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GarlandTex.wiretowire

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Jun 8 15 11:09 AM

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06/07/2015 12:12PM

American Pharoah in excellent condition following Belmont victory

Barbara D. Livingston
American Pharoah greets the media Sunday morning at Belmont Park.

ELMONT, N.Y. – American Pharoah, the Triple Crown winner, came out of his stirring Belmont Stakes victory Saturday in excellent condition, traveled back to Churchill Downs on Sunday for a two-week holiday, and will return to his usual base in Southern California before the remainder of his racing career is mapped out, trainer Bob Baffert said Sunday.

“This horse today, for a horse who ran a mile and a half yesterday, looked pretty darn good,” Baffert said.

American Pharoah has been based at Churchill Downs for nearly two months, since shortly after his victory in the Arkansas Derby. He will have some down time there, which includes being paraded Saturday night at Churchill Downs on the Stephen Foster Handicap card. Then, he will go back to California.

American Pharoah’s schedule has yet to be worked out, but Baffert mentioned races like the Haskell at Monmouth and Jim Dandy at Saratoga as potential starting points and also cited the Travers at Saratoga and Pacific Classic at Del Mar as being in the mix.

Both he and Ahmed Zayat, American Pharoah’s owner and breeder, reiterated American Pharoah will race through the end of this year.

“As long as he’s healthy,” Baffert said.

The Breeders’ Cup Classic is the final goal. Zayat manages American Pharoah’s career through the end of this year. He has sold the colt’s breeding rights to Coolmore, which will manage American Pharoah beginning at age 4. It is highly unlikely a breeding operation like Coolmore would race American Pharoah at age 4.

On Sunday, Baffert and jockey Victor Espinoza were on the “Today” show from Belmont Park. American Pharoah, with assistant Jim Barnes holding him, stood between them, sensible to the moment. He is remarkably calm on the track, especially considering what a competitor he is on the track.

“I’m still a little numb,” Baffert said. “I’m so proud of this beautiful animal. He’s so kind. He makes me look really, really smart.”

This was the fourth time Baffert had gone for a Triple Crown in the Belmont, having missed with Silver Charm, Real Quiet, and War Emblem.

“If he didn’t win yesterday, I was gonna take a bat to that Triple Crown trophy,” he said.

Espinoza said he didn’t get any sleep Saturday night.

“I stayed up all night just thinking about [American Pharoah’s win],” said Espinoza.

American Pharoah got a Beyer Speed Figure of 105.

Kiaran McLaughlin, the trainer of the runner-up Frosted, said he was proud of Frosted’s race and saluted American Pharoah.

“My horse ran his race,” he said. “We just picked the wrong year.”

McLaughlin said American Pharoah “is a special horse.”

“He does everything effortlessly,” McLaughlin said.

McLaughlin said the next major goal for Frosted will be the Travers at Saratoga, but how he gets there – whether he has a prep or goes straight into the race – is yet to be determined.

"My bets never lose, they just don't win."

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GarlandTex.wiretowire

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Jun 8 15 11:20 AM

Andrew Beyer is an idiot.. plain and simple..


Though the theme of the story is positive, somehow Beyer manages to run down AP's accomplishment. He was against AP all the way in each race, and can't seem to come to grips with that which most thoroughbred experts have acknowledged - American Pharoah is a 'special' horse. I have no use for his speed figures and little use for his opinion.

06/07/2015 7:28PM

Beyer: American Pharoah defied all obstacles

Barbara D. Livingston
American Pharoah had far more rivals to defeat in his Triple Crown sweep than most of his predecessors.

As a dozen horses since 1978 tried to win the Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown, racing purists have harbored mixed feelings about some of these bids. It would be almost a sacrilege for a less-than-great horse to have his name inscribed on the list of Triple Crown winners that includes some of the sport’s immortals.

American Pharoah is not another Secretariat, Affirmed, or Seattle Slew. But after his front-running victory Saturday, he deserves an exalted place in racing history, for he swept the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes at a time when the feat has become more difficult than ever. 

