| |
Frozen Moment: Bullet fires at the final turn
By Mike Diegnan
ABC Sports Online
BALTIMORE -- Joe Orseno was ready to take on the world all week, saying he wanted to beat the rich colt owned by the Japanese millionaire who captured the hearts of racing fans and non-fans alike with his eccentric style and fascinating mannerisms.
| |
 |
| |
Jerry Bailey rides Red Bullet down the stretch to win the 125th Preakness Stakes. |
"The sport definitely needs a hero," commented Red Bullet's trainer on Thursday. "I don't see why Red Bullet can't be the hero. Why does it have to be Fusaichi Pegasus?"
On Saturday, it took one turn for him to get his wish.
If one is to say Fusaichi Pegasus took flight in the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago, Red Bullet was like an old-fashioned revolver in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday. It took its time to load, but unleashed a killer blast once it was fired.
Riding aboard Red Bullet, Jerry Bailey tracked Fusaichi Pegasus through the first six furlongs, patiently staying back while High Yield and Hugh Hefner set the pace, always keeping an eye on Pegasus.
Unlike the Derby when Kent Desormeaux directed Pegasus swiftly through and around the field, Desormeaux chose the outside for his horse. As they neared the stretch, Desormeaux had one eye on the Bullet and another on how he was going to move his horse towards the finish line.
|
BELMONT POSSIBLES
|
|
The field for the Belmont Stakes on June 10 is already taking shape.
Preakness runners Fusaichi Pegasus, Red Bullet, Impeachment and
High Yield are being pointed to the final leg of the Triple Crown,
along with Aptitude, Wheelaway, Chief Seattle, Curule and
Globalize.
Possibles include Takohda Hills and Unshaded.
|
He chose the outside. Bailey went inside, trying to rally around a tiring Hal's Hope, who was creating a difficult traffic jam for the chestnut colt.
"That wasn't the horse that I wanted to be behind," Bailey deadpanned.
Instead, he was able to find an opening for his colt between Snuck In and Hal's Hope.
As they reached the stretch, Red Bullet was just ahead of High Yield and Fusaichi Pegasus. The duel between the two favorites was heating up with High Yield slipping back quickly.
"When he broke out a little slow, I decided to follow Fusaichi Pegasus," said Bailey, who also won the '91 Preakness in an eight-horse field aboard Hansel. "He did a good trip to the backside, and I thought I could get a good jump on him at the half-mile pole, and take a spot and make him go around."
The only problem was it was a shootout at the OK Corral with just one shooter. Desormeaux showed up to the gunfight with a kitchen knife, while Bailey was armed with an Uzi.
It was like the little engine that couldn't.
"We both pushed a button, and he opened up on him," Desormeaux said. "That horse ran a real big race."
Bailey had the opportunity he sought.
"It had been my intention going into the race, at some point, if I had enough horse, to get a jump on the favorite, whether I was in front of him and trying to open quickly going into the far turn or else run by him and open up in that style," Bailey said.
|
“ |
He really exploded around the turn. When we straightened out, he just left the other horses. He was just a better horse today ” |
|
|
— Red Bullet jockey Jerry Bailey |
At the three-sixteenths pole, it was all over. Red Bullet revved his engines and never looked back, although Bailey seemed to glance over expecting a late charge by Pegasus, which never came.
"I was surprised he didn't stay with me," Bailey said. "He really exploded around the turn. When we straightened out, he just left the other horses. He was just a better horse today."
Watching from the box seats, Neil Drysdale knew his prized Derby winner was beaten, blaming the wet track for his horse's failure to push his body to the limit.
"Kent started to go and he couldn't go," Drysdale said. "The other horse accelerated better than he did, so you knew right then that you were in trouble. Horses always look well when they're on the bit. It's when they come off the bit when they are asked, that's when the sliding comes.
"So when he started to ask and the other horse moved, he couldn't go with him, then you can see he's having trouble with the racetrack. And he just came on his own courage to come in second."
While Pegasus strolled along to the finish, struggling to keep Impeachment and Captain Steve from passing him, there was another group of people smiling in the stands.
"Turning for home, I saw my horse make the move I expected him to make," said the victorious trainer.
Just maybe, in one quick instant, Orseno turned a few fans his way, and Red Bullet will indeed become the fan's favorite.
|
