Cave Rock dominates the American Pharoah to stay perfect

Arcadia, Calif.

Odds-on favorite Cave Rock lived up the billing when rolling to a dominant front-running victory in the Grade 1, $300,000 American Pharoah Stakes at Santa Anita on Saturday. The son of Arrogate, who improved to 3-for-3 while locking up a bid in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, led a sweep of the superfecta by colts trained by Bob Baffert.

Cave Rock seized the lead shortly after the break underJuan Hernandez with stablemates National Treasure, Hejazi and Gandolfini taking up stalking positions in that order. He proceeded to click off fractions of 22.96 seconds, 46.82 seconds and 1:11.07 before widening his lead in the stretch and cruising under the wire a 5 1/4-length winner.

“He broke really good, very nice,” Hernandez said. “At first, he was kind of looking around a little bit around the turn. When he got the lead, he was all game. After that he started improving his pace and he just kept going.”

Added Baffert: “He’s a powerful horse. He’s tough and he’s quick.”

Cave Rock completed 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:43.05, which was more than three seconds faster than the winning time of the Chandelier (G2) two races earlier.

“That’s racehorse time,” noted Baffert, who collected his record 11th win in the race. Last year, Corniche won the American Pharoah and parlayed that into Baffert’s fifth win in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

National Treasure (9-1), whose only previous start was a 6 ½-furlong debut win against maidens at Del Mar, was second. Hejazi (5-2) finished another 3 1/2 lengths back in third with Gandolfini (17-1) completing the all-Baffert superfecta, which returned $47.50 for $1.

“Those horses that ran second and third, those are good horses,” Baffert said.

Owned by the longtime partnership of Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, Cave Rock paid $2.80 as the popular winner. He was made the favorite following a pair of dominant victories at Del Mar, including a front-running 5 1/2-length win in the seven-furlong Del Mar Futurity (G1) on Sept. 11. A month earlier he won his bow by six lengths at the seaside oval.

“Two Grade 1s. It’s been a fun 10 weeks,” said Pegram, who already has his sights set on next year’s Kentucky Derby. “Hope we have this much fun come springtime.”

Last week at Santa Anita, Pegram and crew won both the Speakeasy Stakes with 2-year-old Speed Boat Beach, who is ticketed to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Keeneland on Nov. 4, and the Awesome Again (G1) with Defunded. Baffert reiterated after the American Pharoah that it was unlikely Defunded would move on to the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Instead, the trainer said he was leaning towards the 1 1/8-mile Fayette (G2) at Keeneland the week prior.

As for Cave Rock, he was the second 2-year-old by Arrogate to win a stakes on Saturday’s program at Santa Anita. In the Chandelier, his daughter And Tell Me Nolies followed up her win in last month’s Del Mar Debutante (G1) with a win in the Chandelier.

Baffert, who trained Arrogate, said “every time I’ve had a horse that is a sire I’ve tried to find the best one by that sire. He was the best one.” Cave Rock was purchased at the 2021 Keeneland September yearling sale for $550,000 by agent Donato Lanni.

“I give him a lot of credit,” Baffert said. “He said we found a great Arrogate.”