Riaan Bob Baffert wayesebuyele esimweni sakhe, emi ngaphandle kwesibaya, ekhuluma nabangane, ekhuluma nabanikazi, ekhuluma nezintatheli.
Ubambe isikram sakhe sokuqala sabezindaba cishe ngo-7:15 ekuseni ngoLwesihlanu.
“Nginjalo [Gustavo] Delgadoangisazi isiNgisi,” esho ehleka ebhekise kumqeqeshi we UMage owine iKentucky Derby, ongesona isikhulumi sesiNgisi somdabu futhi onendodana yakhe eyenza iningi lezinhlolokhono. “Uhlakaniphile. Khuluma no [my son] Bode.”
Ngokuhamba kwehora, u-Baffert wenze izingqungquthela zezindaba ezintathu ezincane ngaphambi kwe-Preakness Stakes ngoMgqibelo e-Pimlico Race Course, ephendula imibuzo efanayo cishe ngendlela efanayo ngaso sonke isikhathi.
Intshisekelo ekhulayo kumqeqeshi we-Hall of Fame yingoba uyaqala ukubonakala emjahweni we-Triple Crown eminyakeni emibili. Ngesikhathi egcina ukubonakala esikhungweni se-Triple Crown, ubesendlini yakhe eChurchill Downs ezivikela yena nehhashi lakhe ngemuva. U-Medina Spirit uhlolwe ukuthi une-HIV ngomuthi wosuku lomjaho. Umphumela wokugcina waleso simo uzoxazululwa ezinkantolo.
Ngemuva kokutholakala kokuhlolwa okuqondile, uChurchill Downs wamvala u-Baffert iminyaka emibili. UMedina Spirit wagijima ku-Preakness, kodwa u-Baffert wahlala ekhaya ukuze angabi isiphazamiso. Ngemuva kokuba sekucacile ukuthi iMedina Spirit yayingeke igijime eBelmont Stakes, I-New York nayo ivinjelwe umqeqeshi iminyaka emibili nakuba engazange abe nezidakamizwa esifundazweni. Kamuva ukuvinjelwa kwehliswa kwaba unyaka owodwa.
“Ngiyayithanda i-Baltimore,” kusho u-Baffert kunoma ngubani obuze. “Kulezi zakudala, imnandi kakhulu. Ingcindezi yeDerby isiphelile futhi usenomnqobi weDerby. Iphathi enkulu. Abantu bafuna ukuza lapha ukuze bajabule futhi babone owinile weDerby egijima. Yilokho okushiwo nguPreakness.
“Siyakuthanda lapha. Ukhiye ophansi kakhulu. Bakuphatha kahle kakhulu, futhi unabo bonke abantu endaweni [same] i-barn ipholile ngempela.”
I-Preakness yalo nyaka ibonakala ingaphansi kwe-stellar. Ihhashi elilodwa kuphela kwayi-18 abegijima e-Louisville emasontweni amabili edlule elikhona, kodwa yilelo obulifuna. UMage usuke ku-8-5 emgqeni wasekuseni waya ku-4-5 lapho inkundla yehliswa yaba yisikhombisa ngemuva kwentandokazi yesibili yangaleso sikhathi. Umsebenzi Wokuqala ikhishwe ngoLwesihlanu.
Amahhashi amabili – Chase the Chaos kanye ne-Coffeewithchris – abukeka ehluke kakhulu, okushiya amahhashi amane kuphela ababheji abakholelwa ukuthi angabekela uMage inselelo yokuwina emjahweni wamamayela angu-1 3/16.
“Ngicabanga ukuthi uma uza nomnqobi weDerby, unethuba elincane ngoba ihhashi lakho selihambe imayela nekota,” kusho u-Baffert. “Uphile saka. Angikaze ngiyinqobe [after not running in] eDerby. Kuwumuzwa ohlukile. Kodwa ngicabanga ukuthi uMage uyihhashi okufanele alishaye. Ugijime umjaho omkhulu futhi ugijima kancane. Lokhu akwenzile ngesikhathi esifushane nje kuyamangalisa. Ukhona [definitely] ihhashi ukulishaya.”