American Pharoah has the most potent combination of strengths that a horse can possess in American dirt racing. He has high speed, but also has the talent and temperament to conserve that speed and employ it when his jockey asks. Accordingly, American Pharoah has been able to get an ideal tactical position in every one of his seven straight victories. And that is what he did in the Belmont.

Most of his seven rivals lacked any early speed; only Materiality had ever displayed enough quickness to indicate that he might challenge the favorite.  His trainer, Todd Pletcher, declared, “We’ve got to put some pressure on American Pharoah.”  But Materiality couldn’t do it — he delivered a dismal performance and finished last -- and American Pharoah immediately seized the lead.

"In the first turn,” jockey Victor Espinoza said, "it was the best feeling I’ve ever had.”  After he set a moderate pace over the exceptionally fast racing surface — a half mile in 48.83 seconds, six furlongs in 1:13.41 — the outcome of the Belmont was decided. American Pharoah had plenty of energy left to draw away strongly in the stretch, and racing had its 12th Triple Crown winner.

It is difficult for many handicappers (myself included) to heap lavish praise on horses who win with perfect trips like this one. After a horse captures a race with an unchallenged early lead, we’re looking to bet against him the next time he runs, not anoint him a superhorse.

And American Pharoah’s performance in the Belmont was not of superhorse quality, no matter what millions of viewers might have thought as they watched him drawing away to win by 5 ½ lengths. He ran 1 ½ miles in 2:26.65 on the same card that a fair-to-middling group of older stakes horses covered the distance only .48 second slower.  It was certainly a good effort: His Beyer Speed Figure of 105 was the best in the Belmont since 2007, but still a bit below the historical norm for the race. 

Before making a definitive judgment about how American Pharoah stacks up against the all-time greats, racing fans should wait to see him challenge top older horses later in the year. That’s usually the acid test for a 3-year-old. Affirmed and Seattle Slew did not fully certify their greatness until their post-Triple Crown phase of their careers.   

Regardless of the quality of his individual performances, and regardless of what he does in the future, American Pharoah’s sweep of the three classics is an achievement more notable than those of the 11 horses who did it before him.

The weeks leading up to his Belmont were filled with discussion about the reasons that the Triple Crown has been so difficult to win for the last 37 years. Some horses of the past lost because of bad rides or because they encountered a superior rival. But in recent years, three significant developments have affected 3-year-olds bidding for the Triple Crown:

* Because of their popularity and large purses, the Triple Crown races have attracted big fields that make them more difficult to win. Citation faced a grand total of 15 rivals in three races; American Pharoah had to defeat 17 in the Derby alone.

* As the breeding of U.S. Thoroughbreds has changed, virtually no horses have a pedigree to run 1 ½ miles on the dirt, creating an obstacle that didn’t affect the stamina-rich horses of previous generations.

* Racing three times in five weeks is too difficult for modern-day horses, who are regularly given much more time between starts -- except in the Triple Crown. From 2006 until this year, 23 horses ran in the Preakness and came back to run in the Belmont three weeks later. All 23 lost. Fresh horses who rest five weeks from the Derby to the Belmont now hold a significant advantage.

These factors weren’t relevant in the Triple Crown until early in the new millennium, and they are becoming more important. U.S. horses continue to be bred with an emphasis of speed over stamina. Horses need and get more rest between races. In view of these trends, Triple Crown winners will be increasingly rare. American Pharoah’s sweep will look even more impressive if nobody duplicates the feat for another 37 years.


"My bets never lose, they just don't win."

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GarlandTex.wiretowire

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Jun 8 15 11:25 AM

DRF-Watchmaker: How does American Pharoah compare to other Triple Crown winners?

06/06/2015 9:03PM

Watchmaker: How does American Pharoah compare to other Triple Crown winners?

