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HORSE RACING
Kentucky Derby

Triple Crown winner American Pharoah doesn’t disappoint in return in Haskell

Jennie Rees
The (Louisville) Courier-Journal

OCEANPORT, N.J. — Another race. Another romp. Another chapter in history and highlight video for Triple Crown winner American Pharoah.

The first horse to sweep the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in 38 years returned to the races 57 days after his coronation in New York, this time cruising to a 2 1/4-length victory over late-running Keen Ice in Monmouth Park’s $1.75 million William Hill Haskell Invitational on Sunday.

The final margin didn’t tell the story, with jockey Victor Espinoza barely getting American Pharoah out of a gallop and visibly downshifting in the final one-sixteenth 1/16-mile after being 5 lengths in front in midstretch. The final time of 1 minute, 47.95 seconds for 1 1/8 miles was less than a second off the stakes-record 1:47, set by Majestic Light in 1976 and matched when Belmont winner Bet Twice beat Derby and Preakness winner Alysheba in 1987.

“There’s a lot of pressure now with this horse,” trainer Bob Baffert said after winning the Haskell for a record eighth time, and out of 12 starters. “I was pretty anxious before they went into the gate. I was probably more nervous before the race than ever before when I ran him.

“I was watching like a fan, too, like, ‘Where did he come from?’ I’ve had some really nice horses. But this horse, what he does, he’s just incredible. He makes me emotional, because he’s a gift from God or something. He’s a brilliant racehorse.”

Espinoza let Competitive Edge, coming out of sprint races, take the lead under jockey Mike Smith but kept the Triple Crown winner on his tail. Competitive Edge, the only other Grade I winner in the field after taking last summer’s Hopeful at Saratoga Race Course, strode through resolute but not insane fractions of 23.22 seconds for the first quarter-mile and picked it up to a 46.14 half-mile and 1:09.60 for 6 furlongs before giving way.

“In the paddock, he got a little stirred up. He was pretty fresh today,” Baffert said, adding with a laugh, “He’s used to running back in two weeks.

“I wanted him a little sharp today because I knew the pace was going to be fast. We had a lot of respect for the other horses in there, so we tightened the screws. Competitive Edge is a fast horse. (But) when I saw Victor down the backside and saw he had a hold on him and saw the fractions, he looked like he was going in 48.”

Midway through the far turn, American Pharoah strode to the lead. By the time he turned for home, all that was left was who would be second and third.

Runner-up honors went to Keen Ice, the Belmont third-place finisher trained by Louisville’s Dale Romans and who finished 3 lengths in front of the classy Upstart. Competitive Edge weakened to fourth in the field of seven, followed by Top Clearance, Dontbetwithbruno and multiple stakes-winner Mr. Jordan, who pressed the pace early on.

“The horse ran the race of his life,” jockey Kent Desormeaux, who a day earlier won Saratoga’s $600,000 Jim Dandy on Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Texas Red, said of Keen Ice. “He did some things he never did before. He didn’t just jog around the racetrack; he ran around the track. I’m so proud of him.”

But the winner was in another stratosphere. “American Pharoah was being pulled up the entire race,” Desormeaux said. “The jockey never let him run.”

Romans said he hoped to meet American Pharoah in Saratoga’s Travers Stakes on Aug. 29, though Baffert has repeatedly mentioned how tough the Haskell-Travers parlay is on a horse.

Jerry Crawford, head of the Donegal Racing syndicate that campaigns Keen Ice, said he’d love to meet American Pharoah at 1¼ miles, the distance of the Travers. “What an honor,” he said of being second to American Pharoahin the Haskell. “I’m not used to hugging people for a second-place finish, but I think in this case it’s hug-worth.”

Romans said it ranks as one of his biggest seconds, up there with being runnerup in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and Turf in 2004. But in those races, he thought Roses In May and Kitten’s Joy were good enough to win.

American Pharoah with Victor Espinoza riding, won the Haskell Invitational Sunday.

“This is one of the best because the whole world is watching,” he said. “This race, it felt like we were going into the race second-best, hoping that Pharoah backed up a little bit. I think he did back up, but it wasn’t enough.”

Attendance was announced as 60,983, smashing the record of 53,638 reported to be on hand when Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Funny Cide ran in the 2003 Haskell. Among the crowd was Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora.

Also in attendance was N.J. Gov. Chris Christie, who was roundly booed when introducedd in the winner’s circle.

American Pharoah earned

$1.1 million to bring his bankroll to $5,218,800, which puts him 24th on the all-time money list for North American-based horses. Smarty Jones, the 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, is the only other horse to make the leaders as a 3-year-old, and he benefited from a $5 million bonus given by Oaklawn Park.

American Pharoah has won eight consecutive straight races after finishing fifth in his first start a year ago at Del Mar. Monmouth was his seventh racetrack, the Haskell his fifth triumph in a race worth at least $1 million. He became the third Kentucky Derby winner to take the Haskell, with six others losing.

Like his trainer, Owner Ahmed Zayat said he was more nervous than before the June 6 Belmont Stakes and called the Haskell victory “total gratification.”

“I saw him in the paddock for the Belmont, and I knew he was so focused and full of energy,” he said. “Today, there were a lot of question marks: What do you do with a Triple Crown winner? Do you race him or not? I have a lot of faith in my horse, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say 2% of me was wondering if I was doing the right thing.

“Imagine if you get beat at 1-9 and disappoint the fans. I was extremely nervous, because I wanted everybody to be proud and see a true star thrive. But coming in, we knew he was training awesome, and Bob would not ship a horse that wasn’t primed. We knew he was coming in the best condition. Nevertheless you question yourself.”

In fact, Baffert long has credited his success in the Haskell not just to bringing really good horses supplied by really good owners but also going to Max’s Hot Dog joint down the road and eating a dog.

“I said I guess this wasn’t the best day to eat a Max’s hot dog,” he said. “But I tell you that hot dog has come through.”

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