American Pharoah Wraps Up Haskell Preparation
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As American Pharoah walked up a small hill from the Monmouth Park backstretch to the track on Saturday, Aug. 1, one of the backstretch workers who took time out of her morning to watch the Triple Crown winner told a friend, "This is special."
While the afternoon would turn hot, several hundred media, horsemen, and workers watched American Pharoah exit his temporary home in Monmouth's Barn 12 on a pleasant summer morning for one final tune-up for the Aug. 2 William Hill Haskell Invitational Stakes (gr. I), which will be his first race since sweeping the Triple Crown with a 5 1/2-length romp in the Belmont Stakes Presented by DraftKings (gr. I).
Zayat Stables' American Pharoah, with regular rider Georgie Alvarez up, walked in front of the grandstand for a few minutes—where about 4,000 fans started their day by watching the Triple Crown winner—before galloping about 1 1/2 times around the Monmouth dirt oval. Assistant trainer Jimmy Barnes said American Pharoah is ready.
"A very good day, the track was good, weather good, a lot of fans out today," Barnes said after the morning exercise. "He looked awesome on the track, I couldn't be happier."
Trainer Bob Baffert is scheduled to arrive in New Jersey later in the day Saturday.
Barnes provided more information on Friday's anxious moment when American Pharoah spooked in the Monmouth tunnel on his way to a paddock schooling session. American Pharoah took about four quick steps toward a tunnel rail but was calmed before any real problems. Alvarez, one of three handlers walking with the Triple Crown winner, fell in the incident.
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"When we got to the tunnel, somebody was running with flip flops on. Everything echoes; it doesn't take much to echo in there," Barnes said. "He's just sharp right now and he just took off and the handler (Alvarez) on his off side just stumbled and went down.
"There was no panic, we went straight forward and kept on going."
As usual for such sessions, American Pharoah had earplugs in, but Barnes noted that horses can still hear some noises with them.
"That's why he wears earplugs, but they don't completely deaden all noises," Barnes said. "In a closed area like that, the noise really echoes."
When American Pharoah walks over for the race Sunday afternoon, he'll at least be familiar with how loud the tunnel can be.
"That's one of the reasons we do school him," Barnes said. "That's not to say he wouldn't do it again if something like that happens. You just have to be on-guard at all times."