Now, after his dominant victory in the Belmont Stakes to become only the 12th ever to capture the Triple Crown, the debate shifts from whether American Pharoah can make history to his place in it.

The best way to address that, I think, is to compare American Pharoah to other Triple Crown winners at this stage of their careers, although that isn’t so simple. But I do think it’s very safe to say he’s better than Assault and Omaha, who are widely regarded as the weakest Triple Crown winners.

I seriously doubt American Pharoah is the equal of Citation at this point in their careers. Jack Wilson, the legendary Daily Racing Form chart caller who I worked alongside for almost nine years, once told me Citation, when he was right, could “beat Secretariat pulling a wagon.” Jack might have been embellishing a bit, comparing a horse I knew he loved to a horse he knew I loved, but I got the point. Citation was an all-time great. But I can’t really compare American Pharoah to horses like War Admiral and Count Fleet at this point in their careers. There are nuances there of which I’m unfamiliar.

However, I can compare American Pharoah, through the Belmont, to Secretariat, Seattle Slew, and Affirmed, at the same points of their careers. When Secretariat came along, I was still seven years away from working in the racing industry, but I was already a rabid, seasoned (okay, cynical) racing fan for almost five years. I lived and breathed those horses. So I think I can speak from a position of some knowledge.

American Pharoah does not compare to Secretariat, but really, who does? Secretariat is the frame of reference by which all modern day Thoroughbreds are measured. It’s frankly unfair to compare any horse to Secretariat.

Comparisons to Affirmed are tricky, and perhaps impossible. Affirmed had Alydar, who was truly a fantastic racehorse, to affirm (no pun intended) his greatness. American Pharoah has no such foil. This was considered a strong crop of 3-year-olds in the run up to the Kentucky Derby, and I think it still is. But American Pharoah is just so much better than his contemporaries that there is no one to really push him the way Alydar pushed Affirmed.

But Seattle Slew … I think I was one of the first to draw a comparison between American Pharoah and Seattle Slew, doing so in this space a couple of months ago. I just felt as though their untapped brilliance in the run up to the Kentucky Derby was comparable, as were their running styles. But now, I will say this: At this point in their careers, American Pharoah is better than Seattle Slew was.

People either don’t know, or forget, that Seattle Slew was not embraced by the racing public, even after becoming the first and only horse to complete the Triple Crown while undefeated. It was not until what Seattle Slew accomplished as a 4-year-old that he was widely accepted as being a great horse.

The main reason for that was, Seattle Slew beat a very, very weak group through his Triple Crown run. American Pharoah has beaten much, much better horses through his Triple Crown march, and for that reason, he gets this nod from me.

Two other points I want to make, and both have to do with why American Pharoah was able to succeed in winning the Triple Crown when so many other horses in recent years failed.

First, unlike others who were recently denied  the Triple Crown in the Belmont, American Pharoah was dominant over his age group from the get go. He is not a horse who got good just over the last three months. He was champion 2-year-old male last year despite not having raced after Sept. 27. That is almost unheard of in the Breeders’ Cup era, and illustrates just how brilliant he has been from early on.

Secondly, this Belmont Stakes just set up perfectly for him. He was the controlling speed, a controlling speed who could also rate, and figured to be pressured mainly by Materiality, another who could also rate, and who completed an equation that would result in a very easy early pace.

 

Sure enough, this Belmont was nearly over when American Pharoah posted a half-mile split under a hammerlock in 48.83 seconds, and it was really over after six furlongs in 1:13.41.

 

"My bets never lose, they just don't win."

