American Pharoah Among 16 Travers Nominees
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Triple Crown winner American Pharoah tops a list of 16 horses nominated to the $1.25 million Travers (gr. I) Aug. 29 at Saratoga Race Course.
Owned by Zayat Stables, American Pharoah breezed four furlongs :47 3/5 Aug. 16 at Del Mar, his first timed move since his runaway victory Aug. 2 in the William Hill Haskell Invitational (gr. I) at Monmouth Park.
After the workout, trainer Bob Baffert said he would wait until next Sunday's scheduled breeze before making a decision on whether to run the 3-year-old Pioneerof the Nile colt in the 1 1/4-mile Travers.
Joining American Pharoah among the Travers nominees are a number of his familiar foes, including Keen Ice, who was seventh in the Kentucky Derby Presented Yum! Brands (gr. I), third in the Belmont Stakes Presented DraftKings (gr. I) and second in the Haskell; TwinSpires.com Wood Memorial (gr. I) winner Frosted, fourth in the Derby and second in the Belmont; Xpressbet.com Preakness runner-up Tale of Verve, who was seventh in the Belmont; grade II West Virginia Derby winner Madefromlucky, second to American Pharoah in the Rebel (gr. II), fourth behind him in the Arkansas Derby (gr. I)—both at Oaklawn Park—and sixth in the Belmont; and Upstart, who was 18th in the Derby and third in the Haskell.
Other nominees who have faced American Pharoah previously are Frammento, 11th in the Derby and fifth in the Belmont; Far Right, second in the Arkansas Derby and 15th in the Kentucky Derby; and Mr. Z, third in the Arkansas Derby, 13th in the Derby and fifth in the Preakness.
Nominated also is Texas Red, who finished third to American Pharoah in the grade I FrontRunner at Santa Anita Park last September. Knocked off the Triple Crown trail with a foot bruise after a second-place finish in the grade II San Vicente, the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) winner returned to finish second in the Dwyer (gr. III) July 4 at Belmont Park and then posted a half-length victory over favored Frosted in the Jim Dandy (gr. II) at Saratoga.
Among those who would be meeting American Pharoah for the first time are the first- and third-place finishers from the July 31 Curlin Stakes at Saratoga, Smart Transition and King of New York; Japan, who was third in the Jim Dandy; Tommy Macho, third in the Dwyer; Face of Winner, making his stakes debut; and recent maiden winner Mid Ocean.