Bob Baffert and Prince Ahmed bin Salman were criticized for having bought the Kentucky Derby winner so late in the game. It was as if everyone had been considering the purchase of a 20-1 colt whose only mention before destroying the field was in the post parade introduction.

"And there's No. 5, War Emblem."

If the purchase of a Derby longshot was going to get them hammered in the press, Baffert and the Prince figured they may as well go all out on this supposed horse theft.

So on Tuesday the two horsemen announced they'd purchased Secretariat in a private sale. "I'm so proud of this horse," said Baffert, "I feel like I've raised him since he was a yearling."

"I'm the first Arab to win the Triple Crown," said the Prince. "I also like Americans."

Baffert took credit for Secretariat's 31 length win in the 1973 Belmont, pointing out how his final jockey instructions were the difference in the race. "I told him, 'try to get a 30-ength lead in the stretch, no one will be able to touch you,' " Baffert recalled.

"He moved like a tremendous machine," added Baffert.

Baffert's first Triple Crown win came without the relatively new Visa $5 million bonus. "Cheap bastards," said Baffert. But the glory of the Triple Crown championship was thrilling nonetheless. "We're looking at Seattle Slew right now," said Baffert, "and we may go after Affirmed also and just buy the 1970's as a package."

"That would be great," said the Prince, "to be known as the last Triple Crown winner. It's a very difficult thing to accomplish, as anyone in the racing business knows."

Baffert then mentioned how he'd always been a big fan of Citation. "To have trained four Triple Crown champions would be something, wouldn't it? I don't think D. Wayne has ever done that, has he?"

In the short term, the Prince is considering purchasing the entire Preakness field but not Pimlico itself.

"We're making only good investments," reasoned Baffert.