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excalibur.wiretowire

Posts: 407 Member Since:03/05/15

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Jun 8 15 11:54 AM

Ernie,

I read the Andrew Beyer article this morning. Beyer boasts about speed figures because that is his claim to fame in the DRF and with handicappers. I agree that he always seems to take the steam out of a great subject, which is all about the horse AP that won the triple crown. Beyer certainly never backed AP in any of the legs because Beyer is a long time gamble that never plays favorites. American Pharoah ran his race and repelled the challenge of Frosted and the best horse won and took down the Triple Crown. I'm just glad that this horse gave us what we wanted and should help promote the sport, which has severely declined in the last 10 years. Hopefully, AP runs in the Haskell and then Breeders Cup before taking on his stud duties and is retired. Given the great performance, I'm sure the Monmouth folks will make every effort to run there summer event. I hope the Owners decide to keep AP on the track for a couple more races because it will help promote the sport for the rest of the 2015 racing season. The bottom line, AP is a Triple Crown Winners. One of a very exclusive club. Secretariat was the greatest but AP belongs and Bob Baffert and his training on this colt deserves lots /of credit.

Steve "H"

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GarlandTex.wiretowire

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Jun 8 15 12:18 PM

excalibur wrote:

Ernie,

I read the Andrew Beyer article this morning. Beyer boasts about speed figures because that is his claim to fame in the DRF and with handicappers. I agree that he always seems to take the steam out of a great subject, which is all about the horse AP that won the triple crown. Beyer certainly never backed AP in any of the legs because Beyer is a long time gamble that never plays favorites. American Pharoah ran his race and repelled the challenge of Frosted and the best horse won and took down the Triple Crown. I'm just glad that this horse gave us what we wanted and should help promote the sport, which has severely declined in the last 10 years. Hopefully, AP runs in the Haskell and then Breeders Cup before taking on his stud duties and is retired. Given the great performance, I'm sure the Monmouth folks will make every effort to run there summer event. I hope the Owners decide to keep AP on the track for a couple more races because it will help promote the sport for the rest of the 2015 racing season. The bottom line, AP is a Triple Crown Winners. One of a very exclusive club. Secretariat was the greatest but AP belongs and Bob Baffert and his training on this colt deserves lots /of credit.

Steve "H"

You nailed it Steverino!

"My bets never lose, they just don't win."

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jerseybled.wiretowire

Posts: 878 Member Since:03/05/15

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Jun 8 15 12:53 PM

Yep, Slew is my comparison. AP WILL Not get to accomplish what Slew did, but know one is complaining. Slew was my youth, imagine if they did race AP at 4. Wonder if AP will race one more time, two more times, and heavens to Betsy, THREE more time. We have a right to be cycnical.

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tomg.wiretowire

Posts: 278 Member Since:03/09/15

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Jun 8 15 2:20 PM

didn't think beyer was overly harsh - 226 and 2/5 is not something to go crazy over on a track playing that fast - macho tommy and wedding ring both closer to the track records than ap - by no means am I knocking the horse - he's a deserving tc winner and I love to watch him run - his feet stay on the ground less time than any other horse I've ever seen - I think he could beat affirmed but not slew.

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GarlandTex.wiretowire

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Jun 8 15 2:46 PM

jerseybled wrote:
Yep, Slew is my comparison. AP WILL Not get to accomplish what Slew did, but know one is complaining. Slew was my youth, imagine if they did race AP at 4. Wonder if AP will race one more time, two more times, and heavens to Betsy, THREE more time. We have a right to be cycnical.
According to Baffert, on At the Races with Steve Byk this morning, Mr. Pharoah (as Baffert now calls him) will be aimed for three more races if he stays healthy. Races mentioned as possibilities were the Haskell, Pennsylvania Derby, Travers,  and of course the Breeder's Cup... He also mentioned a couple west coast races that I can't recall right now.



"My bets never lose, they just don't win."

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Byanose13.wiretowire

Posts: 289 Member Since:03/07/15

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Jun 8 15 3:57 PM

Who gives a rat's ass what Beyer thinks or anybody else. Pharoah did what he needed to do and beat more horses in the process than any other triple crown winner so to hell with them.
I know with all the other Pharoah fans what he did and how special it is . I wish Baffert would take Pharoah to where Beyer works and let him kick him in the balls, for someone who works in a sport where all it needs all the good stories and press it can get to come off with these backhanded comments make no sense.

