Battle Could Be Brewing Over War Emblem

Russell Reineman, the original owner of War Emblem, suggested Sunday that he might be entitled to more than a 10% share of the $1-million bonus that the colt earned after winning Saturday’s Kentucky Derby.

Although Reineman was left with only 10% of War Emblem after he sold the rest of the horse to Prince Ahmed Salman of Saudi Arabia for $900,000 on April 11, he was the sole owner of the colt when he won the Illinois Derby at Sportsman’s Park five days before. The bonus, which will be paid by an insurance policy taken out by Sportsman’s Park, was offered to any horse that could win the Illinois Derby and only one of the Triple Crown races--the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes.

“I don’t know that the new owner should get [$900,000 of the bonus],” Reineman said from his home in Oak Brook, Ill. “I’m going to talk with him. War Emblem won the first race [of the bonus] for me, and he couldn’t have gotten the bonus without doing that. I don’t know what the rules are, but I’d like to find out.”

Terry Hart, vice president of horse racing operations at Sportsman’s Park, said that the bonus rules do not address the ownership question.

“All the rules say,” Hart said, “is that the horse earns the bonus if he wins both races.”

Trainer Bob Baffert, who saddled War Emblem for the first time to win his third Derby and seventh Triple Crown race out of the last 17 run, said after the race that he would be splitting his 10% of the bonus with Frank “Bobby” Springer, who trained the colt for four victories in seven starts before Reineman sold him. Springer probably would receive $55,000--$45,000 from Baffert and $10,000 as his 10% share of Reineman’s $100,000.

“That guy told me everything about the horse,” Baffert said. “Which is not always the case when a guy loses a horse to another trainer. The horse has a nasty personality. He likes his space and you can’t mess with him. It was easy to take over training him after what [Springer] told me.”

Reineman said that there was no presale agreement regarding the bonus. Baffert said that Reineman, who didn’t attend the Derby, has been invited to the Preakness at Pimlico on May 18, when War Emblem will try to win the second leg of the Triple Crown.

“I’ve talked to Mr. Reineman,” Baffert said. “The bonus won’t be an issue. The split [90% for Salman, 10% for Reineman] was straightened out when the horse was sold.”

Different jockeys also accounted for the victories in the bonus races, Larry Sterling riding in the Illinois Derby and Victor Espinoza on Saturday. Sterling sought to ride War Emblem in the Kentucky Derby, but Baffert preferred Espinoza, a rising star in Southern California, even though Baffert replaced him with Jerry Bailey aboard Congaree for last year’s Preakness after a third-place finish in the Derby.

A jockey also is supposed to receive 10% of a bonus--the same share as the regular race purse--although historically that’s not always guaranteed.

In 1988, Risen Star, winner of the Preakness and the Belmont, earned a $1-million Triple Crown bonus for accruing the most points through high finishes in the series. Louie Roussel, co-owner and trainer of Risen Star, said his jockey, Eddie Delahoussaye, was entitled to 10% of the race purses and not a piece of the bonus. Delahoussaye persisted, and with support from the Jockeys’ Guild, was finally paid his $100,000 share of the bonus.

In 1985, Spend A Buck earned a $2-million Garden State Park bonus by winning four races, three at Garden State and the Kentucky Derby. Angel Cordero rode Spend A Buck in the first three races, including the Kentucky Derby, but because of a conflict at Belmont Park was unable to ride the colt in the final race, the Jersey Derby. Laffit Pincay rode in the Jersey Derby and was paid $200,000 for the jockey share of the bonus. Cordero believed that Dennis Diaz, the owner of Spend A Buck, or Pincay should reward him for his contributions, but he received nothing.

Reineman’s name was not listed in Saturday’s Churchill Downs program as the minority owner of War Emblem. Only Salman’s name and the name of his racing stable, Thoroughbred Corp., were listed.

“That was part of the agreement when the horse was sold, that he run in [Thoroughbred Corp.’s] name,” Reineman said.

Five of the 17 other starters in the Derby were listed with multiple owners. Bernie Hettel, the chief Kentucky state steward, could not be reached for comment regarding the omission of Reineman’s name.

Reineman, 84, said Sunday that he sold War Emblem because he needed the money to stay in racing. He has owned Crown Steel Sales in Chicago since buying out his brother’s interest in 1955, and has raced horses since 1950.

“The steel business has been terrible lately,” Reineman said. “We’ve had two bad years. And the racing stable hasn’t done much in those two years, either. We’ve been losing money. I might have had to get out of the game if I hadn’t sold this horse.”

War Emblem, who ran the ninth fastest Derby time, 2:01 for 11/4 miles, would not have run in the Derby if he hadn’t been sold. Baffert liked the colt because he had beaten Repent, a leading Derby contender, in the Illinois Derby. Reineman and Springer liked the idea of having more time between races, and before Salman’s offer were pointing for the Preakness.

“I’ve got mixed emotions about the horse winning the Derby,” said Reineman, whose only Derby starter, Wise Times, ran ninth in 1986. “It would have been nice to have owned him myself. But I don’t know that he beat much. I never saw a worse bunch of horses.”

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Trainer Wayne Lukas, who finished second with Proud Citizen in the Kentucky Derby, said that a stablemate, Table Limit, would join that colt in the Preakness against War Emblem. Few from the Derby are expected to move on to Pimlico, but a capacity field of 14 is still possible. Other possible Derby participants for the Preakness are Medaglia d’Oro (fourth Saturday) and Harlan’s Holiday (seventh). Others who could run are Booklet, Sunday Break, U S S Tinosa, Crimson Hero, Straight Gin, Equality, Magic Weisner, Marasca and Stephentown, who won the race after the Derby.... Saarland, 10th in the Derby, was to have surgery Sunday to remove a chip in his left front ankle.