Saturday, Thoroughbred Daily News June 8, 2002 TDN For information, call (732) 747-8060. HEADLINE NEWS PUTTING A STOP TO WAR The Right Connections... War Emblem (Our Emblem) is out to add his name to The sires of three Belmont runners have already pro- the history books as racing’s 12th Triple Crown winner. duced Belmont winners: Like a Hero is by Plesant Col- Ten rivals are out to stop him. Kentucky Derby and ony, sire of Colonial Affair (1993); Sunday Break (Jpn) Preakness hero War Emblem is the is by Forty Niner, sire of Editor’s Note (1996); and even-money favorite on the morn- Proud Citizen is by Gone West, sire of Commendable ing line for the GI Belmont S. this (2000)...Trainer Wayne Lukas goes for his fifth Belmont afternoon, but he is far from a cer- win with Proud Citizen...trainer Neil Drysdale goes for tainty. Australian-born trainer his second with Sunday Break...trainer Bob Baffert and Murray Johnson, who saddles owner The Thoroughbred Corporation go for their sec- Derby third Perfect Drift ond with War Emblem after winning with Point Given (Dynaformer), would be happy to last year... Jockeys Pat Day and Gary Stevens have slam the door on trainer Bob three Belmont wins each to their credit...The last odds- Baffert’s third attempt at a Triple on favorite to win the Belmont was Affirmed in 1978. Crown. “Aussies love playing the spoiler,” Saturday, Belmont Park, post time: 6:10 p.m. EDT said Johnson, whose BELMONT S.-GI, $1,000,000, 3yo, 1 1/2m great-great grandfather PP HORSE OWNER TRAINER ODDS was W.S. Cox of G1 Perfect Drift arrives at 1 ARTAX TOO Paraneck Stable Pedersen 50-1 Cox Plate fame. Perfect Belmont Horsephotos (c, Marquetry--Done With Pleasure, by Foolish Pleasure) Drift fits the role of 2 LIKE A HERO Columbine Stable Greely 30-1 spoiler to a T. On the board in all seven (c, Pleasant Colony--Like a Hawk, by Silver Hawk) starts, the bright bay gelding is bred for a 3 WISEMAN’S FERRY Fink & Sacks & Swift Farm O’Callaghan 20-1 mile and a half--his sire, Dynaformer, is by (c, Hennessy--Emmaus, by Silver Deputy) G1 Epsom Derby winner Roberto; his dam, 4 ESSENCE OF DUBAI Godolphin bin Suroor 30-1 Nice Gal, is by Naskra, who was third, (c, Pulpit--Epitome, by Summing) beaten only a length in the 1970 Belmont. 5 SUNDAY BREAK (JPN) Koji Maeda Drysdale 6-1 He also has the right rider for the job: Eddie (c, Forty Niner--Catequil, by Storm Cat) Delahoussaye has ridden the Belmont three 6 PERFECT DRIFT William & Mary Reed Johnson 8-1 times; second with Gato del Sol in 1982, he (g, Dynaformer--Nice Gal, by Naskra) came back to win it with Risen Star in 1988 7 PUZZLEMENT SCR SCR SCR and with A.P. Indy in 1992. The biggest 8 MEDAGLIA D’ORO Edmund Gann Frankel 10-1 knock on Perfect Drift--other than the fact (c, El Prado {Ire}--Cappucino Bay, by Bailjumper) he would be only the second gelding to win 9 PROUD CITIZEN Baker/Cornstein/Mack Lukas 5-1 the Belmont--is that he has had just one (c, Gone West--Drums Of Freedom, by Green Forest) race in the past 11 weeks. “I’m not worried 10 WAR EMBLEM The Thoroughbred Corp. Baffert EVEN about his fitness at all,” Johnson insisted. (c, Our Emblem--Sweetest Lady, by Lord At War {Arg}) “He ran a really strong mile and a quarter [in 11 MAGIC WEISNER Nancy Alberts Alberts 15-1 the Derby] and has worked well and had (g, Ameri Valay--Jazema, by Bold Forbes) good strong gallops since. The schedule we 12 SARAVA New Phoenix Stable & Roy McPeek 30-1 had mapped out for him went pretty much (c, Wild Again--Rhythm of Life, by Deputy Minister) perfect. I have no complaints there--and no All carry 126 pounds. For the brisnet.com PPs, click here. excuses.” KAZZIA’s Classic Double - p2 ...Can ‘HAWK’ fly at Epsom? - p3 ... YOU wins Acorn - p5 ... BOREAL is Coronation King - p5 ... www.coolmore.com TDN P HEADLINE NEWS • 6/8/02 • PAGE 2 of 9 Kazzia broke well from the gate V O D A F O N E O A K S How the Race was Won P P and travelled smoothly into the lead, tracked closely by Esloob (Diesis {GB}) and Starbourne (Ire) (Sadler’s KAZZIA STAYS THE COURSE Wells). Always moving easily on the unique undula- Godolphin’s super tough, unbeaten Kazzia (Ger) tions, she was joined by Islington (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells) (Zinaad {GB}) held off the strong late challenge from on the run downhill to Tattenham Corner, but had that Aidan O’Brien’s Quarter Moon (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells) by a filly’s measure as she tracked over to the stands’ rail. half length to complete the 1000 Guineas-Oaks double, Left clear as Islington weakened, she was kept up to leading virtually from gate to wire in yesterday’s G1 her work by Dettori and the only remaining danger was Vodafone Oaks at Epsom. On a memorable afternoon Quarter Moon, who had maneuvred into second after for German-bred horses, the 100-30 racing freely in the early stages. That eagerness had favorite gave her all under Frankie threatened to undermine her challenge, but Dettori to deny Michael Kinane’s to her credit Quarter Moon lengthened well mount as the pair pulled an astound- to close on the game leader, who was ing 14 lengths clear of Shadow Danc- starting to feel the strain. Just a few ing (GB) (Unfuwain). Kazzia showed strides before the line it looked possible similar raw determination to deny that she would take the race from the fa- Snowfire (GB) (Machiavellian) by a vourite, but Kazzia pulled out more for the neck in the G1 1000 Guineas at victory. “She is very tough and I was going Newmarket May 5. That effort sur- to give anybody a fight today if they wanted to come and beat me,” said the prised her connections, who were in winning rider. “We passed the furlong doubt as to whether to run based on marker and I’d made plenty of use of her-- her staying pedigree and sharp juve- she started to wander a bit and in the cor- nile form, including a win over soft ner of my eye I saw Mick [Kinane] coming, ground in the G3 Premio Dormello in but luckily she kept digging all the way to Milan in October. Kazzia Claims Oaks www.godolphin.com the line.” Kazzia become the first filly to achieve the Classic double since Salsabil in 1990. En- Friday, Epsom, Britain joying their third taste of Epsom Oaks success after VODAFONE OAKS-G1, £350,000, Epsom, 6-7, 3yo, f, Balanchine in 1994 and Moonshell (Ire) in 1995, 12f 10ydsT, 2:44.52, sf. Godolphin were far from unhappy to see the consistent 1--KAZZIA (GER), 126, f, 3, by Zinaad (GB) rain at the Surrey track over the past 48 hours. “It has 1st Dam: Khoruna (Ger), by Lagunas (GB) been a long time since 1995, but this year in Dubai we 2nd Dam: Khora (Ger), by Corvaro knew we had some nice fillies,” explained trainer Saeed 3rd Dam: Kandia (Ger), by Luciano (GB) bin Suroor afterwards. “This filly showed she had class O-Godolphin; B-Frau R Grunewald; T-Saeed bin all the time and because of that we decided to run her Suroor; J-Frankie Dettori; £203,000. Lifetime Record: in the Guineas. After that we thought she can stay the GSW-Ity, 4-4-0-0, £432,611. mile and a half and handle the soft ground, so I was 2--Quarter Moon (Ire), 126, f, 3, Sadler’s Wells--Jude confident before the race. I think Frankie was the key (GB), by Darshaan (GB). O-Mrs Richard Henry & Su- to her today, he made the race.” Jockey Kieren Fallon san Magnier; B-Premier Bloodstock; T-A O’Brien; reported that Islington failed to handle the ground. J-Michael Kinane; £77,000. 3--Shadow Dancing (GB), 126, f, 3, Unfuwain--Salchow A Third Classic? Kazzia will now bid for triple Classic (GB), by Niniski. O-Mrs Hugh Dalgety & Partners; success by attempting the G1 St Leger at Doncaster B-Major W R Hern & W H Carson; T-M Tregoning; Sept. 14. That triple was last accomplished in 1985 by J-Martin Dwyer; £38,500. Sheikh Mohammed’s Oh So Sharp (GB). As for Kazzia’s Margins: HF, 14, NK. Odds: 100-30, 15-2, 14-1. chances of completing the quest, Sheikh Mohammed Also ran: Starbourne (Ire), Red Rioja (Ire), Mellow Park said, “She certainly stays a mile and a half and, though (Ire), Alexander Three D (Ire), Islington (Ire), Persian obviously we can’t know now if she will stay a mile Lass (Ire), Snowfire (GB), Kournakova (Ire), Maryinsky and six in the St Leger at Doncaster, I certainly hope (Ire), Esloob. DNF: Spinette (Ire)--pulled up. that she will.” www.jonabell.com (859) 255-8537 Fax 259-0040 TDN P HEADLINE NEWS • 6/8/02 • PAGE 3 of 9 Trainer Mark Johnston, who saddles V O D A F O N E D E R B Y Northern Invasion P P both Fight Your Corner (GB) (Muhtarram) and Bandari (Ire) GROUNDS FOR CONCERN (Alhaarth {Ire}) this afternoon, ap- If stamina doubts were not enough to concern the pears to hold the best chance of de- legion of fans of Hawk Wing (Woodman), the forces of nying Team O’Brien.