If you think I'm mad you are right I waited 37 years to see another TC winner and I don't want some ass-hole pissing all over it with his senseless blather.

O.K. I'm fine now that I have gotten that off my chest. 

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A2ZInCali.wiretowire

Posts: 159 Member Since:03/05/15

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Jun 8 15 6:16 PM

Beyer is seemingly never happy.  If the man had been around in 1919 and 1920 surely he would have found many things he didn't like about Man O' War.  If it were 1948 the man would bag on Citation for losing one race out of 20 starts.  


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GarlandTex.wiretowire

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Jun 8 15 7:38 PM

tomg wrote:
didn't think beyer was overly harsh - 226 and 2/5 is not something to go crazy over on a track playing that fast - macho tommy and wedding ring both closer to the track records than ap - by no means am I knocking the horse - he's a deserving tc winner and I love to watch him run - his feet stay on the ground less time than any other horse I've ever seen - I think he could beat affirmed but not slew.

Tommy, it isn't always about the time, it is how the time was achieved... look at these numbers:

       24.06          48.83      1:13.41       1:37.99       2:02.33      2:26.65
Fractions: 24.77        24.58         24.58           24.34          24.32

This shows how AP really devoured the field... he started well and never let up running fractions in almost perfectly symmetrical times, and they said he couldn't go 1-1/2 miles. Please note the last 1/2 mile was faster than the first half mile.


"My bets never lose, they just don't win."

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carche.wiretowire

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Jun 8 15 9:27 PM

Racingpost.com's weekly write up World Class is headed "American Pharoah good but cannot yet be classed as great". They of course explain why but look more favourably on American Pharoah than Beyer.

http://www.racingpost.com/news/horse-racing/world-class-pharoah-good-but-cannot-yet-be-classed-as-great/1892795/international/#newsArchiveTabs=last7DaysNews

It's inevitable comparison's have been drawn. Damn pity as it denigrates what he had to undergo to claim the title when so many other amazing horses have tried and failed. Yes, the acid test comes when they take on older horses or train on as four year olds but can't we at least for the moment bask in seeing the first Triple Crown winner in 37 'effin years without nit-picking at it!? What struck me while reading both articles is whether previous Triple Crown winners were judged in the same vein which American Pharoah now finds himself in? I'd be interested to know. I get the impression that he is somewhat seen as 'the most unlikely' as he doesn't fit the mold of a Triple Crown winner asthetically-speaking. How could some plain looking unremarkable brown horse win the Triple Crown compared to the chiselled, golden adonis known as Secretariat or the elegantly proportioned chestnut specimen known as Affirmed. He may no look the part but by golly he has the talent and heart of a TC champion. Onya American Pharoah.

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JustAFan.wiretowire

Posts: 44 Member Since:03/05/15

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Jun 8 15 10:32 PM

A2ZInCali wrote:
Beyer is seemingly never happy.  If the man had been around in 1919 and 1920 surely he would have found many things he didn't like about Man O' War.  If it were 1948 the man would bag on Citation for losing one race out of 20 starts.  



You are so right.  He never writes anything positive about anything.  I think he fits the horseplayer's stereotype of grouchiness.  How about this beauty of a Beyer headline about Zenyatta, 18 races into her career:  Zenyatta's fast, but doesn't belong in racing's pantheon.

I don't have any problem with a handicapper/writer taking a stand against a 3-5 shot before a race, but when the horse wins the Triple Crown, against a strong class of 3 year olds, and runs the fastest final 1/4 mile in the history of the Belmont, its time to put down your guns and acknowledge the horse as a true champion.  I guess I still carry more respect for his opinions than some others, but he sure is slow to come around on this one.



  

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1 of few at rock

Posts: 612 Member Since:03/05/15

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Jun 9 15 5:41 AM

Fan,,,, If YOU picked as many losers as Andy Beyer . YOU would be grouchy too. Sat behind him at Saratoga one saturday , and by the 7th race he had developed a full on twitch from picking losers. No smiles in his box all day long.

