American Pharoah was in a very uncomfortable position during the Travers, pressured from the outside a long way down the backstretch and all the way around the final turn. It was a scenario the Triple Crown winner had never faced. If he wasn’t a sensational racehorse, he would have collapsed at the quarter pole. Instead, he kept trying to the wire, even though it was obvious he was running on fumes. Keen Ice got a career-best 106 Beyer Speed Figure in a wonderful winning performance for a horse who had been improving all summer and took a giant move forward in the Haskell Invitational. American Pharoah got a 105, right in line with his Triple Crown performances. I thought it was a very positive effort for the horse as he heads toward the Breeders’ Cup Classic. If American Pharoah gets there, he is going to need a lifetime-best figure in a race that is likely to be won with a Beyer in the 112-to-115 range. Can American Pharoah do it? I think he can, but the proof will be in the performance. Speaking of performance, Runhappy was incredible with that 113 Beyer in the King’s Bishop. Not sure where it came from because the horse’s last two Beyers were 94 and 98, but it was some show. Flintshire ran as fast as it appeared in the Sword Dancer with a 112. Private Zone crushed the field in the Forego with a solid 105. The Woodward Stakes at Saratoga features horses who have a combined 24 triple-digit Beyers, so this is no easy call. If you said to Todd Pletcher before the Whitney that Liam’s Map was going to run most of the field off their feet and get a 113 Beyer, he would have headed for the winner’s circle. That figure would have won every race this year except the Whitney, where Honor Code got up at the finish to also get a 113, and the Pacific Classic, where Beholder notched that 114. The effort by Liam’s Map was no one-off. The horse had a 112 in the Harlan’s Holiday back in December. He earned that number off a similar four-week layoff as this most recent one. Liam’s Map is a two-way horse, definitely not a need-the-lead type. There is other heat in this race, so Javier Castellano might have early decisions to make if he is taking too much pressure from his outside. Liam’s Map is the most likely winner but far from the only possible winner. Effinex is dangerous, especially if there is any kind of speed duel up top. Put a line through the Brooklyn Handicap. The 107 Beyer that this colt got in the April 25 Excelsior might have looked like an aberration until he came back with another 107 in the Suburban Handicap while beating Belmont Park specialist Tonalist. Coach Inge, another Pletcher trainee, has broken through this year with 104, 102, and 105 Beyers in his last three. Bay of Plenty got a career-best 102 when winning the Alydar, but he was loose on the lead that day. There will be no easy leads here, so I would expect his figure to recede. Wicked Strong has gotten a triple-digit Beyer in seven of the last 10 races he has finished but really does not inspire much confidence with just three lifetime wins. It is a good sign for next year’s 3-year-old fillies that the six 2-year-olds in the Spinaway have already put up five Beyers of 74 or more. The focus will be on Rachel’s Valentina, as it should be. After all, I don’t think we have ever seen a filly by a Preakness winner (Bernardini) out of a Preakness winner (Rachel’s Alexandra). Her debut was as good as her bloodlines. She came from sixth and ran away from the field, getting a 79. She’s good. But this is no walkover. Constellation was quite impressive in her only race with a 75. Banree was a solid second in the Schuylerville Stakes with a 75. Tap to It really should have been eliminated in her debut but made a wild run to win going away and get a 74. Anna Rae may not match up in Beyers (69), but she won her debut by double digits. Pletcher has Rachel’s Valentina. He also has Tonasah, who very well could be the lone speed. She already has the race’s best Beyer, an 80 when second in the Adirondack Stakes. She could get overlooked because of her more-famous stablemate. That could be a mistake.