FROM CLAIM TO FAME

One white foot, run him for his life;

Two white feet, keep him for your wife;

Three white feet, keep him for your man;

Four white feet, sell him if you can;

Four white feet and a stripe on his nose,

Knock him in the head and feed him to the crows

--Origin unknown

*

The four white feet and the stripe on the nose weren’t the reasons Will Farish and Ben and Tom Roach sold Charismatic to Bob and Beverly Lewis for $200,000.

“When a horse has four white stockings, like Charismatic has, they say he’s got a lot of chrome,” Tom Roach said. “They say four white stockings are bad luck, but I don’t put any stock in it.”

Farish, the chairman of Churchill Downs, and the Roaches, who are father and son, are commercial breeders. When California trainer Ray Bell Jr. and Kentucky bloodstock agent Tom Moynihan, representing the Lewises, offered $200,000 for this weanling colt in the spring of 1996, the co-breeders decided to sell, although Tom Roach says now that Charismatic probably would have brought slightly more if they had waited until the fall to offer him at auction.

*

Beverly Lewis works hard at naming the many horses she and her husband have bought. A good dictionary and a well-developed imagination are her tools. One night, more like 2 or 3 in the morning, actually, the name for Charismatic popped into her head.

So, the son of Summer Squall and Bali Babe had a name. What he needed next was a reputation.

That was a long time coming, but as Tom Roach says, “He picked a good time to mature.”

Charismatic has won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, befuddling bettors who refused to support him, and Saturday in New York, by winning the Belmont Stakes, he can become only the 12th horse--and the first since Affirmed in 1978--to sweep the Triple Crown.

*

Bali Babe, who had a two-race career that produced zero earnings, was ready to foal on the night of March 13, 1996. With Tom Roach in the foaling barn at his Parrish Hill Farm in Midway, Ky., were his wife, Robyn; their daughters, Amanda, 18, and Hallie, 14, and Virginia Ballenger, a student majoring in equine studies at Midway College in Midway, Ky.

The actual foaling went routinely, but after Bali Babe was separated from her young colt, the 16-year-old broodmare pinned herself against one of the stall walls and couldn’t get up. The four Roaches and Ballenger tried to pull Bali Babe out of distress with ropes. At one point, Robyn Roach was flung against the wall, badly bruising her back. Hours later, the mare was on her feet, and her colt was able to begin nursing.

*

By rights, Ray Bell should have been the trainer of Charismatic. He had trained the colt’s half brother, Tossofthecoin, who finished last in the 1993 Kentucky Derby, but won the Mervyn LeRoy Stakes at Hollywood Park and wound up earning more than $800,000. He had also trained Charismatic’s full brother, Constant Demand, a sore-footed colt who raced without distinction for the Lewises.

But in February 1998, Bob Lewis was not happy with Tom Bell, a bloodstock agent and Ray Bell’s father. There had been a pending deal to sell one of Lewis’ horses for what Lewis thought was $25,000. But a trainer called Lewis and said something about the price actually being $50,000. Angry about the discrepancy, Lewis sent Charismatic to Wayne Lukas instead of Ray Bell.

Bob Baffert, who also trains many horses for Lewis, among them 1997 Derby-Preakness winner Silver Charm, didn’t get Charismatic because he had a couple more Lewis horses in his barn than Lukas did, and Lewis wanted to even out the distribution.

“I guess it was guilt by association,” Ray Bell said glumly after Charismatic had won the Kentucky Derby.

*

On June 20, 1998, Charismatic made his debut in a five-furlong maiden race at Hollywood Park. Ridden by David Flores, the colt went off at 12-1, never fired and finished last, beaten by 13 1/4 lengths.

On July 25, Lukas brought Charismatic back in another sprint at Del Mar. Treated with Lasix, the diuretic used to discourage bleeding, and outfitted with blinkers, the colt went off the 2-1 favorite and finished a respectable third. A month later at Del Mar, bet down to 7-10, Charismatic was ridden by Chris McCarron and finished last in a four-horse field.

The colt regressed during the Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita. Running around two turns for the first time, he was beaten badly on Oct. 1. Two weeks later, out of desperation, Lukas switched the horse to grass and he finished last, beaten by 25 3/4 lengths.

For about the 50th time, Lukas turned to an assistant, Mike Marlow, and asked, “What can we try to get this colt going?”

On Nov. 21, at Hollywood Park, Lukas pulled out all the stops. He took the blinkers off, put Charismatic back on dirt, and dropped him into claiming company, which means that other trainers could have bought him out of the race for $62,500.

Before the race, trainer Vladimir Cerin gave Charismatic a long look and filled out a claim slip . . . but didn’t drop it in the box.

“I didn’t think he was walking right,” Cerin said much later. “I got the feeling that there was something wrong with this horse and Lukas was trying to unload him.”

On his sixth try, though, Charismatic broke his maiden. Ridden by Laffit Pincay, he was five lengths the best at 6 1/2 furlongs.

The winter meeting at Santa Anita started with Charismatic giving two dull efforts in allowance races. Undeterred, Lukas moved Charismatic into stakes company, running him in the Santa Catalina at 1 1/16 miles on Jan. 31. There were only four other horses running, including the heavily favored winner, General Challenge, and Charismatic couldn’t outrun any of them. He finished 13 1/2 lengths behind General Challenge.

Ray Bell said he made an offer of $80,000 for the horse after the Santa Catalina. Lukas said he doesn’t remember it, but perhaps the bid went through Bob Lewis or an intermediary.

