Early Career
War Emblem's sire was Our Emblem, and his dam was Sweetest Lady. He also won the 2002 Preakness Stakes and the Haskell Invitational Handicap, and had prepped for the Derby with a win at the Illinois Derby.
The Kentucky-bred War Emblem, dark brown with a stark white demarkation between his eyes, lost the Triple Crown bid to Sarava at the Belmont Stakes. Sarava had odds of 70-1. War Emblem stumbled and nearly fell to his knees out of the gate coming out in last place and surged to the lead in the final turn before fading quickly at the top of the stretch. The Belmont attracted the biggest crowd in the track's history with 103,222 spectators.
Baffert said of the Belmont, "He was so one-dimensional and such an irritable horse as it was, as soon as he was behind horses, I had to sit there for 2½ minutes waiting for the race to be over." As he approached the quarter pole, Tom Durkin called, "And War Emblem is toiling as we turn for home."
Ahmed bin Salman bought a ninety percent interest in War Emblem for $1 million from the Russell L. Reineman Stable following the horse's April 6 win in the Illinois Derby, just three weeks before the Kentucky Derby.
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