Zayat Stables' American Pharoah, dominating winner of the May 16 Xpressbet.com Preakness Stakes (gr. I), came out of the race in good order and will ship to Churchill Downs May 18 to prepare for his bid for the Triple Crown.
After looking over American Pharoah at Pimlico Race Course the morning of May 17, trainer Bob Baffert said he saw nothing unusual with the Pioneerof the Nile colt after his seven-length romp on a sloppy racing surface. Two weeks earlier American Pharoah won the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).
"He's a little quiet this morning and he's tired, but he's supposed to be," Baffert said. "Health-wise he looks good. And he does have a good appetite."
Baffert said American Pharoah would "have a light week to let him get his feet under him" after he arrives at Churchill. The colt would breeze at the Kentucky racetrack before he ships to Belmont Park, probably the Wednesday before the June 6 Belmont Stakes (gr. I).
It will be Baffert's fourth attempt at winning the Triple Crown. Silver Charm (1997), Real Quiet (1998), and War Emblem (2002) all came up short in the final leg in New York.
"All I can do is rely on my experience of going to the next one," Baffert said. "We've seen a lot of great horses go down in the Belmont. You don't know how the horses are going to react in the race. My job is just to keep him happy and keep his energy up. I don't want to go up there with a tired horse."
"Right now, I'd say yes," Baffert said when asked about sending American Pharoah to New York. "Right now it looks good. But if I see something lethargic, I don't want to take him up there unless he's really doing well. If I put him on a plane, you'll know he's doing really well."
Kaleem Shah's Dortmund, also trained by Baffert, finished fourth in the Preakness after his third-place finish in the Derby. Baffert indicated the Big Brown colt is ready for a break. "He has had a tough campaign," the trainer said.
Though American Pharoah's Preakness effort seems to have taken much less out of him than his victory in the Kentucky Derby, the Belmont Stakes would be his third race in five weeks. And, as usual, several horses that competed in the Kentucky Derby but skipped the Preakness will be in the entry box.
The New York Racing Association released a list of horses being pointed toward the Belmont, including Carpe Diem, Frammento, Materiality, and Mubtaahij, all of whom finished well behind American Pharoah in the Derby.
"It's something you can't control," Baffert said of the presence of fresh horses in the Belmont. "It makes it exciting. You have to earn it. I look forward to the Belmont, but I know how difficult it is."
Affirmed in 1978 was the last Triple Crown winner. Since then 12 horses have won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness only to lose the Belmont inlcuding California Chrome last year.