Derby morning barn notes: Sign, sign, everything's a sign By Marc Connolly ABC Sports Online LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Another man's scare is an omen for the venerable Bob Baffert.
At 6:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, Baffert's Captain Steve nearly collided with a loose horse while taking an early-morning gallop. "It was a near-miss," said a grinning Baffert. "This happens at LAX every day, we just never hear about it." Why was he joking after such a close call? "This type of thing happened at the Preakness with Silver Charm," said Baffert. "He got loose on race day morning, and he had pretty good luck that day. It's a good sign." Of course, Silver Charm went on to win the second leg of the Triple Crown later that afternoon in 1997. But if history means anything, bet on Captain Steve to show, not win, in the Derby. The chestnut colt is one of three Derby horses named "Captain" to Run for the Roses. The other two -- Captain Hal in 1925 and Captain Bodgit, who was edged by Silver Charm in a classic race in 1997 -- finished second.
Line change: Pegasus at 6-1: If you're looking for the longest shot of the 19-horse field, go with Exchange Rate. The D. Wayne Lukas-trained colt is at 50-1, which far exceeds Graeme Hall, the next horse up the totem pole, who is at 30-1.
Twice as nice for Lewises, Campbell: So imagine what it's like having two entries. That's what Bob and Beverly Lewis (High Yield and Commendable) and Cot Campbell (Impeachment and Trippi) will experience on Saturday. "It makes it tough, but I wouldn't have it any other way," says Campbell, who is president of Dogwood Stable. "It's tension, but wonderful, sweet tension. It's tiring and such tension seems to take a toll but it really is such a fabulous thing." "It's a dream come true for us, it really is," says Bob Lewis, who has stood in the winner's circle with Silver Charm in '97 and Charismatic last year. "The only way we can deal with it is to be enthusiastic. That's why we enjoy being associated with Wayne Lukas (Trainer of both horses), whose glass is always full. We know that in this business even if you lose 80 or 85 percent of the time you are doing great." These fortunate owners all compare having two horses in the Derby to having two children competing in a race. You don't root for one over the other, but you do watch them differently.
"In the paddock, I listen to my trainer give instructions to the jockeys so I know what to watch for out of the gate," says Lewis. "I watch for the decision-making that takes place. Jockeys have tremendous decisions they must make instantaneously. It all goes down the drain if one decision is the wrong one, so that's what I watch for. "Oh, and which one is in the lead." Campbell, who seems to be more confident in Impeachment's chances than Trippi's in this race, will also have his eyes on Post 5 come 5:27 p.m. "It'll be more crucial for Trippi out of the gate, so I'll be eyeing him," says the owner of Summer Squall, who won the Preakness in 1990. "I'll be hoping that he doesn't get out there too fast. We want him to lay about four lengths off the pace. At the half-mile post or so, I'll start watching Impeachment more because that's when he should start making his run." Despite what he says, there may be a touch of favoritism for Trippi, a horse he named after an idol of his. "He's named after Charley Trippi, the great halfback for Georgia many years ago (in 1946 he was the Heisman Trophy runner-up)," says the 72-year-old Campbell. "He was the king of the end sweep. Later, in the pros, he played for the Chicago Cardinals." Though these owners are two of the elite in the sport, they never take their successes for granted. They realize the odds it takes to get a horse to the post on the first Saturday in May. "There are 35,000 3-year-olds out there and only up to 20 run in the Derby," says Campbell, who will spend the morning playing tennis to calm his nerves. "People don't realize exactly how significant it is to actually have a horse here, or how hard it is to get here." "Win or lose, this is the greatest franchise to be a part of," says Lewis with his wife, Beverly, standing close. "Whether you have one or 10 or 100 horses, it's yours. It's like having a NFL team, but only better. Think about it: the horses never talk back, they don't hire agents and they don't demand compensation."
Cash cows:
Total purse: $1,188,200
They said it: Campbell on whether the Derby has lost its luster: "No way, I think it's more special. There's more to it now, and it seems to be hotter than ever with all the media here and the amount that's televised. NTRA and its promotion has been a big key. So has the near misses in the Triple Crown of late. There'll always be magic in the name Derby, alone. It's like saying the World Series or the Super Bowl." Trainer Bobby Frankel (Aptitude) on which horses are the ones he is worried about: "The favorite (Fusaichi Pegasus) and Captain Steve." Everybody's favorite 88-year-old, Harold Rose, on his decision to simply walk the shedrow with Hal's Hope on Derby Eve and the morning of the race: "If he isn't fit now, he'll never be." |
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