triple Crown winner -- and there hasn't been one since Affirmed in 1978 -- are hoping for a repeat of the Derby. Bettors see the obvious and have pushed Monarchos to 2-1.

The catch is that for all of his strength and beauty, Monarchos remains something of a mystery. After several years of supposed Triple Crown threats coming up empty in either the Derby or the Preakness, can a horse of such little advance repute sweep the three greatest races in the sport?

History fails to offer a clue.

A victory and a fast time in the Derby hasn't always been a harbinger of success at the Preakness, as only three of the nine previous fastest Derby winners -- Secretariat, Northern Dancer (1964) and Affirmed -- went on to win the second leg of the Crown.

Also, just a year ago the horse that won the Preakness -- Red Bullet, which squashed Fusaichi Pegasus' vaunted Triple Crown hopes -- didn't even run in the Derby, and Saturday's race will have six newcomers joining five Derby holdovers. Of the "fresh" horses, only Richly Blended at 10-1 is perceived as a worthy contender.

Interestingly, and as the result of the fatigue factor, six of the top 10 at the Derby -- including Invisible Ink, which placed -- are taking this week off.

If Monarchos' trainer, John Ward, is right, his horse will still have his legs simply because he hasn't been worked hard in recent months. Ward went against the grain by keeping Monarchos off the Derby track until race time, and he has followed a similar plan of attack in Baltimore.

Casual fans such as myself hope Monarchos is up to the challenge and we eagerly await the race. And this time, unlike the last, we'll follow him from the get-go.