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Napoleon carries breeder's legacy in Crown

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November 26, 2008

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It will be a bittersweet moment for Sid Korn when Napoleon lines up behind the starting gate in the $500,000 Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Trot on Saturday night at the Meadowlands.

The colt represents a lifetime of racing hopes and dreams for Korn, ones he had hoped to share with his longtime partner, Alvin Jacobson. It was Jacobson who had insisted they breed Napoleon�s mother to Credit Winner four years ago. But Jacobson passed away May 8, 2007, just two months before Napoleon made his racing debut.

�Alvin bred a lot of horses, and with this one he brought me along kicking and screaming,� Korn said. �Unfortunately, he passed away last May and never got to see the fruit of his labor, so to speak. This horse is absolutely his legacy.�

Napoleon enters the Breeders Crown with a record of 10 wins in 23 career starts and $682,959 in earnings. He is rated at 15-1 from post five in the sixth race championship and will take on a field that includes Horse of the Year candidate Deweycheatumnhowe.

Korn and Jacobson purchased Napoleon�s dam, Growth Spurt, for $22,000 as a yearling. Though she looked promising training down as a 2-year-old for Bernard Grignola, she was plagued by soreness and a tendon injury. The two owners were conflicted about her future.

�Alvin decided he wanted to breed her and I definitely didn�t,� Korn said. �I wanted to bring her back to the races. Fortunately, he won that argument and he bred her to Credit Winner.�

Korn and Jacobson co-owned 30 horses together, including two-time Breeders Crown winner Mystical Sunshine.

�Alvin missed out on Mystical Sunshine�s dream season [in 2007] and this, so it hurts a little bit,� he said.

Jacobson�s family decided to dissolve their racing interests after his death, so Korn brought in partners Kenneth Tucci, Larry Thomases and John Guarniere, who purchased Jacobsen�s share of Napoleon and two other horses.

�We�ve all been in the business for a long time,� Korn said. �For all of us, this is a dream come true."

New York-based trainer Syl King Jr. developed Napoleon at two and guided him through his first few starts; Noel Daley took over the training duties after the Meadowlands meet ended last August.

�The first race [Daley] had the horse was the New York Sires Stakes at Monticello [on August 28, 2007],� Korn recalled. �He went off as the favorite and broke stride in the first turn. He fell back to last and then dragged [driver] Stephane Bouchard to the top. Coming to the half we figured, maybe he�ll hold on for a piece after that exertion. Then, he was challenged and just pulled away in the stretch. That�s when we knew we had something special.� (Meadowlands)

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