Track officials hopeful they can lure American Pharoah to Haskell

Robert Kulina is keeping tabs on the tracks trying to lure Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and acknowledges Monmouth Park isn't a lock to get the Triple Crown winner for the Haskell Invitational. But he is "cautiously optimistic that at the end of the day, he'll come here."

It obviously helps that Bob Baffert, the trainer of American Pharoah, holds the record for Haskell wins with seven and has won the race four of the last five years, including last season with Bayern. In 2012, Baffert and owner Ahmed Zayat won the Haskell with Paynter. Zayat is the owner of American Pharoah.

On Sunday, Kulina, the president of Darby Development, which operates Monmouth Park, said there hadn't been any new developments on where American Pharoah would next race, but he expected Baffert and Zayat to seriously begin sorting through their options in the not-too-distant future.

"I think we have reached a point that we normally would any year," Kulina said. "American Pharoah is back in California. He's in light training. I would say in another week to 10 days they will start planning. I think the magnitude of the issue kind of got ahead of itself."

In Kulina's mind, American Pharoah's schedule will be determined by how many races Baffert and Zayat want him to make prior to the Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland on Oct. 31.

"The question is how many starts do you make and what spacing do you want between those races?" Kulina said. "You can't make that decision until you see how the horse is doing. If you want to make three starts, it could come down to Monmouth or the Jim Dandy, the Travers, and then one more. If you want to make two starts, it could come down to Monmouth or the Jim Dandy and then the Pennsylvania Derby or the Awesome Again. It's hard to go from the Belmont to 1 1/4 miles in the Travers."

Kulina remains hopeful American Pharoah will come to Monmouth despite a tweet by Ahmed Zayat several days ago that said: "Right know Saratoga is in the lead. Head of Haskell."

"Sometimes in today's world, a lot of emphasis is put on something that was intended to mean very little," Kulina said. "Fortunately, I have a great relationship with Bob, and I have a wonderful relationship with Mr. Zayat, who lives in New Jersey and has the horse of a lifetime."

The $1 million Haskell, a 1 1/8-mile race that will be run Aug. 2, has a bonus written into its conditions that rewards both the owner and trainer of a Triple Crown race winner with $25,000. Since American Pharoah swept the three-race series, Baffert and Zayat would each receive a bonus of $75,000.

Kulina hinted the value of the Haskell could be further increased if American Pharoah were to run.

"A number of tracks can do special deals, bonuses, or raise purses," Kulina said. "It's the way things are done today. Is there the possibility of the Haskell being worth more if American Pharoah comes? Yes."

There are approximately 13,000 reserved seats at Monmouth Park, and all have been sold in the hope American Pharoah will participate. The race also will be shown live on NBC. A crowd estimate of 60,000 is being bandied about.

While Kulina is not sure American Pharoah will ship in for the Haskell, he knows how big the day will be if he does.

"One thing I can say is that if he does come, the Haskell will be the biggest day in the history of New Jersey racing," he said.