The most interesting of the preps so far, in large part because of Badge & his connections. When Werner burst on the scene at Kee 2 yrs ago by winning close to half of the 4.5 furlong races in the spring, it was reported that his training methods were unique even for a former quarter horse trainer. A rodeo rider, he was said to use rodeo training techniques, never explained in any detail. The impression left was that he was a lot tougher & more demanding on his babies, & they all seemed to have a running style which was quite a bit different than previously seen. They didn't break particularly fast, and didn't seem hellbent on running as fast as possible when the gate opened, but after about 100 yds they would exhibit a stunning burst of speed which would put them ahead by 2-4 lenghts almost instantly, and the race would be over. If memory serves, the tall & slender Werner always wears all black with a large white cowboy hat, which adds to the intrigue.

Ken Ramsey is said to have simply approached Werner in the paddock, and Badge was among the 10 horses Werner bought for Ramsey so that Ramsey could add the 4.5 furlong races to his assault on the owner's title at Kee. A high percentage of the 10 won, but all 10 were injured, Badge among the worst. He will be running Sun with 2 screws in the leg he broke in his 1st race, always a dicey proposition with a very fast horse which seems to strong desire to win.

After the Risen Star, Ramsey was quoted as saying he would run Badge in the Ill Derby instead of this race because Badge might bounce on short rest. Whether it was the bonus money or Werner, or the recent work, Ramsey reversed course, so the race will be interesting for that reason as well.

For some reason, Cide's trainer, who is very interesting as well, came to mind yesterday when Ken Rudolph awarded his hard luck story of the day award to an unfortunate gentleman who was shut out on a $26 winner after being delayed at the entrance to Bel by a process server who handed him divorce papers. After the award, Frank Lyons repeated the old saw that the reason divorce is so expensive is because it's worth it.