2002 KENTUCKY DERBY

WAR EMBLEM WINS 2002 KENTUCKY DERBY 

KENTUCKY DERBY OFFICIAL RESULTS

MAY 4, 2002

KENTUCKY DERBY

GRADE I

CHURCHILL DOWNS; LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY

FOR THREE YEAR OLDS

ONE AND ONE QUARTER MILES

MAIN TRACK: FAST

War Emblem

Winner

128th Kentucky Derby

Jockey: Victor Espinoza

Trainer: Bob Baffert

Owners: The Thoroughbred Corp.

OFFICIAL ORDER OF FINISH

Scratches: Buddah, Danthebluegrassman 

23.25, 47.04, 1:11.75, 1:36.70, 2:01.13

WAR EMBLEM WIRES DERBY FIELD

May 4, 2002

Churchill Downs

Louisville, Kentucky

So who says you can't have a derby winner when you don't even have a derby horse a month before the run for the roses?  Someone forgot to tell The Thoroughbred Corp., and Bob Baffert as their $900,000 purchase of Illinois Derby winner, War Emblem, gave The Thoroughbred Corp., its first Kentucky Derby Victory.  For Baffert it is his third trip to the winners' circle in recent years as he also trained Silver Charm and Real Quiet to Derby victories.

Jockey Victor Espinoza listened keenly to his instructions from trainer Baffert, as he later revealed in a winners' circle interview, waiting patiently aboard the three-year-old son of Our Emblem before drawing away in the stretch wiring the Derby field.   After strolling through three-quarters of a mile in 1:11.75 Espinoza found himself and his colt on a uncontested lead and had nursed himself into the stretch with plenty of horse as he demonstrated by drawing off in deep stretch finding an impressive second gear rolling to to an easy victory.  Proud Citizen and Perfect Drift ran second and third the entire way as Florida Derby and Blue Grass champ, Harlan's Holiday, the postime betting favorite, could do no better than seventh, most likely compromised by the slow early fractions.  Earlier scratches of Buddha and Danthebluegrassman most likely affected the speed duel or lack thereof on the front end in this race giving War Emblem the early lead after no one stepped up to claim it running under the wire the first time by the stands.  Buddha bruised his foot late in the week while Danthebluegrassman was found to have a slight muscle strain the morning of the Derby forcing him to scratch much to the anger of some other connections who had to sit by and watch the derby after being bumped after Baffert surprised everyone entering Danthebluegrassman on entry day taking the final derby post.  The controversial entry left some others on the sidelines even after the scratches because the Derby does not have an also eligible list.  A policy which will probably need to be reviewed after this race.

For the recap of the race see below.

The field broke to a good start as War Emblem found himself on the lead as the pack passed under the wire for the first time.  Lacking early pressure on the front end War Emblem lead the field through a modest opening quarter mile in 23.25.  Proud Citizen was content to track the leader in second as Perfect Drift settled into third position.  At this point, betting favorite Harlan's Holiday was running in seventh position.  Down the backside War Emblem rated on the lead and the field let him stroll through the opening half mile in a pedestrian 47.04 as Proud Citizen and Perfect Drift remained one and one-half lengths off the leader.  The field stretched out on the backside as the leaders were reaching the three-quarter mile marker where War Emblem was still leading Proud Citizen and Perfect Drift as the field continued to let the leaders run unchallenged.  War Emblem was still on the lead coming out of the far turn running the mile in 1:36.70 as Perfect Drift now put a head in front of Proud Citizen, in second,  as Came Home was now moving with his best run in fourth as Request For Parole was not responding to urging in fifth.  In the stretch, War Emblem remained in the lead and in deep stretch sprouted wings and found another gear to draw off to win The 128th Kentucky Derby by four lengths at the wire.  Proud Citizen finished second as Perfect Drift held on for third.  War Emblem is a three-year-old Dark Bay/Brown Colt owned by The Thoroughbred Corp., trained by Bob Baffert and was ridden by Victor Espinoza.