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CNN Live Saturday

Can War Emblem Win Triple Crown?

Aired May 18, 2002 - 12:28   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Winning the Triple Crown. It's the toughest trick in horse racing, a long shot so difficult that no horse has done it since 1978. In just a few hours, War Emblem will take a shot at a place in history. CNN's Josie Karp joins us from Baltimore with a preview of the Preakness.

JOSIE KARP, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, there are 13 horses entered in the 127th running of the Preakness stakes, but War Emblem is the only one that still has a chance to win the Triple Crown. And that's an amazing thing to say if you consider the unique history that this horse has. Just six weeks ago, he wasn't even a Kentucky Derby contender, but on April 6 he was the runaway winner of the Illinois Derby, and that really changed everything for him and for Saudi horse racing owner Prince Ahmad bin Samin (ph), because he watched that race and was looking for a horse to enter into the Kentucky Derby, so he went out after that Illinois Derby and he just bought War Emblem for about $900,000. He got a 90 percent stake in that horse, and then he handed him over to veteran trainer Bob Baffort (ph).

It was just 23 days after the sale that War Emblem won the Kentucky Derby. And he did not just win it; he did in shocking wire- to-wire fashion. So today he has a chance to take that second step in the Triple Crown. But the other 12 trainers who had trained the horses going up against War Emblem say that things are going to be different today. They are not going to let this horse, who really surprised everybody, get out to that lead uncontested. One trainer even said that going into the first turn there will be so many horses pushing for the lead it is going to look a lot like the Indianapolis 500 out there, Fredricka.

Back to you.

WHITFIELD: And it looks like the weather just might cooperate for it too. All right, thanks a lot there.

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