2002 Belmont Stakes

American horse race 134th Belmont Stakes Belmont Stakes "The Test of the Champion" 1+1/2 mi furlong m 0 on Dirt Belmont ParkElmont, New York June 8, 2002 70.25 (to 1) Sarava 2:29.71 Edgar Prado Kenneth McPeek New Phoenix Stables and Susan Roy FastChart of the 2002 Belmont Stakes http://www.equibase.com/premium/chartEmb.cfm?track=BEL&raceDate=06/08/2002&cy=USA&rn=10 equibase.com 5 October 2016 2001 2003 The 2002 Belmont Stakes was the 134th running of the Belmont Stakes. The 1+1/2 mi m on race, known as the "test of the champion" and sometimes called the "final jewel" in thoroughbred horse racing's Triple Crown series, was held on June 8, 2002, three weeks after the Preakness Stakes and five weeks after the Kentucky Derby. War Emblem, trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Victor Espinoza, was the race favorite after winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in front-running fashion. However, he lost all chance of completing the Triple Crown after stumbling at the start of the race. Lightly regarded Sarava won at odds of 70–1, the biggest long-shot in the history of the Belmont Stakes. Pre-race War Emblem established himself as the horse to beat in the Belmont Stakes after wire-to-wire wins in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. Despite his racing ability, he was a temperamental colt known around the stable as "Hannibal Lecter" for his habit of trying to bite anyone who came too close.Haskin Steve Belmont Preview: All About War Emblem http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/187852/steve-haskins-belmont-preview-all-about-war-emblem bloodhorse.com 5 October 2016 Baffert was optimistic about the colt's chances, saying, "With [jockey] Victor [Espinoza], there's no thinking involved. Just get him out of the gate and let him go."Milbert Neil War Emblem's post has Baffert smiling https://www.chicagotribune.com/2002/06/06/war-emblems-post-has-baffert-smiling/ Chicago Tribune 5 October 2016 With Puzzlement a late scratch, ten other horses entered the race but only a few were given serious consideration by the bettors. War Emblem had already beaten most of the horses in the field, including Proud Citizen (2nd in the Derby, 3rd in the Preakness), Perfect Drift (3rd in the Derby), Medaglia d'Oro (4th in the Derby and 8th in the Preakness) and Magic Weisner (2nd in the Preakness). Of the "new shooters", the most highly regarded was Sunday Break, who had won the Peter Pan Stakes in May.Joseph Dave Last Laugh (and Triple Crown) Could Be War Emblem's http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2002-06-05/sports/0206050135_1_medaglia-d-oro-third-place-derby-finisher-war-emblem https://web.archive.org/web/20150507152754/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2002-06-05/sports/0206050135_1_medaglia-d-oro-third-place-derby-finisher-war-emblem dead May 7, 2015 sun-sentinel.com 5 October 2016 Trainer Kenneth McPeek had trained the beaten favorite for the Kentucky Derby, Harlan's Holiday. However, his entry in the Belmont was the lightly regarded Sarava, whose only win was the Sir Barton Stakes in May. "He's a nice horse," said McPeek. "He's a horse that's kind of coming together late. He's been a bit of a surprise for everybody, but at the same time, he's very well bred."McPeek's Late Developing Sarava Preps for Belmont Stakes http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/187756/mcpeeks-late-developing-sarava-preps-for-belmont-stakes bloodhorse.com 5 October 2016 A then record crowd of 103,222 attended the race.Drape Joe Early Stumble Dooms War Emblem's Triple Crown Bid https://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/09/sports/horse-racing-early-stumble-dooms-war-emblem-s-triple-crown-bid.html The New York Times 5 October 2016 9 June 2002 Race description War Emblem stumbled badly at the start and lost several lengths to the rest of the field. Baffert knew immediately that his chance to win the Triple Crown was over. "If I was on the walkie-talkie, I would have told Victor to pull him up. I didn't want him to go a mile and a half like that." Espinoza tried to salvage the situation by moving War Emblem to the rail behind the early leaders, Wiseman's Ferry and Medaglia d'Oro. War Emblem disliked being behind horses though and fought with Espinoza's attempts to settle him. He moved to the lead with about half a mile left in the race, but then ran out of energy, eventually finishing eighth. Medaglia d'Oro recovered the lead but was run down by Sarava in the stretch, who won by half a length. The two were well clear of Sunday Break in third.Chemer Reid War Emblem falters in bid for Triple Crown http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/horses/2002triplecrown/2002-06-08-belmont.htm usatoday30.usatoday.com 5 October 2016 "Of course we were shocked," said Gary Drake, Sarava's part-owner. "You don't lead a horse over there at 70-1 and not be surprised when he wins." McPeek added, "We just didn't know how good he was. You never do until you throw him in the ring with this kind."Kieckhefer Robert War Emblem stumbles, Sarava wins Belmont http://www.upi.com/War-Emblem-stumbles-Sarava-wins-Belmont/77531023579879/ UPI 5 October 2016 Chart FinishProgramNumberHorseMarginJockeyTrainerPost TimeOddsWinnings112Sarava1 2 Edgar Prado Kenneth McPeek70.25$600,00028 Medaglia d'Oro9 1 2 Kent Desormeaux Robert Frankel Robert J. Frankel16.00$200,00035 Sunday Break (JPN)1 Gary Stevens Gary Stevens (jockey) Neil Drysdale8.10$110,0004 11 Magic Weisner1 1 4 Richard Migliore Nancy Alberts 7.30$60,00059 Proud Citizen1 1 4 Mike E. Smith D. Wayne Lukas7.00$30,00064 Essence of Dubai4 1 4 Jerry Bailey Saeed bin Suroor20.6072 Like a Hero1 3 4 Pat Day C. Greely25.50810 War Emblem30 3 4 Victor Espinoza Bob Baffert1.2593 Wiseman's Ferry1 Jorge Chavez Niall O'Callaghan18.80106 Perfect Drift20 3 4 Eddie Delahoussaye Murray Johnson5.60111 Artax Too José A. Santos Jennifer Pedersen71.75 Source: Equibase Times: 1 4 — 0:24.11; 1 2 — 0:48.09; 3 4 — 1:12.38; mile — 1:37.01; 1 1 4 — 2:03.50; final — 2:29.71. Fractional Splits: (:24.11) (:23.98) (:24.29) (:24.63) (:26.49) (:26.21) Payout The 135th Belmont Payout Schedule Program Number Horse Name Win Place Show 12 Sarava $142.50 $50.00 $22.40 8 Medaglia d'Oro - $16.00 $10.80 5 Sunday Break - - $7.10 $2 Exacta (12-8): $2,454.00 $2 Trifecta (12-8-5): $25,219.00 $2 Superfecta (12-8-5-1): $145,334.00 See also 2002 Kentucky Derby 2002 Preakness Stakes References 2 Category:Belmont Stakes races Belmont Stakes Belmont Stakes Belmont Stakes Belmont Stakes