Glory Again for American Pharoah in Haskell

American Pharoah | EquiPhoto

American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile), proving the rigors of his historic Triple Crown sweep had taken nothing out of him, returned to action with a devastating victory in the GI William Hill Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park Sunday.

The victory drew awed praise from his trainer. “What I saw was amazing,” Bob Baffert, winning a record eighth Haskell, said. “I watched like a fan today. I'm looking at this horse like, 'Where did he come from?' I've had some really nice horses, but this horse, what he does is just incredible. He makes me emotional because he's a gift from God, or something. He's a brilliant racehorse and one, as trainers, we wait all of our lifetimes to get one like this. I'm just enjoying him as we go along.”

Bet down to 1-9 by a track record crowd of 60,983 adoring fans, American Pharoah broke well and led in the initial strides before being taken in hand by jockey Victor Espinoza. Competitive Edge (Super Saver) assumed command going under the wire the first time, but American Pharoah sat just off that speedy foe's flank with local contender Mr. Jordan (Kantharos) just a neck back in third while three wide into the first turn. Competitive Edge was a length in front after a quarter in :23.22 and a half in :46.14, with the favorite just cruising along in second. American Pharoah pounced to the lead after three-quarters in 1:09.60 and was two lengths in front in the blink of an eye. He opened up by as many as five lengths in the stretch while Espinoza remained motionless. Espinoza wrapped up on the champ with a furlong to run and was virtually standing up in the irons as American Pharoah came under the wire 2 1/4 lengths in front of the late-closing Keen Ice (Curlin).

“It was pretty easy,” Espinoza said of the race. “For me, the key was just coming out of there running. I didn't want to get into any bumping out of the gate, I just wanted to let him run his race. I knew that other horse would want to take the lead, so I sat back just a little bit. I never like to go head and head with another horse, so I sat back maybe half a length behind. He did everything by himself. It was pretty easy, pretty impressive.”

New Jersey is home for Ahmed Zayat and the owner admitted making a stop at Monmouth Park was an easy choice.

“Bringing us here was an easy decision–there is nothing better than coming here and seeing how much the people of New Jersey love horse racing,” a jubilant Zayat said. “I want to thank Monmouth Park for taking care of us and Kelly Breen for hosting us in his barn and with Victor, we've had tremendous luck together. We have tremendous trust in Bob and all the confidence in the world in him.”

Before American Pharoah had even returned to the Monmouth Park winner's circle, connections were being peppered with questions about where the champ would start next. Del Mar and Saratoga are among those wooing the champ for the Aug. 22 GI TVG Pacific Classic and Aug. 29 GI Travers S., respectively.

“We have to get him home and see how he bounces out of this [before making a decision on his next race],” Baffert said. “There are a lot of options out there. It doesn't make sense running him against the older horses right now. It's all about the timing and spacing. I know when I get back to my home track at Del Mar, they will have a lot of pressure on me right there in my back yard. We have to get him home first and see what we'll do. I want to do the right thing for American Pharoah. It's a race-by-race thing.”

American Pharoah, now beaten only once in nine trips to the post, battled to a one-length victory in the May 2 GI Kentucky Derby, but scored with ease in both the May 16 GI Preakness S., where he splashed home seven lengths the best, and in the June 6 GI Belmont S., where he completed his Triple Crown sweep with a front-running 5 1/2-length victory.

Baffert admitted he was suffering some nerves as his charge returned to the racetrack for the first time since the Belmont Sunday.

“I was so nervous today,” Baffert said. “He got a little stirred up today in the paddock. He was pretty fresh because he's had a lot of time in between races. I wanted him sharp today because I knew the pace was going to be fast. We had a lot of respect for those others horses. There were a lot of nice horses in there, so we tightened the screws on him. Competitive Edge, he's a fast horse. He was just cruising. Down the backside I saw Victor had a hold of him and I looked at those [fast] fractions, but it looked like he was going in :48. It's something that every time we run this horse or we work him, he's just getting stronger and better. I want this horse to run well, and now I feel a lot of pressure with him. Today, I was pretty anxious. I was more nervous than any time I've run him.”

