American Pharoah took his first step on the long and winding road to the Breeders' Cup on Monday.
It was a relatively simple four-furlong burst of speed in an easy 49.80 seconds at Santa Anita Park. The time was quite modest. Especially for a horse gifted enough to become the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years. Yet when you're talking about a charismatic horse that can attract more people to a racetrack for a morning gallop than some Grade 1 stakes, it doesn't take much to create a fanfare.
"He's great," trainer Bob Baffert said Tuesday, when asked how the Zayat Stables champion came out of the work. "He didn't do much but I could tell today he was a little bit happier. When you don't work them for a while or go easy with them, they get upset. He looks happy. He really looks good. It took him a few weeks to bounce back after the Travers but we're moving forward now."
For American Pharoah, Monday's work was his first since a shocking runner-up finish in the Travers Stakes on Aug. 29, and it also served as a reminder that the elements are very much in play for a Breeders' Cup Classic that could be second to none.
If all goes well in the coming weeks, against the serene and picturesque backdrop of Keeneland Race Course on Oct. 31, American Pharoah will try to become the first horse to complete a "Grand Slam" by adding a Breeders' Cup Classic victory to his Triple Crown sweep. While his presence alone would make the race a blockbuster, raising the excitement and anticipation to unprecedented heights is a glittering array of challengers such as the two-time champion mare Beholder, who demolished males last month in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic; Whitney and Metropolitan Handicap victor Honor Code; Travers winner Keen Ice; Belmont Stakes runner-up and Pennsylvania Derby winner Frosted; 2014 Belmont Stakes winner Tonalist; and perhaps even one of Europe's top 3-year-olds, Gleneagles.
American Pharoah will train up to the mile-and-a-quarter BC Classic, eschewing a prep race, and Baffert is confident that the Triple Crown winner will be ready for the challenge despite a two-month gap between races. American Pharoah rolled to an easy 2¼-length victory on Aug. 2 in the William Hill Haskell Invitation off a two-month break after the June 6 Belmont Stakes, and only a year ago Baffert won his first Breeders' Cup Classic with Bayern, who was coming off a six-week break after capturing the Pennsylvania Derby.
"I can do it. I feel confident I can do it," Baffert said about preparing American Pharoah for a peak performance in the $5 million BC Classic off workouts. "I have the horse to do it with. You need a certain type of horse to do it, and he's that horse. I've had a lot of luck getting horses ready off long layoffs, so I'm not worried about that part."
There was some worry about American Pharoah in the immediate aftermath of the Travers, when owner Ahmed Zayat raised the possibility of retiring his superstar colt. But nearly a month after that disappointing day at Saratoga, the sting of the Travers felt by Baffert and the Zayat family has given way to a deep appreciation of the colt's effort.
Beyond how the Travers played out, American Pharoah's chances were not helped by a quick quarter-mile gallop on the morning before the Midsummer Derby in front of an enthusiastic crowd of more than 15,000 fans at Saratoga, plus the rigors of making two cross-country trips for August races.
Reflecting on the race and everything else wrapped into the Travers, Baffert said he could find no fault in his horse's performance.
"The Travers was disappointing because he got beat, but he was up against it a bit and we've put it behind us. It was something that didn't work out. He almost pulled it off, but I don't dwell on it too much. I can't be upset with the horse. He tried hard that day," the Hall of Fame trainer said. "I was pretty impressed with the way he hung in there and fought really hard to the end.
"All of the fans out there [for the morning gallop a day before the Travers], it may have gotten to him. But it was pretty exciting. He lost, but I would do it again. He deserved to run up there."
Expectations are that American Pharoah will complete his training for the Breeders' Cup at Churchill Downs, but Baffert said the Triple Crown winner will not leave California until he's sure there's "enough weight" on the homebred colt.
"[The Travers] was taxing on him, but he's resilient," Baffert said. "He handles everything pretty well. For a horse that's been through all he's been through, he's pretty tough."
Every bit of that toughness will be needed for the Breeders' Cup. The Belmont Stakes, and the completion of the Triple Crown sweep, will always be the race mainstream sports fans associate with the Zayat Stables star. Yet at Keeneland, in what will be his final race, there promises to be a challenge worthy of a champion as American Pharoah adds one more memorable performance to a historic career, the likes of which the sport might not see for many years to come.
"It's all gravy now," Baffert said. "He's been through a lot. Why he's so special is that no other 3-year-old could stand up to what he's done this year. It's impossible. I've never seen it before, what he's done with all the shipping and going back and forth. He's a pretty incredible horse.
"I think it'll be a while before we see another like him. I'm just glad I was the one who got to train him."