Making the Grade: American Pharoah

American Pharoah winning the Del Mar Futurity. (Photos by Eclipse Sportswire)
Making the Grade, which will run through the 2015 Belmont Stakes, focuses on the winners of the big races, usually from the previous weekend, who could impact the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile as well as the next Triple Crown. We’ll be taking a close look at impressive winners and evaluating their chances to win important races based upon ability, running style, connections (owner, trainer, jockey) and pedigree.
This week we take a closer look at American Pharoah, winner of the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 3 at Del Mar. 

After flashing early speed and then fading in his career debut, American Pharoah delivered a monster performance in his second start. The Pioneerof the Nile ridgling went right to the front and streaked to a 4 ¾-length romp in the Del Mar Futurity in his graded stakes debut. The victory was especially impressive given the lack of experience, so let’s take a look at this promising 2-year-old and try to gauge his chances for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Nov. 1 as well as the Kentucky Derby next May. 

American Pharoah
Bay Ridgling
Sire (Father): Pioneerof the Nile
Dam (Mother): Littleprincessemma, by Yankee Gentleman
Owner-Breeder: Zayat Stables (Ky.)
Trainer: Bob Baffert

Ability: American Pharoah was listed as sold for $300,000 at the 2013 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale of selected yearlings to Ingordo Bloodstock, but he ended up back in the hands of his breeder, Zayat Stables. Trainer Bob Baffert attributed the disappointing debut from American Pharoah to his loss of composure in the post parade. His second start went much more smoothly and Baffert believes that the Del Mar Futurity was a much better indicator of American Pharoah’s potential.
“We took the blinkers off, put cotton in his ears and schooled him a lot. He trained well, we decided he was ready and we put him in there,” Baffert said. “ He behaved himself [in the Del Mar Futurity] and showed what he could do. He did what we thought he’d do the first time.”
American Pharoah earned a 106 Equibase Speed Figure for the 7-furlong, Grade 1 victory, which is five points higher than then next best 2-year-old stakes performance. The final time for the Del Mar Futurity was less than a half-second off the track record set by Goldencents while winning the Pat O’Brien Stakes on Aug. 24
I’ll feel better about American Pharoah’s chances for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile if he can duplicate, or at least come close to duplicating, the Del Mar Futurity performance on the dirt. But for now, there is no doubt he is a very fast 2-year-old.
Running style: The addition of blinkers for the Del Mar Futurity sharpened American Pharoah’s focus. He flashed great early speed through a half-mile in :45.23 and just ran eight opponents into the ground. It’s tough to pinpoint a running style after only two races, but it would make sense for the near future for Baffert to allow American Pharoah to use his best asset — speed — rather than try to make him rate off the pace. In 2002 and 2008, Baffert won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile with front-running Vindication and Midshipman, respectively.
AMERICAN PHAROAH MADE HIS FIRST TRIP TO THE WINNER'S CIRCLE IN THE DEL MAR FUTURITY

Connections: We’ve already talked a little bit about Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert’s accomplishments and it’s worth noting that he has been especially good with 2-year-olds in the Breeders’ Cup. Six of Baffert’s 10 Breeders’ Cup victories came with juveniles. He won the Juvenile with the aforementioned Vindication and Midshipman as well as in 2013 with New Year’s Day. He also has a pair of wins in the Juvenile Fillies and one in the Juvenile Sprint, which has been discontinued.
Looking down the road to the spring Triple Crown races, Baffert has won the Kentucky Derby three times (Silver Charm [1997], Real Quiet [1998], War Emblem [2002]); the Preakness Stakes five times (Silver Charm [1997], Real Quiet [1998], Point Given [2001], War Emblem [2002], Lookin At Lucky [2010]); and the Belmont Stakes once (Point Given [2001]).
Martin Garcia rode American Pharoah in his career debut. Victor Espinoza, who guided War Emblem to his classic wins in 2002 and California Chrome to victories in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness this year, rode American Pharoah in the Del Mar Futurity.
Zayat Stables is one of the leading owners in North America and has raced 13 Grade 1 winners since 2005, including Eclipse Awards finalists Bodemeister, Eskendereya, Zensational, Point Ashley, and Rightly So. The operation has raced three Kentucky Derby runners-up in Pioneerof the Nile (2009), Nehro (2011) and Bodemeister (2012). Zayat Stables is winless with 20 starters in the Breeders’ Cup.
Pedigree: American Pharoah is from the second crop of Pioneerof the Nile, who was a star for Zayat Stables and is off to a nice start at stud with five graded stakes winners from 74 starters through Sept. 13. Pioneerof the Nile, by 2003 Belmont Stakes winner Empire Maker, was a Grade 1 winner at two and three who excelled at longer distances. Pioneerof the Nile’s graded stakes winners Vinceremos and Cairo Prince both enjoyed some success on the 2014 Triple Crown trail.
It’s too early to get a firm read on Pioneerof the Nile’s ability as a sire but he seems to be passing along his talent and stamina to his offspring.
The bottom half of American Pharoah’s pedigree does not offer quite as much promise. His dam (mother), Littleprincessemma, was winless in two tries, both in sprints. She does have two winners from two foals to race with a Grade 1 winner to her credit.
Second dam (maternal grandmother), Exclusive Rosette, set a course record when sprinting on the grass and was a stakes-winning sprinter on the main track.  Exclusive Rosette is the dam of graded stakes-winning sprinters Storm Wolf and Misty Rosette, the latter the third-place finisher in the Grade 1 Test Stakes in 2006.
American Pharoah’s third and fourth dams also raced exclusively in sprints with neither able to secure a win.
The female half of American Pharoah’s pedigree leans very heavily toward speed. There is some class there and I could see American Pharoah being a big threat in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, but this doesn’t look like a Kentucky Derby pedigree.