Races like the $500,000 Dwyer are rich, important stakes in their own right. Yet in the grand scheme of a racing season, they also serve as a springboard to bigger and far more important stakes on the horizon.
The Dwyer, a Grade 3 mile test for 3-year-olds, can generally turn a winning or solid effort into a powerful reason to speak in optimistic terms about the upcoming Haskell or Jim Dandy. Perhaps even the Travers, the famed midsummer derby at the oasis known as Saratoga on Aug. 29.
But on Saturday at Belmont Park, amidst the New York track's Stars and Stripes Festival, the typical postrace discussions after the Dwyer had a different feel to them, thanks, of course, to the elephant in the room -- the gigantic, four-legged beast in the turquoise and gold silks.
Four weeks after American Pharoah's coronation as the sport's first Triple Crown winner in 37 years, and just two days after owner Ahmed Zayat told ESPN.com that the homebred colt would make his next start in the $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on Aug. 2, some future plans lacked the usual clarity.
Seven-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Todd Pletcher, who has no shortage of high-quality 3-year-olds in his record-breaking barn, sent out Tommy Macho to finish third behind victorious 2-1 second-choice Speightster in the half-million-dollar race. Aside from that one, Pletcher also has horses like Materiality, Madefromlucky, Carpe Diem and Competitive Edge, who could be candidates for either the Grade 1 Haskell or the Grade 2, $600,000 Jim Dandy at Saratoga on Aug. 1. But Pletcher said plans for all of them will be up in the air for at least another week -- as he contemplates which will be the better of two paths riddled with potholes.
The options are facing a smaller and overall weaker field in the Haskell while tackling the herculean task of trying to beat the sport's newest super horse, or heading to the Spa and becoming part of a bigger and deeper field in the Jim Dandy.
It's not an easy choice.
"You always have to pick the right spot for your horses," Pletcher said. "Chances are if American Pharoah shows up somewhere, there's not going to be a large field. So there might be an advantage there. At the same time, it might be a difficult race to win. I don't know if you go looking for [American Pharoah], but you don't duck him, either."
WinStar could still be represented in one of the rich summer 3-year-old races by Carpe Diem and Upstart, yet the farm's president/CEO and racing manager Elliott Walden also understands how tricky it can be to choose the right spot for horses that have not raced since finishing 10th and 18th, respectively, behind American Pharoah in the Kentucky Derby on May 2.
"You certainly have to think about what you do with American Pharoah out there," Walden said. "American Pharoah being a Triple Crown winner could present quite an opportunity if you're the one to beat him. So it's not that you avoid him at all costs, but he does make you think hard about where you spot your horse. Usually the competition in races like the Jim Dandy and Haskell is split, but this year there's one really good horse in the Haskell and you'll probably have Nos. 2 through 7 in the Jim Dandy."
Yet for at least one trainer, the Dwyer was simply a traditional prep that happily confirmed what had been written down on a drawing board.
Keith Desormeaux, trainer of Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Texas Red, said his horse's runner-up finish was an extremely beneficial performance for a colt that had been sidelined for the past five months after developing a foot abscess. The 9-5 favorite, Texas Red was sixth in the field of seven after a half-mile, then launched a menacing five-wide move on the final turn but could not reel in the speedy Speightster.
Afterward, beaming like a child at a 4th of July fireworks show, Desormeaux said the Jim Dandy and then the Travers would be next and that they would form "a perfect three-race sequence" for his Breeders' Cup winner.
"We're ecstatic. This is a stepping stone to what we're trying to accomplish, which is to win the Travers at a mile and a quarter," Desormeaux said. "This was a perfect set-up race. The time was fast [1:35.13]. He finished strong. He loved the track. There's not too much I'm disappointed about, except placing one spot better. We want to keep our eye on the ultimate prize, which is the Travers."
Even when it was mentioned to Desormeaux that Zayat has said he would be willing to run American Pharoah in the Travers if everything goes according to plan in the Haskell, even the specter of the "elephant" could not wipe the smile off the 48-year-old trainer's face.
Texas Red has already faced American Pharoah, finishing third behind him in the Grade 1 ForeRunner at Santa Anita last September. A rematch in the BC Juvenile was nixed when a foot injury kept the Zayat Stables homebred out of the world championships, and the potential for a clash during Triple Crown season disappeared due to Texas Red's injury. Staging Round Two in August at the Spa clearly intrigued Desormeaux.
"If American Pharoah was in [the Dwyer], I would have ducked my tail and ran. I don't want to face a horse like that off a five-month layoff. But to face him in the Travers would be awesome. It would be a fun challenge," he said. "I want to run in the Travers because it's a historic race. It would do amazing things for his value at stud. The distance. The fact it's at Saratoga. They all add up to making it the race to win for 3-year-olds during the summer. That's why I'm going there.
"If American Pharoah wants to come meet us, that's fine by me."
Even jockey Kent Desormeaux, Keith's brother, was not fazed by the prospect of American Pharoah showing up at the Spa.
"I was especially thrilled," the 45-year-old Hall of Fame rider said about Texas Red's effort. "Baffert usually doesn't run in both the Haskell and Travers, but if he does, I look forward to seeing American Pharoah at Saratoga. That will be fun."
Fun, indeed. At least someone can ignore the elephant in the room.