At any rate, Charismatic was run in a second claiming race, in which he again could have been bought for $62,500, Feb. 11.

Bell was surprised, because the colt could have been sold to him for $17,500 more. Bell didn’t claim the horse, though, figuring such a move might have further antagonized Lewis.

Trainer Mike Mitchell said he thought about claiming Charismatic but didn’t because Lewis had given him tickets to the drag races at Pomona.

Cerin filled out another claim slip for Charismatic, but for the second time chose not to drop it in the box.

“Think they’d give me one more chance?” Cerin asked after the Derby.

The favorite in the 6 1/2-furlong claiming race was Buddynamedme, trained by Baffert, who will try to spoil Charismatic’s Triple Crown with the filly Silverbulletday on Saturday. Buddynamedme ran last.

“Looking back,” Baffert said, “I ran the only legit $62,500 horse in the race.”

Lukas said that he ran the horse in such a precarious spot because he wanted to give him confidence by putting a much-needed win on his record.

Still, Charismatic didn’t finish first. He and McCarron were beaten by a neck. But the winner, What Say You, was disqualified for interference and Lukas’ colt had his second win in 10 starts.

After the race, Lukas turned to Lewis and said, “I don’t think we’ll be risking this again.”

In his next race, Charismatic was 17-1 while running second in an allowance. Lukas then shipped him to Golden Gate Fields, where he ran second, beaten by a head, to Cliquot in the El Camino Real Derby. Charismatic made a strong move from sixth place, and afterward Lukas said to Lewis, “I think this might be our Belmont horse.” Lewis, accustomed to Lukas’ infectious overconfidence, let the remark pass.

*

March 13 was not a very good day at Parrish Hill farm. Bali Babe, 19 and having been bred to Belong To Me, died of complications from colic.

“Ask any breeder,” Tom Roach said, “and he’ll tell you what kind of demand there’d be for Bali Babe if she were still alive.”

*

In the paddock before the Santa Anita Derby, Lukas was standing with Bob and Beverly Lewis and two of his assistants--his son Jeff and Randy Bradshaw. Lukas told them that Charismatic could win the Triple Crown. Four sets of eyes rolled.

General Challenge was overpowering, winning the Santa Anita Derby by 3 1/2 lengths. Charismatic, 44-1 in the eight-horse field, ran fourth, 8 1/4 lengths back.

“He didn’t do any running at all until the top of the stretch,” Lukas said. “General Challenge got the perfect scenario, and we didn’t. We found out later what a long, powerful run this horse is capable of. If I had known then what I know now, I’d have had [Pincay] move with him at the five-eighths pole.”

*

The day after the Santa Anita Derby, Lukas still thought he had two Kentucky Derby candidates--Charismatic and Cat Thief, who had been running in Florida.

“We’re not down to two or three [Derby] favorites by any means,” Lukas said, prophetically as it turned out. “I think if you talked to any 20 Derby gurus, you’d get 18 opinions. This could be a Ferdinand or Gato Del Sol kind of year.”

Ferdinand and Gato Del Sol were longshot winners of the Derby in the 1980s.

On April 17, the day before the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland, Chris Antley rode a horse for Lukas at Hollywood Park, and afterward the trainer said to him, “Pay attention to my horse in the Lexington tomorrow. Laffit’s going to be busy back here and can’t ride him in the Derby, and we might be going back to you for the mount.”

Under Jerry Bailey, Charismatic won the Lexington by 2 1/4 lengths. Lukas knew the horses in the Lexington weren’t the caliber of the Derby, but he decided to go to Louisville with Charismatic, Cat Thief and a full head of steam.

After the Lexington, Bailey said to Lukas, “I’ve got Worldly Manner in the Derby, but if something happens, keep me in mind. If there’s an opening, I’d like to ride your colt.”

*

The day Charismatic won the Kentucky Derby, at 31-1 with Antley riding him for the first time, his brother, Constant Demand, finished 10th in a turf allowance at Golden Gate Fields. Constant Demand, long ago sold by the Lewises, suffered his ninth loss in 10 starts.

Leading Charismatic back to the barn at Churchill Downs, Lukas’ assistant, Mike Maker, encountered a fan who’d been slaking his thirst with mint juleps.

“That horse will never win another race,” the guy bellowed.

“He doesn’t have to,” Maker said.

*

At Pimlico two weeks later, there was still little respect for the Derby winner. Charismatic went off at 8-1, while four horses that he’d beaten in the Derby--Menifee, Cat Thief, Worldly Manner and Excellent Meeting--went off at lower odds.

This time, the result was more definitive. Charismatic kicked into gear on the far turn and won convincingly.

Menifee, whose late run in the Derby had left him only a head short, was hard pressed just to make second in the Preakness. He was beaten by 1 1/2 lengths.

*

Two days after the Preakness, Charismatic was flown back to Kentucky, where he has done most of his work for the Belmont Stakes. Early today, he’ll be flown to New York.

“He beat 18 horses in the Derby, and that wasn’t luck,” Baffert said. “Then he made a hell of a move in the Preakness and left everybody. That move broke a lot of hearts, I’ll tell you that.

“After coming out of the claiming race, he looks like a horse who runs like he needs to do it.”

Chasing the TRIPLE CROWN

Charismatic is trying to become only the 12th horse to win the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes

BELMONT STAKES

WHEN: Saturday

WHERE: Belmont Race Course, Elmont, N.Y.

TV: Channel 7, 1:30 p.m.