My Sweet Heart, a 3-year-old half-sister to 2002 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner War Emblem, won the first start of her career Friday at Arlington Park when she captured the final event on the twilight racing program by a half-length. Owned by Russell L. Reineman Stable Inc., who also owned War Emblem through his Illinois Derby victory last season before selling him prior to the Triple Crown, My Sweet Heart is by You and I, and is the last foal out of the Lord At War mare Sweetest Lady. She also dropped War Emblem following a mating with Our Emblem the previous season. Charles Nuckols Jr. and Sons in Kentucky bred both horses. My Sweet Heart commenced her rally midway down the backstretch in Friday's one mile race, challenged for command entering the lane and was then kept to pressure to withstand stablemate Old Dixie Home at the wire. War Emblem also won the first start of his career, which came at Arlington on Oct. 4, 2001, in the fall of his 2-year-old season. Following Friday's race, trainer Bobby Springer was asked to compare the two siblings, both of which began their careers under his shedrow. "You can't (compare them)," Springer said. "War Emblem liked training and did it well. She didn't know what she was doing until about a month ago, when she finally began to figure it out. We didn't force her. Once she began to pick it up, we went on with her." Jockey Zoe Cadman, winning her first Arlington Park race in 2003 aboard My Sweet Heart, echoed Springer's feelings.
"She got a lot better than she was last year," said Cadman, who won Arlington's Rising Star Award in 2000. "I knew the distance today wasn't going to be a problem. She really still doesn't know what to do, but I think she's going to figure it out."
