Breeders' Cup Trio Stand Out As Favorites On The '02 Visa Triple Crown Trail

As usual, it looks like another East vs. West competition along next year's trail toward the $5 million Visa Triple Crown Challenge that begins shortly after New Year' Day. But unlike in other years, the East portion of the equation reaches far beyond the east coast of the United States, all the way to Ireland, leaving the entire North American continent in the West.

Of course, it's never a certainty that the top European 2-year-old will journey to the United States as a 3-year-old for a run at the Kentucky Derby, the first of the Visa Triple Crown jewels to be run on May 4 at Churchill Downs. But since Breeders' Cup Juvenile champion Johannesburg has Michael Tabor as a co-owner and the only other European runner to capture the Juvenile, Arazi in 1991, returned for the next year’s Derby, chances seem rosy for the brilliant bay son of Hennessy to return for the world’s greatest race.

Tabor, of course, owned 1995 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Thunder Gulch. That winner, however, did all his running in the United States under the training of four-time Derby winner D. Wayne Lukas. The undefeated Johannesburg, on the other hand, has run all of his races prior to Belmont Park's Breeders' Cup in either England or Ireland under the watchful and keen eye of champion Irish trainer Aidan P. O'Brien. The Kentucky-bred bay colt is co-owned by Mrs. John Magnier, wife of the master of Coolmore Stud and a frequent partner with Tabor.

From the West, the United States, that is, come Breeders' Cup Juvenile runner-up Repent and Siphonic, who made the lead early in the stretch of the Juvenile but couldn't hold off the powerful stretch-running Johannesburg and the late-flying Repent, finishing a solid third in a race where he was under pressure on the rail throughout.

Johannesburg was put away for the year following the Breeders' Cup triumph, but both Repent and Siphonic ran once more and posted impressive victories. For their 2002 campaigns, they will be on opposite sides of the continent. Trainer Kenneth McPeek can choose from among Gulfstream Park, the Fair Grounds, Oaklawn Park and Turfway Park for Repent's racing venues, while David Hofmans will keep his bay son of Siphon in Southern California for the 3-year-old Triple Crown preps at Santa Anita.

Hofmans chose to go east with Millennium Wind for the past Triple Crown run, winning the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland before finishing 11th to Monarchos in the Kentucky Derby. For 2002, Hofmans sees no reason to leave his home base since there's no foe of the caliber of 2001 Preakness and Belmont Stakes winner Point Given. Hofmans did dodge five-time winner Officer by prepping for the Juvenile in Keeneland's Laness End Breeders' Futurity, which he won impressively.

Officer, in the meantime, has fallen on hard times, finishing fifth in the Juvenile as the 3-5 favorite and following that up with two more losses as the season closed. The last defeat came at the hands of Siphonic in the Grade I Hollywood Futurity at Hollywood Park Dec. 15. Officer finished third, leading trainer Bob Baffert to wonder if the son of Bertrando can make the mile and a quarter required of Derby horses. Siphonic's Futurity victory gave him a record of three wins and a third in four starts.

For his part, Repent closed out his year with a commanding victory in Churchill Downs' Grade II Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes on Nov. 24. The win gave him a record of three victories, a second and a third in five starts for his freshman campaign.

As always, the Visa Triple Crown trail will not be a two-horse or three-horse race. Many new faces will be surfacing to go along with the top three mentioned. Already, 2-year-olds such as Came Home, Publication, Saarland (2) and Harlan's Holiday made names for themselves over their campaigns and can be expected to mature into top Triple Crown prospects during 2002.

Nominations for the Visa Triple Crown Challenge will be open at the beginning of the year, with representatives from Triple Crown Productions and the three racetracks involved - Churchill Downs, Pimlico Racetrack and Belmont Park - at all the major racing venues in January. Closing day for early nominations - at $600 per horse - is January 19. A late closing - at $6,000 per nominee - has been set for March 30.

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