War Emblem, bidding to become the 12th winner of the American Triple Crown, completed the serious part of his Belmont Stakes preparation in good style. The Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes hero drilled five furlongs in one minute .01 seconds on a fast Churchill Downs surface under Dana Barnes on Tuesday. Trainer Bob Baffert said: "It was nice. I was a little bit worried about the heat but it looked like he was full of himself."
"I just wanted to get a nice little easy breeze into him - we didn't let him gallop out too strong. Last time (before the Preakness) we worked him a little bit too slow, so we decided that we would give him a little bit more. That should set him up," he added. War Emblem will also net a five million dollar bonus if he wins the Belmont Stakes on Saturday. The draw for the race takes place today.
Filed by Brendan Cole
