Luv Gov to Run at Belmont

Horse was named in the wake of the Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal

There are no shortage of compelling storylines leading up to next weekend's Belmont Stakes. Calvin Borel's quest for a Triple Crown on the back of two different horses and the chance that Rachel Alexandra could again run with supreme girl power to beat the best three-year old boys in the nation are at the top of the list.

Not far behind, however, is the fate of a horse named Luv Gov. The horse's trainer, D. Wayne Lukas, announced on Thursday that the three-year old would run at Belmont. The horse was named Town Prowler until 2008 when its owners made a change shortly after news of then-Governor Eliot Spitzer's involvement with a prostitute came to light. Marylou Whitney and John Hendrickson chose Luv Gov based on a memorable New York Post headline about the case.

The couple, who are Republicans, said that the name wasn't a political statement before the Preakness.

"The last thing we want to do is offend (Spitzer)," Hendrickson said. "We're actually supporters of his. We gave him a lot of money, and he's always been good to us. It's just done out of fun."

Still, in the unlikely event that Luv Gov crosses the wire first, it will make for an awkward moment. Governor Paterson may be on hand to present the trophy, and it will be hard to escape the symbolic image of him handing the trophy to the scandal that elevated him to the state's highest office. It may be good for horse racing, which is annually deemed starved for attention during their three-race run in the nation's headlines, but it would be a tad awkward.

At least Paterson and Whitney have some history to make things run a little smoother. As the New York Times reports, Whitney's former father-in-law owned the horse named Upset, whose victory over Man o' War made upset part of the sports lexicon. Upset's shoes were made by Governor Paterson's great-grandfather, who got a house in Fort Greene as a bonus for winning the race.

Spitzer didn't respond to request for comment from the Times. One imagines, however, that more than a year into his attempt to rehabilitate his image, he'll be choosing other horses to fill out his trifecta bet on June 6th. If not for the money, then for the piece of mind of knowing that he wasn't rooting for all of his peccadilloes returning to the forefront.  

Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com.

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