American Pharoah to Arrive at Churchill Downs Monday Afternoon
{{monthName}} {{day}}, {{year}} {{hour12}}:{{minuteTwoDigit}}{{dayPeriod}}
Zayat Stables’ American Pharoah, the Kentucky Derby champ who splashed his way to a seven-length romp in
Saturday’s
Preakness Stakes, is booked on a Monday flight
from Baltimore to Louisville and is expected to arrive at Churchill
Downs’ Barn 33 around 2 p.m. ET to begin preparations for the 147
th running of the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes (Grade I)
on
Saturday, June 6, according to stall manager
Steve Hargrave.
American Pharoah will travel from the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport to Louisville International Airport on a H.E. “Tex” Sutton Forwarding Company
charter flight with a pair of stablemates: Michael Petersen’s Cat Burglar, who was third in Friday’s Pimlico Special (GIII), and Kaleem Shah Inc.’s Luminance, fifth in Friday’s Black-Eyed Susan (GII).
On Sunday morning, Hargrave expected Monday’s flight to land in Louisville around 1:30 p.m. ET with the van expected to drop the horses off at Baffert’s Barn 33 about a half-hour later.
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert appears to be following a schedule he used with his three other Triple Crown prospects. Kentucky Derby winners Silver Charm (1997), Real Quiet
(1998) and War Emblem (2002) returned to Churchill Downs to
prepare for the Belmont Stakes after winning the Preakness. Each had two
breezes between the second and third jewels of the Triple Crown. The
first workouts came 11 or 12 days after the Preakness
(Silver Charm: 6F in 1:14.80 11 days after the Preakness; Real Quiet: 5F
in :59.80 12 days after the Preakness; and War Emblem: 5F in 1:00.60 11
days after the Preakness). Their final breezes were staged on the Tuesday before the Belmont (Silver Charm: 5F in
1:00; Real Quiet: 5F in 1:01; and War Emblem: 5F in 1:01).
If Baffert follows a similar plan, American Pharoah could breeze sometime around Wednesday, May 27 with a final breeze on Tuesday, June 2 before catching a flight to New York on Wednesday, June
3.
American
Pharoah (7-6-0-0—$3,730,300) is likely to have light activity in the
week ahead, according to Baffert. After winning the Run for the Roses,
the colt remained in his barn until the Thursday
after the Derby.
American Pharoah’s pursuit for racing immortality will mark the 14th
time – and third in the last four years – since Affirmed
swept all three races in 1978 that a horse has had a chance to join the
11 Triple Crown champions. According to reports, his challengers in the 1
½-mile Belmont could include Carpe Diem, Frammento, Frosted, Keen Ice, Madefromlucky,
Materiality, Mubtaahij (IRE) and Tale of Verve.Source: Churchill Downs
A full week before it is run, Kentucky Derby 2026 outshines everything else on the racing calendar when entries...
Chip Honcho will not run in the Kentucky Derby . He will instead be routed to the Preakness....
Forever Young will either race next in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont or the...
Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby winner So Happy and Grade 2 Louisiana Derby winner Emerging Market tuned up...
A mandatory payout of the 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool will be held Saturday at Gulfstream Park, where...