Ongenele u-Baffert kuphela ku-Preakness akazange agijime e-Derby. Umcebo Wesizwe okwamanje uyintandokazi yesibili ngo 3-1. Akakaze agijime kusukela eqede endaweni yesine kuSanta Anita Derby.
“Ngifuna ukunikeza leli hhashi ithuba,” kusho u-Baffert. “Nginamanye amahhashi engingathanda ukuba nawo lapha. Kodwa angikwazanga ukuwalungisa ngesikhathi – i-Arabian Knight ne-Cave Rock. Leli hhashi lenza kahle. Yindawo enhle kuyena uma engathola inhlanhla. Angagijima kuqala noma kwesibili. Ingabe muhle ngokwanele? Ngicabanga ukuthi sizokwazi.”
U-Baffert usewine lo mjaho izikhathi eziyisikhombisa, futhi ukunqoba kuzonqamula ukulingana no-Robert Wyndham Walden kuma-Preakness amaningi awine umqeqeshi. UWalden wabeka uphawu lwakhe ngasekupheleni kwawo-1800. Abahlanu kwabaphumelele i-Baffert bafike ngemuva kokunqoba ku-Kentucky Derby. Owokugcina okungewona oweDerby owawina i-Baffert kwaba Abuke uLucky ngo-2010.
Umqeqeshi we-Hall of Fame u-Bob Baffert uhamba eduze kwezitebele ngoLwesihlanu e-Pimlico Race Course ngaphambi kwe-Preakness Stakes ngoMgqibelo. UBaffert usewine iPreakness izikhathi eziyisikhombisa.
(Julio Cortez / Associated Press)
“Angicabangi ngempela ngamarekhodi,” kusho u-Baffert. “Uma kwenzeka, kuyenzeka. Okubaluleke nakakhulu, ngingathanda ukubona wonke amahhashi ami egijima kahle kakhulu. Isizathu sokuthi ngiliwine izikhathi eziningi ukuthi bengihlezi nginehhashi elihamba phambili. Ihhashi elihamba phambili livamise ukunqoba lo mjaho.”
NgoLwesihlanu, ishothi ephambili ka-Baffert yokuwina, u-Faiza, ifike imfishane ku-$300,000 ye-Black-Eyed Susan Stakes yezingane ezineminyaka emithathu ubudala. Akazange ehlulwe emijahweni emihlanu futhi wagcina ukunqoba i-Santa Anita Oaks ngobude obungu-6½. Ophumelele ube ngu-11-1 weshodi elide elithi Taxed.
U-Baffert unamanye amahhashi amabili agijima ngoMgqibelo. Ibhubesi lase-Arabia iyintandokazi ka-2-5 ku-Sir Barton Stakes, umjaho wamamayela angu-1 1/16 wabaneminyaka emithathu ubudala, kanye Havnameltdown iyintandokazi ka-8-5 ku-Chick Lang Stakes enobude obuyisithupha.
Ukunqoba emijahweni yamakhadi kungaba kuhle, kodwa u-Baffert uvumile ukuthi akusona isizathu esenza abantu beze ku-Preakness.
“Konke kumayelana nomnqobi weDerby,” kusho u-Baffert. “Konke kumayelana noMage. Abalandeli bakhona ukuzobuka uMage egijima, hhayi lapha ukuzobuka iNational Treasure. Bafuna ukumbona ewina adlulele eBelmont aqhubeke nephathi.”
U-Baffert akazange ahlale ngesikhathi sakhe kude noMqhele Kathathu. Ngonyaka odlule, ubeyofaneleka ukugijima ku-Preakness ukube akazange anikezwe isigwebo sokumiswa izinsuku ezingu-90 ku-Medina Spirit positive, cishe ngemva konyaka.
“Uma uza nehhashi elihle, uyaphuthelwa,” kusho u-Baffert. “Uma unenye ocabanga ukuthi ingawunqoba awuphuthi. Kufana nanoma yimuphi umjaho engiya kuwo: Ufuna ukuya lapho nehhashi elibukhoma. Ayikho into embi njengokuya ndawana thize ube wazi ukuthi awunalo ithuba.”
U-Baffert unamathuba amathathu asele, elinye lawo elibaluleke kakhulu kunawo wonke amanye.
