Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Columnist Ralph Siraco: War Emblem, others, jockey for position

Ralph Siraco's horse racing column appears Monday and his Southern California selections run Tuesday-Sunday.

The summertime racing seasons are under way at Saratoga race course in upstate New York and Del Mar race track by the sea in Southern California. Several big races at each racing spa during the dog days season will shine some light on the sport's World Thoroughbred Championship Breeders' Cup at Arlington Park outside of Chicago in the autumn.

Some interesting contenders already are staking early claim to a berth in the Oct. 26 Windy City showdown.

Although the Breeders' Cup Classic is the centerpiece of the eight-race series, the Del Mar and Saratoga meets provide coming out parties for some high-priced and promising two-year-olds making their debuts.

On Wednesday's opening day card at Saratoga, Freedom's Daughter became the "now" filly for the Juvenile Fillies with a solid victory in the Grade II Schuylerville Stakes. The Todd Pletcher trainee parlayed a debut daylight maiden score at Monmouth Park June 22 to the Saratoga feature portfolio.

On Saturday at Del Mar, trainer Bob Baffert unleashed a flashy-looking son of 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew. Vindication, a $2.15 million yearling buy, vindicated his purchase price with an authoritative debut maiden victory that sent Derby future book players looking for odds on next May's Louisville classic. A Del Mar Futurity score should have him on schedule for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

This time of the year also merges the glamour group of three-year-olds that already have become racing household names.

The $1 million Haskell Invitational will renew on Sunday at Monmouth Park, NJ. The 1 1/8 mile centerpiece of the Jersey shore track has had more ebb and flows that the recent ride on Wall Street.

Just a few weeks ago, Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner War Emblem was squarely on schedule as the marquee member of this year's Haskell field. Trainer Baffert is mapping a course that hopefully will take the leading sophomore to the Breeders' Cup Classic and the Haskell was to be step one. But the colt's owner, Prince Ahmed bin Salman, died of a heart attack in his native Saudi Arabia last week. His expansive racing operation, known as The Thoroughbred Corporation, was reeling in uncertainty and Baffert decided to pull War Emblem from his Haskell appointment.

In the meantime, Santa Anita Derby winner Came Home, who rolled to another victory in the July 14 Swaps Stakes at Hollywood Park, was waiting for his next start. With War Emblem on the shelf for the Haskell, the connections of Came Home saw a soft spot for a cool million and the Paco Gonzalez trainee became the new Haskell marquee attraction. Trainer Neil Drysdale also was looking to the Haskell for his much-talked-about underachiever Sunday Break.

Then came this weekend. By sunset Sunday, exactly one week to the Haskell, the entire picture changed again.

The Thoroughbred Corporation racing manager Richard Mulhall met with Prince Salman's family in Saudi Arabia on Thursday to discuss what path the racing empire would take. When Mulhall returned stateside Friday, War Emblem had already "run off" in his morning gallops and Baffert said the high-strung Derby-Preakness winner was in jeopardy of hurting himself if he didn't run somewhere.

While War Emblem was tearing up the Del Mar track in the mornings, the Came Home camp was changing course as well. Gonzalez decided to pass on the Haskell for the King's Bishop Stakes at Saratoga Aug. 24. The change in plans was to give Came Home more time between races.

Sunday Break also became a Haskell casualty last week. Drysdale said a small setback from a recurring condition will preclude his participation this weekend. The next start for his problematic promising colt is still up in the air.

After a meeting of the minds and a ripe and ready race horse on their hands, Baffert and Mulhall decided that a scheduled workout this morning at Del Mar will finally determine if War Emblem makes a Tuesday plane for the shore. Baffert said plans now are to send War Emblem to the Haskell on Saturday and still make the Aug. 25 Pacific Classic at Del Mar, where he and possibly Came Home could face their elders for the first time.

No doubt Monmouth Park officials will be checking the flight schedules from the coast in the manner of stock market investors checking out the ticker today.

archive