American Pharoah: Conquering hero arrives home

ARCADIA, Calif. - At 11:45 a.m. on Thursday, Triple Crown hero American Pharoah walked off a Bob Hubbard Transportation horse van on the Santa Anita backstretch.

American Pharoah was home.

Greeted by approximately 200 people, American Pharoah was one of five horses from Bob Baffert’s stable - four racehorses and a pony - flown from Churchill Downs early Thursday. After arriving at Ontario airport 25 miles east of Santa Anita, the horses took the hour-long drive to Santa Anita.

Fellow travelers on those freeways knew who was in their company. The van was adorned with signage that read, “Santa Anita welcomes home 2015 Triple Crown Champion American Pharoah.”

American Pharoah was the first horse off the van, led by assistant trainer Jimmy Barnes and welcomed immediately by Baffert, who had a handful of carrots; his wife, Jill; and their 10-year-old son, Bode. Jill Baffert visited the barn on crutches, having undergone hip replacement surgery on Tuesday.

American Pharoah was walked in the sun, given a bath, and walked and grazed for a few minutes. Jockey Victor Espinoza took a turn walking American Pharoah for a few minutes. The well-wishers included actor Julia Roberts and her family, who met the Bafferts earlier this year.

Thursday was American Pharoah’s first day in California since April. Since the Belmont Stakes and during his sweep of the Triple Crown, American Pharoah was based at Churchill Downs.

Barnes accompanied American Pharoah through his trip to Oaklawn Park for the Arkansas Derby in April and through the Triple Crown. He reflected on the colt’s 2015 campaign, which began in March with a win in the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park. The Rebel Stakes was American Pharoah’s first start since a victory in the FrontRunner Stakes last September, his only start at Santa Anita.

“You think about little stories, the people that you meet,” Barnes said. “It all worked out. In January, when we started back with him, we made a plan. We had to get him ready for the Rebel.

“The horse cooperated so well. He made it so easy for me. He’s such a special horse.”

Baffert won the Kentucky Derby for the fourth time with American Pharoah, and that performance stood out for Barnes.

“The Derby was the race we wanted to win,” Barnes said. “It’s such a large field and so much for the horse to deal with. After that, everything was icing on the cake.”

For the Belmont Stakes, Barnes had his immediate family with him – his wife, Dana, an exercise rider for Baffert, and their adult daughters, Jenee and Jordan.

“I thought turning for home no one is making a move,” Barnes said of the Belmont Stakes. “Victor had him in hand. I got to stand back and watch my family root for him.”

As he talked, Barnes was on the opposite side of the stable, away from the crowd watching American Pharoah. Before him, spread across a dirt path, were nearly two dozen plastic containers as well as buckets and suitcases. They contained the stable’s equipment and the personal items that were shipped west on Thursday. The gear needed to be unpacked and stored.

“You leave with two suitcases and come back with four,” Barnes said.

He and the rest of the Baffert team brought home even more memories.