From Louisville to Dubai, from Los Angeles to Paris, no one in the sport has a higher Q-rating. Everybody knows Bob Baffert, the white-haired wise guy who has won eight Triple Crown races, two Dubai World Cups and 10 Eclipse Awards, including three for trainer. Yet the man with the most recognizable head in racing rarely has held it high on Breeders' Cup day.

Almost nobody knew who Baffert was 10 years ago when his first Cup starter, Thirty Slews, won the '92 Sprint at Gulfstream at odds of 18-1. Beginner's luck hasn't led to much on championship day. He's had only one other Breeders' Cup win, with Silverbulletday in the 1998 Juvenile Fillies. If not for trainer Bobby Frankel's stunning 1-for-42 Breeders' Cup record, Baffert would be taking a lot more heat for his long string of failures in the season's grand finale. Although his 29 runners have earned more than $3.77 million on Cup day, his 27 losers have burnt much more money than that.

Baffert is back in force again this year, bringing seven horses to Arlington Park for Saturday's 19th running of the Cup. Besides going for the 1 1/4-mile Classic with Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner War Emblem, he'll send out six 2-year-olds. Santa Catarina, Composure and Atlantic Ocean will try for the 1 1/8-mile Juvenile Fillies and Kafwain, Bull Market and Vindication will go in the 1 1/8-mile Juvenile.

Many handicappers suspect that War Emblem's best is behind him and think his two-month layoff won't help him win the Classic. Baffert, of course, disagrees.

"Well, War Emblem, he looks great, and he's going to show up," Baffert said Thursday. "He's put on some weight. I think the freshening really did some good. Now he looks fantastic, and everything looks good. I didn't like seeing E Dubai in there because he's a pretty fast horse. So he's probably going to hurt us up front."

War Emblem, a need-to-lead type, is likely to get hooked early by E Dubai, with Came Home and Medaglia d'Oro not far behind. A bigger worry for Baffert is his colt's tendency to have problems at the start, which doomed him in the Belmont Stakes, when he stumbled at the break, and in his last race, the Pacific Classic at Del Mar. "We're just going to need some racing luck," Baffert said. "Got to get out of that gate."

Baffert may have a better chance in the 1 1/8-mile Juvenile, where Bull Market, Kafwain and Vindication all deserve respect in a wide-open race. Kafwain nosed out Bull Market at Santa Anita in the 1 1/16-mile Norfolk after Bull Market went to war on the pace and Kafwain got a perfect trip. Vindication's speed figures aren't terrific, but his last-to-first win by six lengths in the Kentucky Cup Juvenile was visually dazzling.

"Bull Market really has a lot of talent," Baffert said. "I thought he ran a great race in the Norfolk. He got out there with some really fast fractions and looked like he should have given it up. But then he kicked back on again. Kafwain ran a really good race that day, too. So they're doing great. I expect a better performance from Bull Market. I think that race will really move him forward.

"Vindication ran a great race at Turfway Park. It was a deep, sandy racetrack, and he got away a little slow, got behind horses, took a lot of sand and came around and finished well. So he's got his two-turn experience. I'd rather just keep him fresh and not put too many races into him. I think he's got a lot of talent and I want him for next year as a three-year-old, too."

In the Juvenile Fillies, the undefeated Storm Flag Flying will be the day's most heavily bet favorite, probably around even money or 6-5. Baffert's Santa Catarina was a respectable second to her in the 1 1/16-mile Frizette at Belmont Park, and she may have the best chance at the upset if the daughter of 1995 Juvenile Fillies winner My Flag stumbles. Santa Catarina, by Unbridled, may have the best pedigree in the field for 1 1/8 miles. Jerry Bailey, who will ride Santa Catarina again, thinks she'll improve with distance.

"I am not sure that a mile is her best or a mile and a sixteenth is her best distance," Bailey said. "It might sound funny, but even though Storm Flag Flying caught me from behind, I think my filly could be a little bit better going farther, because she is kind of one-paced. She has got a high cruising speed, but no real kick.

"Now I mean I am not kidding myself. Storm Flag Flying is a real nice filly. Bob Baffert said my filly has got a few lengths of improvement. And she will have to. She will have to improve to be able to beat Phipps' filly.

"The question is does [Storm Flag Flying] have one more improvement left in her? If she keeps improving, I think we are in trouble."