Monmouth on Full Display for Haskell Day

by J.M. Severni

Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) put on an exhibition for the 60,983 in attendance Sunday at Monmouth Park, and it's safe to say the majority of on-lookers were in awe of the bay as he cruised down the Oceanport stretch. The Jersey Shore's somewhat overlooked gem of a track was on full display Sunday. The day was much more enjoyable than the early predictions of mobbed madness that were circulating and, although the attendance shattered the former record by 7,000, there seemed to be surprisingly little trouble with the crowd flow. With lines circling around the main entrance by 8:30 a.m., the crowd was more than enthusiastic about racing's newest superstar. Many adorned the American Pharoah shirts and foam fingers that were on sale in the gift shop, and even more donned their Haskell 2015 hats. By the time Bruce Springsteen's “Born to Run” was played during the post parade, the crowd was roaring with an enthusiasm that's rarely seen outside of the Triple Crown races. The entire track was at a standstill during the race, and the cheering became deafening as American Pharoah hit the front on the backstretch.

After the race, trainer Bob Baffert was swarmed with fans looking for autographs and photos, and more than a few yelled their gratitude towards Baffert and owner Ahmed Zayat for coming to New Jersey.

Baffert and the Zayat family's adoration for New Jersey and Monmouth Park was palpable.

“There's so many people who came out here,” Baffert said. “Monmouth Park has bent over backwards for us. They've always been so great to us. When I came here for the Breeders' Cup [in 2007], it's a shame that it rained because people didn't really didn't get to feel the warmth of Monmouth Park. It's a great little track. I love coming here. I remember the first time I came here was in 1997 and I ran second and had the greatest time.”

Zayat, who resides in New Jersey, shared similar sentiments about the track.

“We've been to a lot of different tracks and I've never seen an organization from the porter to the president that have been so unbelievably accommodating and inviting,” the owner commented. “It wasn't a hard decision [to come to the Haskell] because we know what kind of hospitality and track this is. Truly, people talk about Kentucky and their experience and loving it, but there's nothing like New Jersey. People love racing here. I want to thank [Monmouth] from the bottom of my heart.”

It's safe to say that, for the crowd at Monmouth Park on Sunday, the feeling of admiration was mutual.

Track officials couldn't have been happier with their record-setting perfomance.

“What an amazing day,” said Dennis Drazin, advisor to Darby Development LLC, operators of the track. “We were prepared and it showed. I want to express my gratitude to the entire Zayat family and to trainer Bob Baffert for giving New Jersey the biggest day in horse racing the Garden State has ever seen. I also want to thank the entire Monmouth Park team, who have worked tirelessly to make today the great success that it was. And, of course, I want to thank the fans, who truly made this an event that won't soon be forgotten.”

Sunday, Monmouth Park
WILLIAM HILL HASKELL INVITATIONAL S.-GI, $1,750,000, MTH, 8-2, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:47.95, ft.
1–AMERICAN PHAROAH, 122, c, 3, by Pioneerof the Nile
1st Dam: Littleprincessemma, by Yankee Gentleman
2nd Dam: Exclusive Rosette, by Ecliptical
3rd Dam: Zetta Jet, by Tri Jet
($300,000 Ylg '13 FTSAUG). O/B-Zayat Stables LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Victor Espinoza. $1,100,000. Lifetime Record: Ch. 2yo Colt, Triple Crown Winner, 9-8-0-0, $5,630,300. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
EQB-AmericanPharoah

HeartScanAuctionClient-EQB
VanMeter-Pharoah

KBIF-G1_v3

TrainingGraduate-McKathanBros
AmericanPharoah-6-bullets

2–Keen Ice, 118, c, 3, Curlin">Curlin–Medomak, by Awesome Again. ($48,000 Wlg '12 KEENOV; $120,000 Ylg '13 KEESEP). O-Donegal Racing; B-Glencrest Farm LLC (KY); T-Dale L Romans. $330,000.
FourStar

Performance
3–Upstart, 118, r, 3, Flatter–Party Silks, by Touch Gold. ($130,000 Ylg '13 SARAUG). O-Ralph M Evans & WinStar Farm LLC Lessee; B-Gerald A Nielsen (NY); T-Richard A Violette, Jr. $150,000.
WhyBreedAnywhereElse-NYTB

Margins: 2 1/4, 3, 3HF. Odds: 0.10, 18.30, 6.80.
Also Ran: Competitive Edge, Top Clearance, Dontbetwithbruno, Mr. Jordan. Scratched: Nonna's Boy.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

 

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