Preakness the easiest leg for Kentucky Derby winner

FAVOURITE: AMERICAN PHAROAH CAN GIVE BOB BAFFERT HIS FOURTH DERBY-PREAKNESS STAKES DOUBLE

- Now comes the easy part for American Pharoah - the Preakness Stakes. At least that's the way Bob Baffert sizes up the next race on the Triple Crown trail.

The Hall Of Fame trainer is 3-0 when his Kentucky Derby winner runs in the Preakness Stakes and his fourth Derby winner, American Pharoah, should be the heavy favourite for Saturday's race in Baltimore.

'' To me, the Preakness is the easiest of the three legs,'' Baffert said a few days after American Pharoah's hard-fought, onelength Derby victory over Firing Line. '' The Derby is the hardest. Once you get through there, you know your horses are in top form. It's a two-week turnaround. It's just a matter of getting there.'' And winning there. Baffert's Derby-Preakness winners are Silver Charm in 1997, Real Quiet in 1998 and War Emblem in 2002. He owns two other Preakness wins - Point Given in 2001 and Lookin At Lucky in 2010. Both were beaten Derby favourites.

The Belmont Stakes three

Baltimore

weeks after the Preakness? Well, that's another story: Baffert is 0 for 3 in attempts to end a Triple Crown drought that began after Affirmed swept the Derby, Preakness and Belmont in 1978. '' The Belmont,'' he said, ''you see that it wears on them.''

Silver Charm was passed in the stretch and beaten 0.75 lengths; Real Quiet lost by a nose in the closest of finishes and War Emblem stumbled at the start and finished seventh.

''I'm not even thinking about it right now,'' 62-year-old Baffert said. ''I just want to enjoy this win and go to the Preakness and really enjoy it. I'm older. It's much less pressure now.''

The 1800m Preakness is shaping up as a tough test for American Pharoah on several fronts.

Firing Line and third-place Derby finisher Dortmund are out for payback. A few other Derby runners could show up, along with several new shooters.

''He's showing us positive vibes since the race,'' Firing Line's trainer Simon Callaghan said. ''He's a horse who just takes these races in stride. I think we have a really good chance of turning the tables.''

And there's this: Could American Pharoah be a bit tuckered out after facing his first stiff challenge in the Derby?

The three-year-old owned by Ahmed Zayat had won his previous four races by a combined 22.25 lengths, including an eight-length romp in the Arkansas Derby.

At Churchill Downs, he struggled somewhat but remained third before jockey Victor Espinoza urged him on coming out of the far turn.

Espinoza used his whip on the horse a reported 32 times in overtaking Dortmund and Firing Line.

Some have questioned whether his use of the whip was excessive. Baffert said the veteran rider was trying to keep American Pharoah focused.

''He was flagging him and hitting him, but he hits him on the saddle towel, and he doesn't really hit that hard,'' Baffert said. ''It was to keep him busy. The horse wasn't responding on the turn for home.'' -

11 OUT OF JULY: Eleven horses have already been withdrawn from the Vodacom Durban July, all of them long-priced entries. They are All The Bids, Shea Devon, Rake’s Chestnut, Stormy Eclipse, Gogetthesheriff, Arion, Greek Legend, Heartland, Henry Higgins, Scotsnog and Sabadell. First supplementary entries fall due today. Three-year- old filly Majmu (above), considered by many to be the best horse in South Africa, has been priced up 7-2 favourite for the country’s biggest race, even though she finished a slightly disappointing second to Wylie Hall in the President’s Champions Challenge last month. Wylie Hall, who was demoted to second behind Legislate in last year’s Durban July, is at 7-1 alongside KRA Guineas winner The Conglomerate. Legislate, who is a doubtful starter after being adversely affected by an incident in the starting stalls in the Drill Hall Stakes this month, is on offer at 16-1. J&B Met and L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate winner Futura is second favourite at 9-2. Betting World’s betting for the R3.5- million Grade 1 race, to be run over 2200m at Greyville on Saturday 4 July: 7-2 MAJMU; 9-2 FUTURA; 7-1 THE CONGLOMERATE, WYLIE HALL; 14-1 LEGAL EAGLE; 16-1 LEGISLATE; 20-1 ERTIJAAL, LOUIS THE KING; 25-1 DEPUTY JUD, SIREN’S CALL ; 33-1 AND UPWARDS OTHERS.