Where should American Pharoah make his next start?

QUESTION: Can you name the five horses that have won the Belmont Stakes and the Haskell?

ANSWER: American Pharoah 2015, Point Given 2001, Touch Gold 1997, Bet Twice 1987, and Coastal 1979

QUESTION: Can you name the only two horses to win the Preakness, the Belmont Stakes, and the Haskell?

ANSWER: American Pharoah and Point Given

QUESTION: Who has been the only horse to win the Preakness, the Belmont Stakes, the Haskell, and the Travers?

ANSWER: Point Given

QUESTION: Who was the trainer of Point Given?

ANSWER: Bob Baffert, the trainer of American Pharoah

QUESTION: Where should American Pharoah make his next start?

ANSWER: The Travers at Saratoga Race Course

QUESTION: Where will American Pharoah make his next start?

ANSWER: To be announced

American Pharoah’s victory in the Haskell Invitational required virtually no effort. Jockey Victor Espinoza has said that he did not ask American Pharoah to extend himself at any point in the nine furlongs at Monmouth Park, yet he was able to record a time of 1:47.95 and a 109 Beyer Speed Figure.

American Pharoah went back to the racetrack at his home base in Del Mar and Zayat Stables Manager Justin Zayat said that their Triple Crown winner has returned to training in good order.

During Whitney weekend, Zayat told an Albany, NY, television station, “Personally, I’d love for him to run in Saratoga, but the horse has to be telling us that he wants to run and he’s ready to roll and put in a big effort. For sure our big radar is on the Travers.”

In the past, the two races discussed as possibilities for Pharoah’s next start are the Travers (G1) at Saratoga on August 29 and the Pennsylvania Derby (G2) at Parx Racing on September 19.

In the Travers American Pharoah is likely to face Texas Red and Frosted, who are probably the best two other three-year-olds currently ready to run. In the PA Derby Pharoah would be likely to face a field that would, at best, include some runners from the minor midwest Derby circuit, since the better horses would have already run in the Travers.

QUESTION: Where should American Pharoah make his next start?

ANSWER:  The answer seems like a no-brainer for the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years; for a horse that many are hailing as one of the greatest thoroughbreds of all time. American Pharoah could do what only Point Given has done by adding the Travers to his list of grade one stakes victories.

QUESTION: Where did Point Given run after his victory in the Travers?

ANSWER: He never ran again.

A week after Point Given’s win in the Travers, he was diagnosed with a career ending tendon injury. Since then it seems that Baffert has been reluctant to send his horses to race at Saratoga. His most recent graded stakes winners at the Spa were in the 2012 Test with Contested and the 2008 Test with Indian Blessing. Baffert has had no problem racing at Belmont Park or at other tracks around the country.

NYRA upped the Travers purse to $1,600,000 if Pharoah runs and NYRA officials appear to be making plans for a very crowded Travers with an announced attendance cap of 50,000.

The Zayat family seems to want to go to the Travers, but ultimately Baffert makes the final decisions.

QUESTION: Will the Hall of Fame conditioner be willing to overlook the past and give American Pharoah the chance to finish his career with a historic campaign?

ANSWER: I sure hope so!