Getting to Know American Pharoah

Ametrican Pharoah coasted to a victory in the William Hill Haskell Invitational Stakes on Aug. 2 at Monmouth Park. (Photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
While it’s been the plan for American Pharoah to end his season in the Breeders’ Cup Classic for months now, the Classic became even more of a reality on Aug. 2 in the William Hill Haskell Invitational Stakes.
In his first start since sweeping the Triple Crown, American Pharoah made devastatingly easy work of the seven-horse field and took home the “Win and You’re In” Classic ticket available to the winner of the race as part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series.
Let’s take a look at American Pharoah’s record and his chances of providing Bob Baffert a second consecutive Breeders’ Cup Classic victory after last year’s winner Bayern, who also won the Haskell on his way to the race.
Race Résumé
American Pharoah’s feat of becoming the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years has deservedly been the colt’s most talked about feat, but even before the Triple Crown, he showed that he is a special horse.
The only bump in the road on American Pharoah’s race record came in his debut. Nervous before the race, American Pharoah raced up to challenge the leaders but when push came to shove, he faded to midpack and finished fifth, 9 ¼ lengths behind the winner. This loss would be the only time American Pharoah earned an Equibase Speed Figure under 105.
Baffert thought enough of American Pharoah to step him up in company in his next start, putting Victor Espinoza on him for the first time in the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity. In a race that hinted at his future promise, American Pharoah never let anyone within a length of him and was 4 ¾ lengths in front at the finish line to beat many of the horses who had finished ahead of him in that first start.
2014 DEL MAR FUTURITY

Video courtesy of Del Mar
From there, it was on to the FrontRunner Stakes, in which American Pharoah was under a hand ride to win by 3 ¼ lengths and score a 107 Equibase Speed Figure. The victory nicely put him in prime contention for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. But a few days before the race, he was forced to scratch when a foot issue popped up and put him on the sidelines.
However, American Pharoah still had a strong enough résumé to earn an Eclipse Award as champion 2-year-old male and that minor injury might have been a blessing in disguise for the colt, who came back better than ever this year.
In an Arkansas downpour, American Pharoah showed that he loves the slop when leading all the way around to win the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes by 6 ¼ lengths in his season debut. Next up was the Arkansas Derby, which saw American Pharoah win by his largest margin yet, eight lengths.
AMERICAN PHAROAH ROMPED IN ARKANSAS DERBY

Coady Photography
While American Pharoah won the Kentucky Derby to keep his winning streak alive, he had to work for the win. Fellow California resident Firing Line made American Pharoah battle that day, challenging him until about the final sixteenth of a mile before American Pharoah was able to edge ahead by a length.
In hurricane-like weather two weeks later, American Pharoah again showed his happiness in mud when he blasted home to a seven-length victory with his ears pricked in the Preakness. The final test came in the Belmont Stakes but it was all over at the top of the stretch when Espinoza pushed the “go” button. Frosted tried to make a move but with Espinoza letting out another notch on the reins, American Pharoah pulled away to win by 5 ½ lengths.
The win earned him a speed figure of 112, his career best and the same figure he subsequently earned in the Haskell Stakes.
While there were six other horses in the Haskell, it may have been American Pharoah’s easiest race yet. He settled right behind pacesetter Competitive Edge until the middle of the far turn, where he glided by and galloped down the lane unchallenged. The 2 ½-length margin at the line is deceiving as Espinoza had geared the colt down to an easy gallop in the stretch with Keen Ice eating into the margin at the end.
2015 HASKELL INVITATIONAL

Video courtesy of Breeders’ Cup World Championships
“First time I rode him, I remember we were just cruising along and turning for home we were alone on the lead and I remember I hit him just one time, just because I was curious how good he is, because he was winning by two or three lengths,” said Espinoza after the race. “And the moment I hit him, he opened up three lengths and when he hit the wire I was like, ‘Wow, I think I have a Kentucky Derby winner right here.’ I was only thinking about the Kentucky Derby; I wasn’t even thinking about the Triple Crown. But the way he broke his maiden and then won his first Grade 1, I told Bob, ‘I’ve ridden a lot of good horses but nothing like American Pharoah.’ ”
If all goes well between now and the end of August, owner Ahmed Zayat said he would like to see the horse go to the Travers Stakes, provided Baffert agrees. There isn’t a plan laid out for after that race, but Baffert has indicated he would like to keep American Pharoah with his age group until the Classic.
While many horses who sit on or very close to the lead have me worried about getting worn out in a fast pace, I don’t think that’s a fear with American Pharoah. He seems to be able to adjust to different situations and his cruising speed and turn of foot is better than just about any horse out there.
Until he faces older horses, we won’t know how he stacks up against them, but with Shared Belief on the sidelines, it doesn’t look like there are many horses of any age who can truly challenge American Pharoah right now. Keep in mind that there is a lot of time left until the Breeders’ Cup Classic and horses can improve and regress in that time, but if American Pharoah continues the upward trend he is on right now, everyone else will have to make major leaps to catch him.
AMERICAN PHAROAH DOMINATED IN HASKELL

Photo by EQUI-PHOTO
Pedigree
Other than the jockey, American Pharoah has the same team as his sire, Pioneerof the Nile, with Zayat Stables breeding and owning Pioneerof the Nile and Bob Baffert training him. Pioneerof the Nile was a two-time Grade 1 winner in 2008 and 2009 and finished second in the 2009 Kentucky Derby.
As a sire, Pioneerof the Nile is off to a decent start. He has three crops of racing age, including this year’s 2-year-olds, with Kentucky Derby runners in both his older crops. From 114 starters as of Aug. 3, he has 71 winners and seven stakes winners. Obviously, he is passing on the stamina needed to get routers, but like his sire, Empire Maker, it seems he also does better with speedier mares.
American Pharoah’s dam, Littleprincessemma, is one of those speedier types. Owned by the Zayats, Littleprincessemma only raced twice before being injured and really didn’t get a chance to show anything in those starts.  However, while talking about American Pharoah’s pedigree before the Belmont Stakes, Bob Baffert pointed out that Littleprincessemma was a speedy filly by a speedy, stakes-winning sprinter in Yankee Gentleman.
Littleprincessemma only has two foals to race but has proven to be a good producer. Her first foal, by Maimonides, is a two-time winner, and American Pharoah is as high of a level as a broodmare can reach.
Littleprincessemma’s dam, Exclusive Rosette, was a stakes winner who also set a new course record at five furlongs, so she was also speedy, too. Exclusive Rosette was also a graded stakes producer with Grade 3 winner Misty Rosette and Grade 2 winner Storm Wolf both on her produce record in addition to another daughter producing the stakes-placed Red Raffles.
A potential hiccup in the Breeders’ Cup Classic may be that American Pharoah has never raced at Keeneland Race Course, where the race will be held on Oct. 31. But on the other hand, American Pharoah has raced on seven different racetrack in nine starts and adjusted well each time, so that really shouldn’t be a big issue.
As long as American Pharoah stays at the level he is now and no other horse puts in a dominating performance before Oct. 31, he should be a deserved heavy favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. At this point, it looks like the only thing that may keep him from the Keeneland winner’s circle is bad racing luck in what is expected to be the final race of his career.
AMERICAN PHAROAH BEFORE BELMONT STAKES

Photo by Susie Raisher/NYRA