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NJ Capper.wiretowire

Posts: 568 Member Since:03/07/15

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Jun 9 15 8:13 AM

GarlandTex wrote:

Tommy, it isn't always about the time, it is how the time was achieved... look at these numbers:

       24.06          48.83      1:13.41       1:37.99       2:02.33      2:26.65
Fractions: 24.77        24.58         24.58           24.34          24.32

This shows how AP really devoured the field... he started well and never let up running fractions in almost perfectly symmetrical times, and they said he couldn't go 1-1/2 miles. Please note the last 1/2 mile was faster than the first half mile.
 


Those initial  fractions were crawling for that track.  1.13.41 for 6F, 1.37.99 and 2.02.33 for a mile and a quarter?  That's very slow - the 2nd and 3rd quarters were the slowest.

I know it was much shorter, but the quasi-allowance 3-year old stakes horses in the first race went in 1.10.42 and 1.35.60 - both more than two seconds faster.  In the second race, which was an allowance race, the 3-year old winner went 1.10.58  and 1.34.58 (4th quarter a flat 24 seconds).

I see that The Blood-Horse has been touting the fact that American Pharoah ran his last quarter faster than Secretariat did.  But they neglect to mention that Secretariat had already run 6F in 1.09.80 (3.61 seconds FASTER) and the 1-1/4 in 1.59.00 (3.33 seconds FASTER).  And of course his final time was 2-3/5 faster untouched with an insurmountable lead - by the top of the stretch it was a virtual walkover.

It was a very good race, one of the better Belmonts, but I think people should hold off on the Secretariat comparisons at least until he does more later this year.

Even if we were to compare them now, to put this into perspective American Pharoah  ran the 54th fastest 1-1/4 Kentucky Derby, the 70th fastest 1-3/16 Preakness, and the 6th fastest Belmont.  On the other hand, Secretariat ran the fastest in all three races!

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jerseybled.wiretowire

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Jun 9 15 9:32 AM

Good job Capper, that is perspective. The jockey's job is to slow it down, any idiot can go fast. Hope Bob brings him to the Haskell, the Spa is tricky and kinda close to the Haskell. Now Bob will leave specific instructions for Bayern not run over AP in the BC. I would not be a nice thing to do.

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GarlandTex.wiretowire

Posts: 3,649 Member Since:03/03/15

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Jun 9 15 10:39 AM

NJ Capper wrote:
GarlandTex wrote:

Tommy, it isn't always about the time, it is how the time was achieved... look at these numbers:

       24.06          48.83      1:13.41       1:37.99       2:02.33      2:26.65
Fractions: 24.77        24.58         24.58           24.34          24.32

This shows how AP really devoured the field... he started well and never let up running fractions in almost perfectly symmetrical times, and they said he couldn't go 1-1/2 miles. Please note the last 1/2 mile was faster than the first half mile.
 


Those initial  fractions were crawling for that track.  1.13.41 for 6F, 1.37.99 and 2.02.33 for a mile and a quarter?  That's very slow - the 2nd and 3rd quarters were the slowest.

I know it was much shorter, but the quasi-allowance 3-year old stakes horses in the first race went in 1.10.42 and 1.35.60 - both more than two seconds faster.  In the second race, which was an allowance race, the 3-year old winner went 1.10.58  and 1.34.58 (4th quarter a flat 24 seconds).

I see that The Blood-Horse has been touting the fact that American Pharoah ran his last quarter faster than Secretariat did.  But they neglect to mention that Secretariat had already run 6F in 1.09.80 (3.61 seconds FASTER) and the 1-1/4 in 1.59.00 (3.33 seconds FASTER).  And of course his final time was 2-3/5 faster untouched with an insurmountable lead - by the top of the stretch it was a virtual walkover.

It was a very good race, one of the better Belmonts, but I think people should hold off on the Secretariat comparisons at least until he does more later this year.

