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Belmont signals end to bizarre Triple Crown
By Ed McNamara
Special to ESPN.com
ELMONT, N.Y. -- It started with such promise, as these horse operas often do. Seconds after Fusaichi Pegasus crossed the finish line in the Kentucky Derby, the touchy-feely gushiness began. "At last, a true superstar. Finally, a Triple
Crown winner to make us all proud. Won't it be great for the game?"
Long before thoroughbreds existed, William Shakespeare wrote: "Oh, for a horse with wings." For a few weeks, it appeared we might have one. Then came the Preakness, when Red Bullet and the mud brought down the wonder
beast and everybody who had him at the absurd odds of 2-5.
|  | | What started with a horse, Fusaichi Pegasus, who looked unbeatable in Kentucky, ends Saturday with a star-less Belmont Stakes. |
Shakespeare also wrote this: "What fools these mortals be."
Still, after the bringdown in Baltimore, at least we had the birth of a rivalry: Red Bullet vs. Fusaichi Pegasus. That lasted a week. Enter owner Frank Stronach, who decided his colt needed more time between races and
would skip the Belmont Stakes. Exit Red Bullet.
Now it was up to Fusaichi Pegasus to resurrect his reputation with a victory lap around the big horse park on Long Island. Unfortunately, he was startled from an afternoon nap, jumped up and cut his foot. Enjoy
California, big fella. Catch you later, if we're lucky.
Nothing leads you into more ambushes than hope. Be careful what you wish for, because very rarely will it come true, especially when you're dealing with animals this fragile. Dreamers, beware.
Oh well, they still have to run the Belmont for the 132nd time on Saturday. It'll be once around the only 1½-mile dirt track in North America, although there's not going to be anything grand about this Triple
Crown finale. The Test of the Champion? Ha! More like the first million-dollar allowance race in history.
The likely favorite, Aptitude, is 1-for-6 lifetime and hasn't won since New Year's Day. One of his main rivals, Impeachment, is 1-for-8 and winless since his debut in late December. Commendable and Curule also are
eligible for nonwinners-of-1 conditions. Postponed won the Peter Pan because
of a perfect trip and a 10-pound weight break, and Wheelaway's claim to fame
is a victory in the Tampa Bay Derby.
Of course, the mediocrity of the field won't prevent much money from changing hands. This is what ABC announcer Dave Johnson likes to call "a good bettin' race," and Eddie Mac defines a good race as one that sends me
to the window to collect. I get a lot more satisfaction from being right and
cashing than from watching a heavy favorite win by daylight in fast time.
Bobby Frankel, who trains Aptitude, feels the same way.
"Any time something happens that helps the chances of one of my horses, I won't complain," he said. "I won't kid you like a lot of guys who'll say I'm sorry that Fusaichi Pegasus isn't running.
"That would be dishonest. If the horse who looks like the horse to beat is not in the race, that makes it a bit easier. I don't care about who I beat, I just care about winning."
And who has the best chance of doing that? Aptitude, Wheelaway and Impeachment should get the distance, and Globalize and Unshaded look like contenders, too. But let's step away from the nuts and bolts of handicapping
and get cosmic. Let's fall into step with the rhythm of this off-beat Triple
Crown.
When I factor in vibes and the weirdness in the wind, I'm all over Globalize, who has tactical speed and a decent stamina pedigree. I have a warm spot in my heart for him, and not for sentimental reasons. I was in an abysmal, extended losing streak before I had him at odds of 11-1 on March 25 in the Spiral Stakes at Turfway Park. That signaled a turnaround in my
pari-mutuel fortunes.
That's the vibes part. The weirdness factor is even more compelling.
Two days before the Derby, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer had to scratch Globalize after a stable pony kicked him in the leg and opened a cut that required stitches. Of all the ways to be denied the chance of a lifetime, this was a new one. Hollendorfer also was tortured at the 1998 Derby, when his highly regarded Event of the Year suffered a leg injury a week before
the race. So maybe cruel, arbitrary fate owes Hollendorfer.
All right, time to free associate. Bear with me. All right, here I go ... wacky Triple Crown, but there's a pattern.
Trend-busting: Fusaichi Pegasus, first Derby favorite to win in 21 years; Red Bullet, first Preakness winner in 17 years to skip the Derby; Globalize, first horse
to win the Belmont after being kicked out of the Derby by a stable pony?
It'll be strange and heartwarming, and maybe you'll get 6-1 on him.
You doubt me, cynics? It's all so twisted that it makes perfect sense. It's the logical conclusion to a Triple Crown that fell apart. You've got to believe. Without faith, all is lost.
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