American Pharoah gets raves for morning jog

Belmont Park
Weather: Overcast
Track: Sloppy
Temp: 56

ELMONT, N.Y. – New Yorkers got their first real look at AMERICAN PHAROAH on Wednesday at Belmont Park, and the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner got rave reviews for his performance despite doing little more than jogging once around the 1 1/2-mile oval immediately after the renovation break at 8:45 a.m.

The local area has been inundated with rain the past two days, and the track was very sloppy during the early training session and still had plenty of moisture in it after being harrowed just prior to American Pharoah’s appearance. The track condition kept activity to a minimum here for a second consecutive morning.

American Pharoah went off the wrong way (clockwise), accompanied by a stable pony ridden by trainer Bob Baffert’s assistant, Jim Barnes. Looking a picture of health and obviously none the worse for wear coming out of his spectacular work Monday at Churchill Downs and a 90-minute flight to New York on Tuesday, American Pharoah was on his toes from the moment he hit the track – so sharp, in fact, that Barnes and Baffert called an audible, allowing him to jog the entire way around rather than just going to the three-eighths pole and coming back home, as originally planned.

Turning a routine jog into something special, as American Pharoah did on Wednesday, is no easy feat and reaffirmed that he couldn’t be doing any better or looking any happier just 72 hours away from attempting to make racing history with a victory in Saturday’s Belmont Stakes.

The eight Belmont entrants now are on the grounds, and all but Keen Ice, who breezed Tuesday at Churchill, went to the track to train Wednesday.

TALE OF VERVE was the first to go out, galloping a very easy 1 1/2 miles from wire to wire while kept well off the inside rail throughout. He continues to make a favorable impression throughout his local stay.

The Todd Pletcher pair of MATERIALITY and MADEFROMLUCKY kept to its regular schedule, with the two horses galloping simultaneously at 6:15 a.m. Both appeared to move well over the sloppy track, with Materiality leading the way and Madefromlucky following closely behind.

FRAMMENTO, who shipped here Tuesday from Saratoga, had an easy first morning at Belmont, jogging less than a mile, accompanied by a pony, and making a very positive physical impression despite his limited itinerary.

MUBTAAHIJ went relatively unnoticed by most observers, training at virtually the same time as the American Pharoah show took place. A little rank to handle during the morning on non-work days, Mubtaahij had a new rider aboard Wednesday and did not look very happy or comfortable galloping down the stretch on his left lead over the wet strip.

FROSTED was the last of the Belmont hopefuls to train, coming out at 9:45 and doing little more than jogging and cantering 1 1/2 miles the wrong way near the outside fence over the main track.