American Pharoah Reigns Supreme in the Preakness Rain

In a scene straight out of The Perfect Storm, the heavens opened up just in time to dampen the 2015 Preakness pre-race festivities, but not even Mother Nature herself could slow down the Kentucky Derby winner American Pharoah from turning racing’s Middle Jewel into a one horse race. In gate to wire fashion, the Zayat Stable star sloshed home down the Pimlico stretch to a popular seven-length win, and in the process, moved within one victory from becoming the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years.

Hustled right out of the gate over the suddenly sloppy track by rider Victor Espinoza, American Pharoah took advantage of his inside post to go right to the early lead. His ex-stablemate, Mr. Z, was the one who pressured the Derby winner early, while the other Bob Baffert-trainee, Dortmund, stalked from third. The second choice, Firing Line, who did not come away from the gate well, was much farther back than usual. As Mr. Z conceded the early lead to the 9-10 favorite, American Pharoah opened up a three-length advantage on the first turn of the 140th running of the second leg of the Triple Crown.

As the rain continued to pelt down on the field of eight, American Pharoah maintained a working margin down the Pimlico backstretch through early fractions of :22.90, :46.49, and 1:11.42. Given a breather by Espinoza, that margin was cut into by Mr. Z, Dortmund, and Diving Rod heading into the far turn. As the other horses moved in, American Pharoah just kept galloping along under little encouragement from his confident rider.

Turning for home in the $1.5 million classic, American Pharoah was let out a notch, while Divining Rod was the only one of his closest competitors who had any answer at all for the seemingly effortless acceleration of the 2014 Juvenile Champion. Approaching the eighth pole, American Pharoah was on cruise control and only lengthening his advantage over the game Divining Rod. With a record breaking Pimlico crowd cheering their approval through the rain, the Derby winner skipped through the slop to the easiest Preakness win since Smarty Jones eleven years ago.

“It worked out well,” said Espinoza. “I had to bounce out of the gate to take the lead with all the rain. [The race strategy] all changed with the rain, but it worked out well. I took a chance and sent him as quick as I can. Sometimes you have to make decisions. That's my job. Today, I made the right decision.”

Recent maiden winner, and big longshot, Tale of Verve was the only one horse with any sort of rally on the off going, and came from last to go by Divining Rod late to snare second place money by a length. Divining Rod was far ahead of Dortmund for third, while the Kentucky Derby runner-up, Firing Line never fired in the slop, and was not persevered with down the stretch by Gary Stevens.

For the winning trainer, Bob Baffert, American Pharoah’s romping victory represented his sixth Preakness triumph, one shy of the all-time record set by R. Wyndham Walden more than a century ago. It is also the fourth time in four tries that Baffert trained his Kentucky Derby winner to Preakness victory.

“He’s just an amazing horse," said Baffert. "Everyone talks about the greatness and it’s just starting to show now. To me, they have to prove it. Today the way he did it, he just ran so fast. It was like poetry in motion.”

Meanwhile, winning rider, Victor Espinoza heads to Belmont for the second consecutive year with a chance to sweep of the Triple Crown, having won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness with California Chrome in 2014. He will also become the first jockey in history to go to the Belmont for a third time aboard a Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, having also piloted War Emblem.

American Pharoah paid $3.80 for the win and traversed the 1 3/16 miles of the Preakness in a final time of 1:58.46. The victory was his sixth consecutive graded stakes victory, after failing to hit the board in his career debut last August.

Now it is on the New York to make a run at the elusive Holy Grail of American Racing. Since Affirmed swept the Triple Crown in a magical series over Alydar, no less than 13 horses have come to the Belmont Stakes with a chance to become the 12th winner of the Triple Crown. I’ll Have Another was scratched before the race, and the other 12 all went down in defeat, many of them valiantly. Does American Pharoah have what it takes to do what no horse has been able to accomplish in nearly four decades? Or will one of the talented horses, who rested during the middle leg of the Triple Crown, like Frosted or Materiality, prove to be his Kryptonite? Only time will tell, but one thing's for sure, the next three weeks, and the quest of American Pharoah, will be an interesting ride!