At Churchill Downs, Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner American Pharoah was out Friday morning for his first gallop since his Tuesday breeze, going through a 10-minute exercise routine that included a brief schooling session in the starting gate.
Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner American Pharoah was back on the racetrack at Churchill Downs on Thursday for the first time since a Tuesday workout that produced considerable buzz.
American Pharoah lost one rival but may have picked up another in his bid to become Thoroughbred racing’s 12th Triple Crown winner in the June 6 Belmont Stakes.
Princess Violet, winner of the Grade 1 Madison Stakes at Keeneland two starts back, worked six furlongs in 1:13.66 over the Belmont training track Wednesday morning in preparation for an expected start in the Grade 1, $1 million Ogden Phipps Stakes on June 6.
Joel Rosario, who was replaced by John Velazquez on multiple Grade 1 winner Tonalist for the $1.25 million Metropolitan Handicap, has picked up the mount on Wicked Strong for the Met Mile, replacing Rajiv Maragh, trainer Jimmy Jerkens confirmed Wednesday.
Trainer Chad Brown will apparently utilize the strength in numbers approach when it comes to Saturday’s $200,000 Pennine Ridge Stakes at Belmont Park.
At the finish of the Kentucky Derby, Keen Ice and Mubtaahij were separated by a half-length, or approximately four feet. On Thursday, with both preparing for the June 6 Belmont Stakes – and a second meeting with each other and Derby and Preakness winner American Pharoah – Keen Ice and Mubtaahij were separated by 772 miles and their trainers’ ideology.
Competitive Edge, the unbeaten winner of the Pat Day Mile in his most-recent start, is more likely to run in the Grade 2, $500,000 Woody Stephens Stakes for 3-year-olds on June 6 at Belmont Park rather than the Grade 1, $1.25 million Metropolitan Mile against older horses the same day, trainer Todd Pletcher said.
An official three furlong breeze by the busy Mubtaahij and an unofficial one from Tale of Verve highlighted yet another rather uneventful morning on the Belmont Stakes watch in New York.
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.
