Triple threat

What makes Triple Crown races so special - the grueling schedule - can also take a toll on the horses.

By BRANT JAMES

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 17, 2000

It was a moment that tested the humanity of owner and trainer. The instant where ambition met responsibility.

Trainer Joe Orseno was fortunate. Owner Frank Stronach did not push to have his Triple Crown hopeful, Red Bullet, rushed into the May 6 Kentucky Derby, even though the colt had the proper resume and bloodlines. Even though waiting for this week's Preakness Stakes cost the CEO of Magna Entertainment his first Kentucky Derby starter. Even though it cost him a chance to canter into Louisville and steal the show from Churchill Downs Inc., his company's rival force.

"We looked at everything and decided to do what is best for the horse and not to just follow our hearts," Orseno said. "I think it says a lot about the Stronachs. How many people would pass on a chance to run in the Kentucky Derby in order to preserve the welfare and the longevity of a horse?"

Orseno and Stronach changed their schedule for the sake of the colt. Some trainers have suggested that organizers of racing's Triple Crown do the same.

Until that highly unlikely change happens, trainers are left to balance the demands of owners, millions of dollars and prestige against the welfare of their horses.

Jenine Sahadi, who trained a Kentucky Derby starter for the first time with The Deputy, has been amazed by the rigors of the prep season. Things only got tougher beginning with the Derby, which is followed in two weeks by the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont on June 10.

"It's a brutal scenario on a horse," Sahadi said. "I think it's too grueling a schedule. There is so much money now in races for younger horses that wasn't there before, people are more inclined to ship and run more races, and that takes a toll.

"By the time you get to the Derby, you're never absolutely confident."

After The Deputy finished 14th in the Derby, she opted to skip the Preakness.

"I'm going to give him a month to kick back," she said.

Sahadi, who said she was uneasy about running The Deputy twice within three weeks in the San Felipe and Santa Anita Derby, said she favors a six-week layoff between Triple Crown races.

Neil Drysdale, who trains Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus, caused a momentary heart murmur in fans and racing historians late last week when he suggested his horse was not a lock to start in the Preakness.

Drysdale's history gave his warning credence. He scratched A.P. Indy, probably the best horse in the 1992 Kentucky Derby, hours before the race because of a foot problem.

Each horse handles the stress of stakes racing differently. Some lose weight, like Red Bullet, who dropped 14 pounds after finishing second to Fusaichi Pegasus in the Wood Memorial. Losing that much weight is not detrimental to a horse that weighs roughly 1,200 pounds, but the colt's losing weight for the first time after a race was enough of a red flag to worry Orseno.

Two-time Derby-winning trainer Nick Zito recently admitted that accelerating the schedule of one-time Derby favorite Greenwood Lake stressed the colt in the prep season. Greenwood Lake's Triple Crown pursuit ended with a fractured ankle in March.

Altering the Triple Crown schedule likely will never happen, partly because of money, partly because tradition is held so dear. Only 11 horses have won the Triple Crown since Sir Barton did it first in 1919. To win it with more time between the races would not be regarded in the same way.

"What makes the Triple Crown so special is it's so hard," said trainer Elliott Walden, who has sent three horses to the Kentucky Derby. "I don't think it's damaging to a horse if you've had that goal all along. If you try to back in and aren't prepared, you're going to have problems."

Sahadi acknowledges the search for the "wonder horse" that can beat the world's best 3-year-olds over 11/4, 1 3/16 and 11/2 miles in five weeks is alluring.

The key is responsibility, said Mary Scollay-Ward, track veterinarian at Gulfstream Park.

"It's a tough decision for the connections of the horse," Scollay-Ward said. "You really have to depend on their responsibility and horsemanship. If you run and the horse sustains an injury, you're going to say it was too much. If it wins, it wasn't too much. Perspective has a lot to do with it."

Orseno's perspective has not changed as he prepares to stalk Fusaichi Pegasus on Saturday at the Preakness.

"I'm happy we followed the plan," he said. "If you have any doubts, you have to take the extra time. These are race horses, not machines, and you have to realize that."

WHEN: Post time is about 5:27 p.m. Saturday.

WHERE: Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore.

TV: Ch. 28, coverage begins at 4:30.

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