Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Triple Crown bid alive
Storm fails to slow American Pharoah in dominating Preakness win.
BALTIMORE — Horse players had been checking the weather radar all afternoon. There was a storm rumbling toward Pimlico and a wet track, well, that made the Kentucky Derby winner American Pharoah a lock to win the Preakness Stakes and the second leg of the Triple Crown.
The colt’s trainer, Bob Baffert, wasn’t so sure. Yes, he knew American Pharoah had sliced his way like a jet
ski to a 61/4- length victory two months ago on a sloppy track at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs. But as the colt and his seven rivals stepped onto the track here Saturday, thunder was rumbling and a deluge had chased thousands of raucous infield revelers to seek cover and made the jockeys in their colorful silks and aboard their horses barely visible.
“I was getting a little leery,” Baffert said. “These horses, you could tell they didn’t like getting pelted.”
Victor Espinoza, American Pharoah’s rider, however, was experiencing a moment of clarity. He was drenched, uncomfortable and, as he walked his colt in a circle, made a decision. He was going to get America Pharoah out of the gate quickly and take this field gate to wire and to victory and, presumably, to New York and the Belmont Stakes with a chance to become the 12th Triple Crown champion in history, and the first since Affirmed in 1978.
“I didn’t want to get mud kicked into my horse’s face,” he said.
So Espinoza inched American Pharoah into the No. 1 hole and waited for the starting bell to ring. When it did, however, his colt’s back end swung out causing him to leave a bit late. Espinoza smooched to him, and scrubbed his neck, and suddenly American Pharoah was floating like a swamp buggy atop the water, leaving first Mr. Z and then his stablemate Dortmund in his wake.
He splashed through a half- mile in 46.49 seconds and 6 furlongs in 1:11.42. It was quick, dangerously quick. “It was a fast pace, but I had no choice,” Espinoza said. “But as soon as I took the lead I knew that was it.”
Behind him jockey Corey Nakatani aboard Mr. Z believed he had American Pharoah measured. “He was in it,” he said of his colt.
Martin Garcia atop Dortmund sensed he was in trouble. His colt is a strapping 17 hands, but had never had mud kicked in his face. Garcia knew his colt wasn’t comfortable.
Before the race, Baffert told Espinoza that Mr. Z was going to be difficult to shake. In fact, the colt wasn’t supposed to be in the field at all. He began the week owned by Ahmed Zayat, the owner of American Pharoah. Zayat didn’t want to run Mr. Z two weeks after a 13th-place finish in Derby.
But the colt’s trainer, D. Wayne Lukas, did. So Wednesday morning, before the draw, Zayat got an offer to buy the colt from another of Lukas’ clients, Calumet Farm.
Watching from the paddock Baffert was no longer worried as American Pharoah glided down the backside. Instead, he felt a shiver and a flutter in his heart.
“I saw his ears go up, and I thought, Oh yeah, oh yeah,” he said.
Espinoza was relaxed atop American Pharoah as he leaned toward the rail and braced for the stretch. Baffert’s wife, Jill, tugged on his sleeve as the pack seemed to close in on American Pharoah.
“He’s waiting, he’s waiting, to let him go,” Baffert told her.
When Mr. Z got within a half-length, Espinoza crossed his reins, gave American Pharoah his head and essentially enjoyed the ride. The rider and his colt hit the stretch 4 lengths ahead and then rolled down the lane with the force of a waterfall. By the time Espinoza crossed the finish line, he and American Pharoah were 7 lengths ahead of the long shots Tale of Verve and Divining Rod.
“Great horses do great things,” Baffert said.
The son of Pioneerof the Nile earned a $900,000 check to plump his earning past $3.4 million and rewarded his backers with $3.80 for a $2 bet. His final time of 1:58.46 was slow, but the ease of how he won looked spectacular.
So much water filled Espinoza’s riding boots, he emptied one of them on the trophy stand.
It was obvious his moment of clarity had paid big dividends.
“Sometimes you do the right decisions for the best of the horse,” he said. “Just trying to balance out there and go for the lead, and it worked out well.”
So Espinoza is New York bound for a date with destiny for the second year in row and for the third time in his career. Last year, California Chrome’s Triple Crown bid fell short, as did Espinoza’s attempt aboard War Emblem in 2002.
“I hope the third one is a charm,” he said.
This will be Baffert’s fourth stab at horse racing’s Holy Grail. Silver Charm (1997), Real Quiet (1998) and War Emblem — none of them were able to sweep the series. For a while at least, he said, he was going to banish the mile and half “Test of the Champion” from his thoughts. Silver Charm lost by a half-length, Real Quiet by a nose, and War Emblem at the start when he stumbled out of the gate.
“It’s tough up there,” he said of the Belmont, scheduled for June 6. “I’ve been there and I don’t want to think about it for a couple of weeks. There’s going to be a whole new crew waiting for us. Let me enjoy this.”