HORSE RACING : TRIPLE CROWN RATINGS

REMARKS: This is the bottom line for Saturday’s 121st running of the Belmont Stakes: If Sunday Silence should win and become the 12th horse to sweep the Triple Crown, he will earn almost twice the combined purses of the first 11 Triple Crown champions.

A victory in the Belmont means a $5-million payday for Sunday Silence’s three owners. Half of the colt is owned by Arthur Hancock, the Paris (Ky.) breeder, and the other half is divided between Charlie Whittingham, Sunday Silence’s trainer, and Ernest Gaillard, the retired surgeon from La Jolla. Hancock spent $49,000 buying Sunday Silence back after there was little interest from other bidders at two auctions; Whittingham bought 50% of the then-unraced colt from Hancock for $25,000, and the trainer sold half of his interest to Gaillard.

With six wins and two seconds in eight starts, Sunday Silence has already earned $1.4 million. Of that total, $574,200 came from his victory in the Kentucky Derby and $438,230 resulted from the win in the Preakness, the first two Triple Crown races.

Any horse winning the Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont is guaranteed a $5-million total payoff, the result of a bonus offer that was begun in 1987. The winner’s share of the $500,000-plus Belmont purse will be about $375,00, which means that the Triple Crown bonus is worth approximately $3.6 million. In the event there’s no Triple Crown winner, a horse with the best finishes in the three races wins an extra $1 million. Going into the Belmont, Sunday Silence has 10 points for his Derby and Preakness wins, and Easy Goer has six points for finishing second in both races. The Belmont is worth five points for first, three for second and one for third.

There were no bonuses for the first 11 Triple Crown champions. Combined, they earned $2,544,150. Here is the breakdown:

Sir Barton, 1919--$57,275.

Gallant Fox, 1930--$168,690.

Omaha, 1935--$100,330.

War Admiral, 1937--$135,670.

Whirlaway, 1941--$150,410.

Count Fleet, 1943--$139,255.

Assault, 1946--$268,420.

Citation, 1948--$252,970.

Secretariat, 1973--$375,070

Seattle Slew, 1977--$462,380.

Affirmed, 1978--$433,680.

The first year of the Triple Crown bonuses, the program was underwritten by the three tracks--Churchill Downs, Pimlico and Belmont Park--where the races were run. Since then, the bonus money has been put up by the Chrysler Motor Corp. Bet Twice won the $1-million bonus in 1987 by winning the Belmont and scotching Alysheba’s bid for the Triple Crown. Last year, Risen Star won the Preakness and the Belmont to earn the $1 million.

Tom Jakobowski, a spokesman for Chrysler, said that the $1-million bonus isn’t insured, but the remainder of the bonus in the event of a Triple Crown sweep--$3.6 million minus the $1 million--is covered by an insurance company. Jakobowski declined to give any more details, but in 1987, when the tracks were insured in case of a sweep, the one-year premium on $2.6 million was estimated at $400,000.

If Sunday Silence wins the Triple Crown, his career earnings would jump to $6.4 million and he would catapult from 67th on the money list to third place, behind Alysheba with $6.6 million and John Henry with $6.4 million. Alysheba’s total came without the benefit of bonus money, although some tracks increased their purses to entice his owners to run. John Henry’s total includes $500,000 in bonus money.

The Triple Crown, of course, is only the tip of the financial iceberg for the owners of a champion. Sunday Silence’s value as a stallion is probably in the $15-million range now and it could double with a victory Saturday.

The field is holding at 10 horses for the Belmont. Expected to face Sunday Silence are Easy Goer, Awe Inspiring, Rock Point, Hawkster, Triple Buck, Imbibe, Irish Actor, Fire Maker and Le Voyageur.

Advisory panel for The Times’ Triple Crown Ratings: Lenny Hale, vice president for racing at Aqueduct, Belmont Park and Saratoga; Frank (Jimmy) Kilroe, vice president for racing at Santa Anita; and Tommy Trotter, racing secretary at Gulfstream Park.

TRIPLE CROWN RATINGS

Career Horse S 1 2 3 Earnings 1.Sunday Silence 8 6 2 0 $1,418,530 2.Easy Goer 11 7 4 0 1,475,730 3.Awe Inspiring 9 6 0 1 628,220 4.Rock Point 13 3 2 2 358,284 5.Open Mind 11 9 2 0 1,263,344 6.Imbibe 15 4 4 0 258,344 7.Hawkster 12 2 1 2 479,090 8.Irish Actor 12 3 3 3 537,445 9.Fire Maker 11 3 2 3 266,746 10.Triple Buck 9 3 0 3 158,008