5.4.2001 Photo By: Jeremy Lyverse   Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel (above) conditions the Juddmonte Farm homebred Empire Maker.

Empire Maker Hopes To Validate Big Reputation In Sham
By: John Gaver III

(Feb. 5, 2003) - The pressure was on Empire Maker before he even made it into the starting gate as a 2-year-old. The Juddmonte Farm homebred not only has classic blue bloodlines, but also the nation's most successful trainer the past couple of years, Bobby Frankel, conditions him. It's easy to understand why the dark bay or brown son of Unbridled and Toussaud was in the 20-1 range in Kentucky Derby future action in Las Vegas before he ever ran.

On Friday, Feb. 7, Empire Maker will begin a campaign that his connections hope lands him smack-dab in the middle of the Kentucky Derby winner's circle on May 3, when he faces a field of six other colts in the $75,000 Sham Stakes, a restricted affair going nine-furlongs at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif.

Empire Maker, who will be making his Southern California debut in the Sham, broke his maiden in a one-turn mile event at Belmont Park last fall under a Jerry Bailey hand-ride. He followed that effort up with a third-place finish behind the multiple graded stakes winner Toccet in the Grade II Remsen, a race in which he was bet down to favoritism.

His Remsen effort was better that it looks on paper, considering he bobbled and was checked at the break and was niggled along throughout the race by jockey Jerry Bailey, who was trying to keep his colt in touch with pace after blowing the start. In short, Empire Maker never got a breather in the Remsen and when one considers that was his first start around two-turns while hooking graded stakes company as a 2-year-old, the effort is all the more impressive.

The Juddmonte Farm color-bearer has been training steadily at Frankel's home base of Hollywood Park since his effort in last year's Remsen and has been especially sharp of late. The colt drilled six-furlongs in a "bullet" 1:12 3/5 on Jan. 31 at Hollywood Park and prior to that move, he stepped off three-quarters of a mile in 1:12 4/5 on Jan. 25, also at Hollywood.

"He's pretty fit, I think he's going to run a good race," Frankel told Daily Racing Form's Brad Free on Feb. 4. "The distance is not an issue - he'll probably never run under a mile and an eighth." Empire Maker will break from post five in the Sham and will have the services of Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey.

Trainer Bob Baffert, whose barn is rich with sophomore talent, will run a pair of horses in the Sham - Spensive and Truckle Feature.

Spensive won the $75,000 Gold Rush Stakes in the slop at Golden Gate Fields as a two-year-old, but the Florida-bred son of Ponche is coming off a two-length loss at low odds at the hands Standard Setter in the Grade III Golden Gate Derby. He will break from post seven and will have the services of Hall of Famer Julie Krone.

Truckle Feature, a Kentucky-bred son of Saint Ballado, finished third in the Grade I Futurity at Belmont and third in the Grade II Lane's End Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland as a 2-year-old. He is coming off a hard-earned nose win over fellow Sham entrant Pine For Java in an optional claiming event at Hollywood Park last December. Truckle Feature and jockey Victor Espinoza will break from post one.

Trainer Caesar Dominguez will tighten the elastics on Pine For Java in the Sham, and the 52-year-old trainer believes the race's mile and an eighth distance will hit his colt right between the eyes.

"The longer the better," Dominguez said. "He should have won the Golden Gate Derby. He was on the inside, he broke slow and was like 20 lengths dead last on a muddy track. But he came flying and should have won the race, but that's racing luck." Pine For Java was beaten a length and a quarter by Standard Setter in the mile and a sixteenth Golden Gate Derby. He will break from six; jockey Patrick Valenzuela has the call.

Storm Gulch was scratched out of Feb. 1 Grade II San Vicente Stakes, a race won by the Thoroughbred Corp.'s Kafwain, but trainer Patrick Biancone has entered the son of Gulch in the Sham, which will be his first two-turn start. The chestnut colt breezed a half-mile at Santa Anita on Feb. 3 in :47 1/5 in preparation for the race. Laffit Pincay, Jr. has the call on Storm Gulch, who will break from post four.

Rounding on the field for the Sham is Ten Most Wanted, who broke his maiden going a mile at Santa Anita on Jan. 5 by nine lengths for trainer Wally Dollase, and Man Among Men, winner of the restricted Pinjara Stakes on turf.

The field for the Sham, in post position order with riders is Truckle Feature, Espinoza; Ten Most Wanted, Kent Desormeaux; Man Among Men, Alex Solis; Storm Gulch, Pincay, Jr.; Empire Maker, Bailey; Pine For Java, Valenzuela and Spensive, Krone.

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