Even if we were to compare them now, to put this into perspective American Pharoah  ran the 54th fastest 1-1/4 Kentucky Derby, the 70th fastest 1-3/16 Preakness, and the 6th fastest Belmont.  On the other hand, Secretariat ran the fastest in all three races!
The fact still stands that no matter how you cut it... the 147th running of the Belmont was the 6th fastest ever (and that includes non-triple crown winners). Baffert has steadily said that AP didn't run well in the Derby, that he never seemed to really get a hold of the track and still he won. As for the Preakness, AP had no reason to go faster in a monsoon since he destroyed the field, so comparing that track to the fast track Secretariat ran on makes little sense. Now don't get me wrong, in my mind Secretariat is the best I have ever seen. I can't say that about AP since he has yet to run against older horses. Nor has he run nearly as many times as Big Red did, and likely won't ever. In finality I am going to enjoy this achievement by a truly remarkable horse no matter how anyone else feels.

"My bets never lose, they just don't win."

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A2ZInCali.wiretowire

Posts: 159 Member Since:03/05/15

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Jun 9 15 6:26 PM

JustAFan wrote:
A2ZInCali wrote:
Beyer is seemingly never happy.  If the man had been around in 1919 and 1920 surely he would have found many things he didn't like about Man O' War.  If it were 1948 the man would bag on Citation for losing one race out of 20 starts.  



You are so right.  He never writes anything positive about anything.  I think he fits the horseplayer's stereotype of grouchiness.  How about this beauty of a Beyer headline about Zenyatta, 18 races into her career:  Zenyatta's fast, but doesn't belong in racing's pantheon.

I don't have any problem with a handicapper/writer taking a stand against a 3-5 shot before a race, but when the horse wins the Triple Crown, against a strong class of 3 year olds, and runs the fastest final 1/4 mile in the history of the Belmont, its time to put down your guns and acknowledge the horse as a true champion.  I guess I still carry more respect for his opinions than some others, but he sure is slow to come around on this one.


Grouchy just about sums up Mr. Beyer, Fan.  In my opinion, any horse that wins the TC gets to be called one of the greats.  smiley: happy 
  



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GarlandTex.wiretowire

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Jun 18 15 4:04 PM

DRF - Del Mar weighs bonus to lure American Pharoah

06/18/2015 2:45PM

Del Mar weighs bonus to lure American Pharoah

The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Southern California is exploring a plan to attach a $5 million bonus to the Pacific Classic if Triple Crown winner American Pharoah runs in the race, Del Mar officials said on Thursday.

The bonus would require a horse to win the Aug. 22 Pacific Classic, a yet-to-be-identified race at Santa Anita – probably the Awesome Again Stakes – and the Oct. 31 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland in Kentucky, the officials said. Del Mar officials have already discussed the plan with American Pharoah’s trainer, Bob Baffert, who has yet to commit to a schedule for the horse but has said the Breeders’ Cup Classic is the ultimate goal.

“We just want to make sure that if Bob and [the colt’s owners] the Zayats are considering us, we’re putting our best foot forward,” said Josh Rubinstein, Del Mar’s chief operating officer.

American Pharoah arrived back at Baffert’s Santa Anita base on Thursday after spending several weeks at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., following his Belmont Stakes win. If the colt’s connections go the California route, it would mean taking on older horses in all three of his starts.

An alternate plan is to ship back to the East Coast to Monmouth Park for the $1 million Haskell Invitational on Aug. 2 and then shoot for the Aug. 29 Travers Stakes at Saratoga. Both stakes are restricted to 3-year-olds. Ahmed Zayat, the colt’s owner, is a New Jersey resident and has indicated that he would like to race American Pharoah at Monmouth.

Tracks have routinely used bonuses to lure popular horses to their tracks. In most cases, the bonus is attached to one race, however, so the Del Mar plan would be unique in that way.

