Two Down, One to Go

He had won the Kentucky Derby leading every step of the way. But Jockey Don Brumfield kept insisting that wasn't Kauai King's natural way of running. In winning seven of twelve previous races, the dark bay, three-year-old colt had come from behind every time. In the Preakness last week at Pimlico, under Brumfield's sure rein, Kauai King reverted to his old ways. The result was even more impressive than at Churchill Downs.

As it turned out, the only horse in the nine-entry field that gave Kauai King a run was a 4-1 shot named Stupendous. It was quite a tussle while it lasted. Overtaking Kauai King's early lead, Stupendous surged ahead in the backstretch, at one point opened a four-length gap. Not until he entered the homestretch did Kauai King start to come on. Responding to the sting of Brumfield's bat, his tongue lolling out of his mouth, he finished with a fantastic burst that carried him to a 1 3/4-length victory. Time: 1 min. 55 2/5 sec., second-fastest clocking since the Preakness was lengthened to 1 3/16 mi. in 1925.

The win yielded a purse of $129,000, raising Kauai King's earnings to $375,147, a fair return on Owner Mike Ford's original $42,000 investment. It also made Kauai King the early-line favorite to win next month's Belmont Stakes and become the first Triple Crown winner since Citation in 1948. "Racing needs a Triple Crown winner," said Jockey Brumfield. "I definitely know I do."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.