Historic Calumet back on sport's biggest stage

Calumet Farm has a horse in the 150th Belmont Stakes, which immediately conjures memories of past champions and especially two that achieved racing's highest honor.

The Lexington, Ky., farm raced Triple Crown winners Whirlaway (1941) and Citation (1948) in an era that the sport gripped the nation's conscience. Both were trained by Hall of Famer Ben Jones and among his record six winners of the Kentucky Derby. They raced in the famous devil's red and blue silks of the late Warren Wright, naming his stable after his baking-powder company.

Citation, the sport's first racing millionaire, and Whirlaway were ridden by Hall of Famer Eddie Arcaro. Generally ranked as one of the best racehorses of all time, Citation was the last Triple Crown winner until Secretariat (1973) became horse racing's first star of the television age.

With the deaths of Jones (his son and assistant trainer Jimmy retired) and foundation sire Bull Lea, Calumet went into decline for more than a decade. The Lexington farm did not regain prestige until young John Veitch took over as trainer and developed stars such as Alydar, runner-up to Affirmed in all three Triple Crown races of 1978.

Alydar became one of the sport's prominent sires before his sudden death in 1990. Calumet went into bankruptcy and its land put to the auction block in 1992. The farm went through two ownership changes before regaining a measure of greatness in this decade under Hall of Fame trainer Wayne Lukas, who conditioned 1990 Horse of the Year Criminal Type for the Wright family heirs.

Five years since winning the Preakness with Oxbow, giving Lukas a record 14th victory in the Triple Crown series, Calumet is back on the national scene -- this time not with a Triple Crown hopeful, but a would-be spoiler.

Stakes-winning Bravazo, a fast-closing second in the 143rd Preakness May 19, is one of nine 3-year-olds entered against unbeaten Justify in the 150th Belmont on Saturday. Sixth in the 144th Kentucky Derby, Bravazo is the only horse other than Justify to race in all three legs of the 2018 Triple Crown. With Luis Saez aboard and breaking from post three, Bravazo is 8-1 on the morning line.

Bravazo has been getting acquainted with his new surroundings since arriving at Belmont Park on Monday.

"The trip was easy and he had a good day on the track (Wednesday)," said Lukas. "He just galloped and did very well. He won't do anything of any consequence between now and the race. He's fit. Now I just need to keep him happy the rest of the way."

A half-length back at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Bravazo returns in the mile-and-half Test of the Champion at spacious Belmont Park on Long Island. The homebred colt can give Lukas, at 82, his fifth Belmont Stakes victory and first since Commendable in 2000.

"He had a very good trip in the Preakness," Lukas said. "What we would change if we could change it, to make the outcome a little better, would be to maybe move a little earlier. When Justify came off the [far] turn, he moved and then we moved. If we moved when he moved we might have been able to upset him."

Bravazo is tied with Blended Citizen as the most experienced horse in the field, with 10 starts under his belt. Bravazo scored an early-season victory at Oaklawn Park before taking the Grade 2 Risen Star at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, making him eligible for the May 5 Kentucky Derby. The colt ran surprisingly well at Churchill Downs, encouraging Lukas to challenge Justify again at Pimlico. Known for giving a horse every chance to prove himself, Lukas is no less optimistic about Bravazo's chances at Belmont.

"The foundation, just being fit, is going to help his chances," Lukas said. "They're all doing well; I've watched them all train. With the big configuration of the racetrack and the sweeping turns, we should have a good trip. I think it'll get down to which horses have the pedigree and the stamina to finish."

Whether his colt, sired by 1998 Breeders' Cup Classic winner Awesome Again, meets that criteria, the Hall of Fame trainer said "on paper it looks that way; we'll see what happens."

Sports on 06/07/2018

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