Baffert’s Supremely Confident

Apropos of the status of the Triple Crown, several horses from Saturday’s Preakness were flown from Baltimore to Louisville, Ky., early Sunday morning. On the second plane out of Baltimore, War Emblem was the only equine passenger.

The ornery 3-year-old colt, who has been feasting on other horses and handlers ever since Prince Ahmed Salman of Saudi Arabia bought a 90% interest in him for $900,000 on April 11, has been a business-like winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, and on June 8 in New York, with a $5-million bonus and another $1-million purse on the line, he’ll try to win the Belmont Stakes and become the first Triple Crown champion since Affirmed in 1978.

“There’s not a 3-year-old out there that can beat him,” said trainer Bob Baffert, stopping just short of predicting--or guaranteeing--a win in the Belmont. “As long as I can keep him healthy and at this level, he should run stronger in the Belmont than he did in the other two races. My other Preakness winners [Silver Charm, Real Quiet and Point Given] were tired after running in this race, but not this guy. He gives me a better chance to sweep than the other two times.”

In 1997-98, Silver Charm and Real Quiet both ran second in the Belmont, depriving racing of its 12th Triple Crown champion. Baffert will use the same schedule with War Emblem that he used with his first two Triple Crown aspirants, training the colt at Churchill Downs and probably not flying him to Belmont Park until June 4 or 5.

When entries for the 11/2-mile race are taken on June 5, there may not be many horses that will try to block War Emblem’s path. Apparently only two horses from the 13-horse Preakness--Proud Citizen and Table Limit, both trained by Wayne Lukas--are possible for the Belmont. Proud Citizen has been beaten twice by War Emblem, running second, four lengths back, in the Derby, and finishing third on Saturday, beaten by 11/2 lengths, and running him for the fifth time in nine weeks might be a push, but this typifies Lukas’ confrontational style. Table Limit, in his first stakes race, almost clipped the heels of another horse in a crowded run into the first turn and finished 11th in the Preakness.

“The Triple Crown is three rounds,” said Lukas, who has won the Belmont four times. “And we’ll be answering the bell for round three. I know a lot of people would like to see a Triple Crown champ for the good of racing, but I’m going to be busting my tail to spoil that dream.”

New York-based Nick Zito will not be represented in the Belmont. His Crimson Hero did very little running in the Preakness and finished seventh, and Straight Gin, the ninth-place finisher, suffered a tendon injury and has been retired.

With no horse in the Belmont, Zito is rooting for War Emblem to complete the sweep.

“If War Emblem has a good day, the Belmont should be easier for him than the Preakness,” Zito said. “But maybe some horse will get good between now and the Belmont. War Emblem is definitely the best 3-year-old. None of these are as good. But who knows? They still gotta play the game.”

Jerry Bailey, who rode Medaglia d’Oro, the second choice behind War Emblem, to an eighth-place finish in the Preakness, won’t concede the Belmont to Baffert’s colt.

“If there’s a chink in his armor,” Bailey said, “it’s that they wanted him to relax [Saturday] and he couldn’t. You wouldn’t want a horse doing that when he’s going a mile and a half.”

Other possibles for the Belmont are Perfect Drift, who was third in the Derby; Essence Of Dubai, the ninth-place Derby finisher; Sunday Break, who missed the Derby because of an earnings shortage after a third-place finish in the Wood Memorial; and Sarava, four-length winner of Saturday’s 1 1/16-mile Sir Barton Stakes at Pimlico. Sunday Break is expected to run next Saturday in the Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont before trainer Neil Drysdale makes a decision on the Belmont.

Because of War Emblem’s front-running style, Baffert doesn’t seem concerned about the makeup of the opposition. All War Emblem needs in the Belmont is a good start, Baffert said.

“Perfect Drift is a good horse,” Baffert said, “but I’m not worried as long as I can keep my horse the way he is. I hate to wolf it [brag] because I might jinx myself. War Emblem is a free-running horse that keeps throwing in extra gears, and his tank’s never empty. It all started with Silver Charm, and maybe the third time in the Belmont will be the charm. We’re looking for every sign to get us through the Belmont this time.”