American Pharoah puts in strong work at Churchill Downs

ELMONT, N.Y. – Anybody looking for a reason to side against American Pharoah in his quest to win the Triple Crown in the June 6 Belmont Stakes surely couldn’t have found one after watching his half-mile breeze Tuesday morning from Churchill Downs.

Even on the live feed provided by the track, it was clear to see American Pharoah looked every bit as good on Tuesday breezing over the Churchill Downs surface as he did in the final week leading up to his victory in the Kentucky Derby. With jockey Martin Garcia aboard, American Pharoah appeared a picture of health and was about as relaxed as could be as he made his way around to the half-mile pole alongside the pony.

Ears pricked from the outset, American Pharoah just cruised through a steady series of 12-second eighth-mile splits before galloping out with a ton of energy around the turn. The gallop-out was perhaps the most impressive part of the maintenance drill, which went about as perfectly as Garcia or trainer Bob Baffert could have hoped. Churchill Downs clockers timed him in 48 for the half, with a gallop-out of 1:00.40 for five furlongs, up six furlongs in 1:13.20.

American Pharoah is scheduled for one more work at Churchill Downs either Sunday or Monday, according to Baffert, before shipping to New York on Tuesday.

All six of American Pharoah’s prospective rivals training locally for the Belmont went to the track on Tuesday, with Mubtaahij once again the most active of the group. Despite working five furlongs on Sunday, Mubtaahij wound up blowing out three-eighths in 42.07 and a half in 56.44 before pulling up into the clubhouse turn.

This might have been a bit of an impromptu move by Mubtaahij, the UAE Derby winner. He was quite a handful once he turned around to gallop after having jogged a mile to the seven-furlong pole. It appeared his rider may have simply decided to give him his head rather than fight him all the way through the stretch.

Materiality and Carpe Diem came out in the first set for trainer Todd Pletcher. Materiality galloped more than a mile and one-half, and while he has not shown quite the same aggressiveness during his gallops the past two mornings as he did in the final 10 days leading up to the Derby at Churchill Downs, he is coming off an excellent work just four days ago. Materiality got a bit hot on Monday, but not Tuesday.

Carpe Diem jogged all the way back to the seven-furlong pole alongside the stable pony before reversing direction and galloping a mile and one-half. Carpe Diem, who can be a little quirky when he trains, seemed a bit lackluster as he passed by the wire, throwing his head and cocking it to the outside as he has been known to do.

Madefromlucky, the third of Pletcher’s Belmont hopefuls, was the last of the trio to train on Tuesday, galloping a leisurely mile and three-quarters after the renovation break.

Tale of Verve continues to make a nice physical appearance and had another good day, also going a mile and three-quarters on the main track at a fairly leisurely pace. He is scheduled to breeze later this week. Pletcher said his trio will work Friday, weather permitting.

Frosted was the last of the half-dozen Belmont horses to train over the main track on Tuesday. He, too, is slated to work again Friday.