May 5, 2002 6 min read

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – Bob Baffert is one baffling guy when it comes to the Kentucky Derby. Last year the trainer had the favorite and lost. On Saturday, he had a long shot and won.

War Emblem went wire-to-wire and left 17 3-year-old challengers in the dust, rolling to a four-length victory over Proud Citizen and giving Baffert his third Derby victory in six years.

“I loved this horse,” Baffert said, referring to the dark bay colt he started training just three weeks ago. “I just didn’t know if he was good enough.”

He had no doubts last year, but Point Given finished fifth before winning the Preakness and Belmont Stakes. Now, War Emblem, who went off at 20-1, will be pointed to the Preakness on May 18.

“It was a really humbling experience after last year,” Baffert said. “I thought it was going to be a piece of cake. No problem. You’ve got to be lucky to fall on this horse like that.”

But Baffert is one lucky dude. He lost more than a dozen Derby prospects for various reasons, including the Saturday morning scratch of Danthebluegrassman.

And the only reason he had War Emblem was because Saudi Prince Ahmed Salman bought the horse after it won the Illinois Derby and sent it to Baffert’s barn three weeks ago.

“If this horse wins the Derby, it will be the best and shortest training job ever,” Baffert said before the race.

After it, he joked: “Don’t you think this is the best and shortest training job of my life?”

Not many would argue, especially the prince.

“It’s an honor to win the Kentucky Derby. It’s been my dream,” said Salman, the first Arab owner to win the Derby. “I love you guys in America. Bob Baffert is a genius.”

The victory at Churchill Downs was Baffert’s third in the last six Derbys; he won with Silver Charm in 1997 and Real Quiet in 1998.

The trainer joined Max Hirsch and “Sunny Jim” Fitzsimmons as three-time Derby-winning trainers. Only D. Wayne Lukas, with four, and Ben A. Jones, with six, have more.

Proud Citizen, Lukas’ last-minute Derby chance after the colt won the Lexington Stakes, ran a solid second. Like Baffert, Lukas was not considered a serious contender despite past Derby success.

“I couldn’t be happier with the way this horse ran,” said Lukas, after finishing second in the Derby for the first time. “He beat some nice horses and I think he’ll beat some more down the line.”

War Emblem, as expected, set the pace in the 11/4-mile Derby, and never let go of the lead, finishing in 2:01 – seventh-fastest in Derby history and officially listed by the track at 2:01.13. The record belongs to Secretariat at 1:59 2-5 in 1973.

The victory was No. 5 in seven career starts and made him the first Derby winner to lead from the start since the filly Winning Colors in 1988.

“I told the prince, ‘I owe you a Derby after last year,”‘ Baffert said. “… The prince kept saying, ‘Pinch me, Pinch me. Is this really happening?’ “

Proud Citizen was followed by Perfect Drift and Medaglia d’Oro, all of whom broke behind the winner and never seriously challenged for the lead.

Harlan’s Holiday, the 6-1 favorite was seventh and never a factor.

Saarland, who was the second choice at 7-1 after the final betting numbers became official, never made a run at the end and wound up 10th.

The colt, trained by Shug McGaughey, is owned by Cynthia Phipps, daughter of the late patriarch of racing’s most famous family, Ogden Phipps.

Irish-based Johannesburg, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner sent off at 8-1, was eighth in his return to America. Essence of Dubai, Sheik Mohammed’s $2.3 million colt and supposedly his best Derby hope yet, was ninth. He went off at 10-1.

Espinoza, a first-time Derby winner, said he knew he had won the race at the half-mile pole.

“He was going so easy. I knew nobody was going to catch me,” he said.

As War Emblem headed down the stretch, NBC’s Tom Durkin called out: “He’s got another gear!”

Espinoza said Baffert told him to be patient and not make his move too soon. Of course, it didn’t turn out that way.

“He told me to come from the gate clean and don’t move until the last minute. I think he told me that a thousand times. Finally, he was right,” Espinoza said.

Despite the late scratches of Wood Memorial winner Buddha and Danthebluegrassman, the field was one of the most wide open in years.

With no designated super horse like Point Given or Fusaichi Pegasus to grab the bettor’s fancy, Harlan’s Holiday went off at the highest odds ever for Derby favorites. In 1999, Baffert’s entry of Excellent Meeting and General Challenge went off at 4.80-1.

The Derby favorite has won only twice in the last 24 years.

War Emblem returned $43, $22.80 and $13.60. Proud Citizen, who earned his spot by winning the Lexington Stakes, paid $24.60 and $13.40. Perfect Drift paid $13.40 to show.

Request for Parole was fifth, followed by Came Home, Harlan’s Holiday, Johannesburg, Essence of Dubai, Saarland, Blue Burner, Castle Gandolfo, Easy Grades, Private Emblem, Lusty Latin, It’sallinthechase, Ocean Sound and Wild Horses.

Of the $1,175,000 purse, War Emblem earned $875,000, boosting his career total to $1,191,000. The winner also earned a $1 million bonus from Sportsman’s Park for winning the Derby in addition to the Illinois Derby.

Unlike other Derbys, there was little backstretch buzz during the week because the field was so wide open. There was no overriding storyline – the kind usually attached to a super horse. There was no super horse this time, and not even Baffert or Lukas drew their usual large audiences.

Baffert joked that the signs that used to hang from his barn with the names of his previous Derby winners were missing because they had been sold on E-bay.

“We sort of came in here through the back door, but we are leaving through the front door,” said Baffert, who now has won seven Triple Crown races. “We’re just glad we were able to purchase this horse and it is a great win for all of us. I told the prince I owe you a Derby after last year. He got his Derby.”

Security was apparent at almost every turn all day long, with National Guardsmen and police weaving in and out of crowds of racing revelers.

That didn’t deter 145,033 fans, who came out on a breezy, sunny day to wager in one of the best betting Derbys in years. The crowd was the fifth largest in Derby history.

Heightened security has become a fact of life at major sports events since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and the Derby was no different. Six New York City firefighters were honored before the race.