Watchmaker: American Pharoah shows he's a fighter in Derby

American Pharoah was best winning the Kentucky Derby, and he deserves all the credit he is receiving. But while I am well aware he has the speed and the talent to get a perfect trip every time he races, it must be said that American Pharoah had yet another perfect trip Saturday. He stalked a deliberate pace, moved at a point when it was ideal for him to move, and out-finished a gutsy Firing Line. It was all pretty simple. And now, that’s five straight stakes victories for American Pharoah after five straight perfect trips.

There has been talk about the ground American Pharoah lost. While ground loss often is a determinant in the outcome of races, ground loss in itself does not in any way constitute a bad trip. In fact, I’ve seen enough tight-turned turf races to know I would gladly trade some ground loss for a clean trip. Every time. Especially when you have a horse who is supposed to be better than the others. American Pharoah conceded some ground Saturday. Some of it was of his own making; I’m not sure why he went as wide as he did turning for home, but he did that on his own. American Pharoah traded some ground for never having so much as a straw in his path, and it was a good trade.

American Pharoah’s performance was workmanlike rather than brilliant. But we did learn something new about him he did not have to show in his previous victories – he’s a fighter. That’s another feather in his cap and, in my book, not an inconsequential one.

** I won’t argue with folks who insist the Churchill main track slowed as Derby Day wore on. They might be correct. Still, without knowing how frequently and to what extent the main track was watered through the afternoon (and really, who has the time and wherewithal to do that?), it is only informed speculation to say the track slowed and by “this” much.

I raise the subject because of how it pertains to the pace of the Derby, which is an important topic.

The way this Derby was run is a tangible thing, not speculation, and the first three finishers – American Pharoah, Firing Line, and Dortmund – went around the track one-two-three, although not in that exact order. How often do you see such a complete lack of position change up top in an 18-horse field? Like, never, I think.

Now, some will say the dominance of the pace horses in this Derby might simply be evidence that American Pharoah, Firing Line, and Dortmund were the three best horses in the race. That might be true, although Frosted and Materiality will take issue with that, for good reasons we’ll touch on later. But with no track bias in play (there was none; Churchill played fair over the weekend), I take the conveyor-belt way this Derby was run as strong evidence of a very easy, if not downright slow early pace. And if the Derby splits of 23.24 seconds, 47.34, and 1:11.29 were easy like I believe they were, then really, how much could the track have slowed?

** Firing Line, as noted, was a courageous runner-up. He drew the dirty-work trip keeping Dortmund honest up front while American Pharoah fell back into the garden spot stalking those two. It sure does seem the concerns about Firing Line getting a true distance were unfounded. The question for Firing Line now is: Can a colt whose reputation has been one who has done best with plenty of time between starts run big again coming back in two weeks in the Preakness?

** Dortmund, who was my horse in the Derby, finished third, and I was initially disappointed in his effort; well, as disappointed as you could be in a horse who beat 15 opponents. But I suspected Dortmund might go to the lead, and even though he took some pressure up front from Firing Line, I thought he was going easily. Frankly, with the trip he was getting, I thought Dortmund was the winner down the backstretch.

But after thinking about it overnight, I think the California-based Dortmund’s performance might have been better than it seemed. Almost every other California shipper on Derby weekend performed poorly on Churchill’s main track. American Pharoah also is California-based, but the difference with him is that he went straight to Churchill after winning the Arkansas Derby and had his final workout over the track. Dortmund and the rest did not, and that might have been a compromising factor on a surface that seemed very tricky for several big-name horses.

** By the way, good on everyone concerned for allowing Dortmund to face American Pharoah again in the Preakness. Both, of course, are trained by Bob Baffert, and it would have been understandable if as good a colt as Dortmund was withheld from the Preakness to make American Pharoah’s potential Triple Crown shot a little easier. It’s great that it’s not going that way.

** Everyone’s trip horses out of the Derby are Frosted and Materiality, which is as it should be. Frosted finished a charging fourth, the only deep closer to make any serious impact (another indication of how slow the pace was), and after losing a ton of ground, too. Materiality might have been even more impressive. For a colt who raced only three times and was involved early each time, Materiality could have easily surrendered after breaking poorly and getting jammed up far off the early lead. Instead, Materiality finished with good courage to be sixth. He also galloped out well past the wire, which suggests he didn’t have the opportunity to do much running in the Derby itself.

** If you want some evidence of how California shippers floundered on Churchill’s main track, take a look at Bayern’s shocking last-place finish in the Churchill Downs Stakes and Enchanting Lady’s dull ninth in the Eight Belles. But mysteriously bad efforts on the main track weren’t restricted to just California horses. Honor Code barely lifted a hoof in the Alysheba, and he wintered in Florida and trained recently at Belmont.

** Judy the Beauty, last year’s champion female sprinter, wasn’t a no-show in the Humana Distaff; she lost a narrow decision to Dame Dorothy, who is emerging as a top-notch sprint specialist. But the fact that Judy the Beauty lost after attending a slow pace is just more proof that she doesn’t like Churchill Downs – in general, not just over the weekend.

** Apologies for finally getting to the Kentucky Oaks, but the truth is I don’t have much to say about it. It was a solid victory by Lovely Maria, who is very, very sharp right now. But I sense it could be musical chairs at the top of the 3-year-old filly division this year.

** Finally, although it didn’t take place at Churchill, a word about Tonalist’s comeback in the Westchester at Belmont. I know Tonalist beat only three opponents, and none were named Dr. Fager. But as first races off six-month layoffs go, his emphatic victory and 111 Beyer Speed Figure are welcome news for a handicap division that could use all the help it can get.