War Emblem’s Ex-Owner Will Sue

Russell Reineman, who sold War Emblem about three weeks before he won last Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, said Thursday that he plans to sue Sportsman’s Park, the suburban Chicago track that is embroiled in a dispute over a $1-million bonus.

Reineman, 84, claims that he deserves $500,000 of the bonus because he owned War Emblem when the colt won the Illinois Derby at Sportsman’s on April 6.

The bonus went to any horse who won the Illinois Derby and one of the Triple Crown races.

Sportsman’s, which will receive the $1 million within 30 days from an insurance company that guaranteed the bonus, is hoping that Reineman and Ahmed Salman, the Saudi Arabian prince who bought 90% of War Emblem for $900,000, will reach a compromise.

“My lawyers think that I should get the whole thing,” Reineman said.

Neil Papiano, a Los Angeles attorney who represents Salman’s Thoroughbred Corp., said that Reineman has a weak case.

“Without pre-judging this,” Papiano said, “I can’t see the merit to his argument.

“The sales contract, which I believe was drawn up by [Reineman], is clear in assigning all rights, titles and interests in the horse to my client. As for suing the track, I’ve looked at the bonus rules, and nothing jumps out at me.

“The horse wouldn’t even have run in the Derby if he hadn’t been sold. [Reineman] was planning to run the horse in the Preakness.”

The Preakness is likely to have a full field of 14 horses at Pimlico on May 18.

Besides War Emblem, other Derby holdovers are Proud Citizen (second), Perfect Drift (third), Medaglia d’Oro (fourth), Request For Parole (fifth) and Harlan’s Holiday, the Derby favorite who finished seventh.

They will probably be joined by Booklet, Crimson Hero, Easyfromthegitgo, Equality, Magic Weisner, Menacing Dennis, Sunday Break and U S S Tinosa.

There are also a few horses who might run if defections enable them to move in off the earnings lists that determine the field.

Besides the jockey change on Medaglia d’Oro--Jerry Bailey replacing Laffit Pincay Jr.--another switch has Pat Day taking over for Jorge Chavez on Booklet, whose last race was a second-place finish behind Harlan’s Holiday in the Blue Grass.

Day, who has won the Preakness five times, one less than Eddie Arcaro, rode four winners at Churchill Downs Wednesday, his first day back after breaking his nose in an early race on Derby day.

Day’s mount, Dream Run, bobbled at the start of the Churchill Downs Handicap, and in recovering slammed the jockey in the nose.

Day rode the rest of the card, including an 11th-place finish aboard Blue Burner in the Derby, and was aboard the winners of the last two races on the card.