HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - American Pharoah confirmed his ranking as a major player on the Kentucky Derby trail on Saturday, when he overcame a host of difficult circumstances to win his 3-year-old debut by 6 1/4 lengths in the Grade 2, $750,000 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park.
“It was a big day,” trainer Bob Baffert said of the successful return of American Pharoah, the champion 2-year-old male of 2014.
Lord Nelson, fourth last week in the San Felipe Stakes, will come back on just 15 days’ rest to compete March 22 in the Grade 3, $800,000 Sunland Derby at Sunland Park, Baffert said Saturday morning. Martin Garcia will ride.
Firing Line, second to unbeaten Dortmund in the Robert Lewis and Los Alamitos Futurity in his last two starts, will be the Sunland Derby favorite. He has been pointed to that race since the Lewis.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Texas Red, the winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, worked an easy half-mile in 51.40 seconds on Saturday morning at Santa Anita in his first drill since returning to training after suffering from an abscess in his right front foot a little more than a month ago.
Keith Desormeaux, who trains and co-owns Texas Red, had said he wasn’t looking for anything fancy, being as this was the first work back, but Desormeaux did say he ideally would have liked to have “gone about a second faster.”
Hopefully, readers have taken careful notes on the Beyer analysis in this space, especially the last two weeks.
This from the preview of the Swale, when it was originally supposed to be run: “Ready for Rye was beaten as a big favorite in the Spectacular Bid, but that was his first race in almost three months. He got a 96 when winning his maiden in October and an 88 when second in the Bid, a race that has come up very strong ... I think Ready for Rye, with almost two months to recover from a hard race, is going to run huge, perhaps getting up near 100 on the Beyer scale.”
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Trainer Ken McPeek is looking forward to a rematch with trainer Bob Baffert on Saturday in the Grade 2, $750,000 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park. McPeek has the race’s probable second choice in The Truth Or Else, with Baffert sending out champion American Pharoah. Back in 2010, the trainers were part of a memorable renewal of the Rebel when the Baffert-trained Lookin At Lucky overcame trouble for a head win over the McPeek trainee Noble’s Promise.
Carpe Diem, Dortmund, and Upstart, each among the leading 2-year-olds from last year, all have already raced and won this year, creating buzz both individually and collectively toward the May 2 Kentucky Derby. But the horse adjudged the best of his generation last year is ready to step back into the ring.
American Pharoah
Pioneerof the Nile – Littleprincessemma, by Yankee Gentleman
(Bred in Kentucky by Zayat Stables)
Balance has been key for divisional champion American Pharoah, with classic influences on the top side of his pedigree thus far appearing to outweigh a female family slanted heavily toward speed.
Eh Cumpari, the last-to-first winner of the Grade 3 Palm Beach Stakes here last Saturday on turf, will be given an opportunity on the Kentucky Derby trail, said trainer Michael Dilger.
:: ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays
It was at precisely this time last year that I pronounced California Chrome the winner of the Kentucky Derby. You are all very welcome.
I had been running all about last winter watching basketball games before sitting down to watch the 2014 San Felipe Stakes. I was so dazzled by what I saw that I went back and watched every race of California Chrome’s career, searching for a reason to contain my enthusiasm. Seeing none, I made my pronouncement.
