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Bobby Frankel, the Eclipse Award-winning trainer the past two years after Bob Baffert won it three straight years before, will try to dethrone War Emblem with longshot Medaglia d’Oro in the Belmont Stakes. Frankel admits he’s “definitely jealous” that Baffert is going for the Triple Crown.

“I feel jealousy toward me when I win a big race,” he said. “It’s human nature. Plus, if he wins the Belmont (and with it the $5 million Visa Triple Crown bonus), he’ll beat me out of the money title.”

But jealousy only goes so far. D. Wayne Lukas, who trains Proud Citizen, said it’s ridiculous to think someone would sacrifice his own chances in the Belmont just to deny Baffert the Crown.

“I don’t think anyone’s that vindictive,” Lukas said. “Bob may not be very popular, but I don’t think anyone will have that thought in mind when they go to the starting gate.

“That would be a sick person who had that attitude going into a million-dollar race.”

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Murray Johnson, trainer of Perfect Drift, keeps a big blue rubber ball hanging in front of the gelding’s stall for him to play with. Recently, he drew a picture of a black horse on the ball and wrote the name “War Emblem.”

“He’s been savaging War Emblem continuously,” Johnson said.