Eight Rings Rolls to Victory in American Pharoah
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Photo: Benoit Photo
Eight Rings gets a clear victory in the American Pharoah Stakes at Santa Anita Park
A race after unseating his rider during the opening furlong of the Runhappy Del Mar Futurity (G1), Eight Rings thoroughly defeated eight rivals and won by six lengths in the $301,404 American Pharoah Stakes (G1) Sept. 27 on opening day at Santa Anita Park.
His victory in the "Win and You're In" Challenge Series race earned Eight Rings a berth in the Nov. 1 TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) at Santa Anita, a race his trainer, Bob Baffert, has won four times, including last year at Churchill Downs with eventual champion Game Winner. The latter also won the American Pharoah.
Although Eight Rings proved much the best Friday, he was not perfect, racing greenly and switching leads down the stretch despite wearing blinkers for the first time. His lapse in focus came at a time when it hardly mattered—in the final furlong when he was well clear of the field.
In front by three lengths with an eighth of a mile remaining, Eight Rings pulled away from runner-up American Theorem, who gave chase throughout.
"He's still not 100% confident in what he needs to do. Obviously, he's very talented, but he needs to put it together and go on," said winning rider John Velazquez. "He still ran a good race, but you can see he has some room to improve. If he can put his mind to running, he'll be a dangerous horse."
Velazquez, who also teamed with Baffert to win the Chandelier Stakes (G1) with Bast Friday, replaced jockey Drayden Van Dyke, who injured his right arm when dislodged in the Del Mar Futurity. Van Dyke resumed riding Friday for the first time since.
"It was a good race for him, coming off that last disastrous race," Baffert said. "I'm just so fortunate that Drayden didn't get hurt worse."
A son of Empire Maker owned by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Frederick Hertrich III, John Fielding, and Golconda Stables, Eight Rings completed 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.41, roughly a half-second faster than Bast (1:46.10). He carved out fast fractions of :23.72, :47.06, and 1:11.71 before slowing to 1:38.11 for a mile and completing his final sixteenth in 7.3 seconds. He paid $4.40 to win.
Last year, SF Bloodstock and Starlight West bought the colt out of the graded stakes-winning Pure Prize mare Purely Hot from Taylor Made Sales Agency at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $520,000. The colt was bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm.
The American Pharoah Stakes, named in honor of the Baffert-trained 2015 Triple Crown winner who won this race in 2014 when it was called the FrontRunner Stakes, saw a colt by American Pharoah finish second when American Theorem crossed the wire 2 1/4 lengths clear of third-place finisher Storm the Court.
Express Train, Shoplifted, Defense Wins, Fore Left, Nucky and Collusion Illusion completed the finish. Nucky and Collusion Illusion, graded stakes winners at Del Mar, disappointed in their two-turn debuts, with Nucky eighth and Collusion Illusion eased across the wire.