Winning three races in a row against older horses would be a tall order for any horse. Still, Del Mar likely would seek out an insurance policy to pay the bonus should a horse win all three races, and negotiations over a policy would be somewhat complicated. The Pacific Classic is also sponsored by TVG, the broadcasting and account-wagering company, and the company likely would be involved in the negotiations.

Rubinstein said Del Mar would love to have American Pharoah remain in California during the lead-up to the Breeders’ Cup, and that the track likely would tie in the colt’s dominating performance in the Del Mar Futurity last year as part of the promotion of the $1 million Pacific Classic.

“This is kind of where it all began,” Rubinstein said.

Although the Del Mar plan is not official, another track has already hung up a $2 million purse for American Pharoah. Canterbury Park in Minnesota has offered to boost the purse for its Mystic Derby from $200,000 to $2 million if the horse runs in the race, which would be scheduled for Aug. 30 under the new conditions. However, Zayat has already rejected the idea.

"My bets never lose, they just don't win."

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A2ZInCali.wiretowire

Posts: 159 Member Since:03/05/15

#19 [url]

Jun 18 15 6:00 PM

GarlandTex wrote:
06/18/2015 2:45PM

Del Mar weighs bonus to lure American Pharoah

The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Southern California is exploring a plan to attach a $5 million bonus to the Pacific Classic if Triple Crown winner American Pharoah runs in the race, Del Mar officials said on Thursday.

The bonus would require a horse to win the Aug. 22 Pacific Classic, a yet-to-be-identified race at Santa Anita – probably the Awesome Again Stakes – and the Oct. 31 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland in Kentucky, the officials said. Del Mar officials have already discussed the plan with American Pharoah’s trainer, Bob Baffert, who has yet to commit to a schedule for the horse but has said the Breeders’ Cup Classic is the ultimate goal.

“We just want to make sure that if Bob and [the colt’s owners] the Zayats are considering us, we’re putting our best foot forward,” said Josh Rubinstein, Del Mar’s chief operating officer.

American Pharoah arrived back at Baffert’s Santa Anita base on Thursday after spending several weeks at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., following his Belmont Stakes win. If the colt’s connections go the California route, it would mean taking on older horses in all three of his starts.

An alternate plan is to ship back to the East Coast to Monmouth Park for the $1 million Haskell Invitational on Aug. 2 and then shoot for the Aug. 29 Travers Stakes at Saratoga. Both stakes are restricted to 3-year-olds. Ahmed Zayat, the colt’s owner, is a New Jersey resident and has indicated that he would like to race American Pharoah at Monmouth.

Tracks have routinely used bonuses to lure popular horses to their tracks. In most cases, the bonus is attached to one race, however, so the Del Mar plan would be unique in that way.

Winning three races in a row against older horses would be a tall order for any horse. Still, Del Mar likely would seek out an insurance policy to pay the bonus should a horse win all three races, and negotiations over a policy would be somewhat complicated. The Pacific Classic is also sponsored by TVG, the broadcasting and account-wagering company, and the company likely would be involved in the negotiations.

Rubinstein said Del Mar would love to have American Pharoah remain in California during the lead-up to the Breeders’ Cup, and that the track likely would tie in the colt’s dominating performance in the Del Mar Futurity last year as part of the promotion of the $1 million Pacific Classic.

“This is kind of where it all began,” Rubinstein said.

Although the Del Mar plan is not official, another track has already hung up a $2 million purse for American Pharoah. Canterbury Park in Minnesota has offered to boost the purse for its Mystic Derby from $200,000 to $2 million if the horse runs in the race, which would be scheduled for Aug. 30 under the new conditions. However, Zayat has already rejected the idea.

A lot of tracks want AP to pay a visit.  One thing is for sure:  Mr. Zayat has a whole bunch of options available for his horse.

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jerseybled.wiretowire

Posts: 878 Member Since:03/05/15

#20 [url]

Jun 18 15 6:07 PM

They certainly could go this bonus route for Pharoah, and ship Dortmund to the Haskell.

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