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Preakness rematch likely for American Pharoah, Dortmund
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| Bob Baffert brought Kentucky Derby 141 winner American Pharoah out for show and tell Sunday morning
(Cecilia Gustavsson/Horsephotos.com) |
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert set the stage for his press conference
Sunday morning to reflect on his fourth Derby victory by bringing the
star of Saturday's 141st Kentucky Derby (G1) -- American Pharoah (Pioneerof the
Nile) -- out of the barn to pose
for the cameras.
Bribing him with carrots, Baffert led the Zayat Stables
colt to different parts of the circle of media and fans for photos and
admiration. Several people reached out and petted the colt's nose. After about
10 minutes of show, Baffert sent American Pharoah back to his stall and moved
into the tell part of the program.
Baffert said the one-length victory was about the
horse, not him. American Pharoah and third-place finisher Dortmund (Big Brown) may both go
on to the Preakness S. (G1) at Pimlico on May 16.
Baffert, 62, won the
Derby with Silver Charm in 1997, Real Quiet in 1998 and War Emblem in 2002 and
has waited a dozen years for No. 4. He got it done with the 5-2 favorite, who
ran down Dortmund and runner-up Firing Line (Line of David) in the stretch.
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"It's fun to come here, but I think this win was
different than my other ones," Baffert said. "I needed to get it done. I needed
to win it. Something was building that something good was going to happen. And
it did. It was a big sigh of relief. I was like 'mission accomplished.' That's
the feeling I have at this time."
Baffert said his sons were very excited about the
victory and that he was surprised that Justin Zayat, the stable's racing
manager, had gotten sick to this stomach at the end of the race.
"It just goes to show you how much it meant to
them," Baffert said. "It was for them. It wasn't for Bob Baffert. Getting the
fourth Derby means nothing to me. It means that they gave me a really good horse
and I didn't screw it up. I had the talent. Anybody could have trained this
horse and won it. I don't feel like I did anything special."
American Pharoah sat third, not far off the pace,
under jockey Victor Espinoza for the first half of the race. Espinoza urged him
to accelerate near the half-mile pole and he moved up to engage Firing Line and
Dortmund through a mile in 1:36 2/5. Racing wide down the stretch he reached the
front inside the sixteenth-pole and finished the 10 furlongs in 2:03.
Baffert acknowledged that American Pharoah
accomplished a lot, winning the sternest test of his career. At the annual
question about whether the winner has what it takes to win the Triple Crown,
Baffert provided a clue but not a direct answer.
"If you look back at all the Triple Crown runners,
they ran a lot," he said. "I think a lot has to deal with who you are running
against and how tough it is. This was such a tough Derby. This was the toughest
Derby I've been in."
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| Dortmund is likely to rematch with his stablemate in the Preakness
(Wendy Wooley/EquiSport Photos) |
American Pharoah and Dortmund will stay at
Baffert's stable at Churchill Downs this week. The decision on whether Dortmund
will go on to the Preakness will be made when Baffert returns from California
next weekend.
Baffert said that as of Sunday that he could see of no reason why
Dortmund -- who set the pace for a mile and continued on bravely to hold the
show position -- would not go on to Balitmore. Baffert revealed that Dortmund's
Derby start was in jeopardy for several hours on April 25 when he had a slight
bout with colic after a workout at Santa Anita Park.
Baffert explained that owners who send horses to his
barn understand that they might be running against stablemates in big races such
as the Triple Crown, which is why Dortmund is a candidate for the Preakness.
"My job is to get my people there," he noted. "If
the horse is doing well do we run him there or wait for the Belmont (S. [G1] on
June 6)? I don't
know. Let's say if 'Pharoah' didn't win the Preakness, I don't think I would run
him in the Belmont.
"It's one of those things where I will sit down and discuss it with
(Dortmund's owner) Kaleem Shah. I'm sure he's going to want a little revenge.
His horse ran a really good race. If 'Pharoah' is that good he's going to have
to run hard. Right now I would say if all's well (he would run); and Dortmund
looked good."
Baffert described his Derby celebration as being fairly quiet -- dinner with his family and the Zayats, then watching the
Mayweather-Pacquiao fight on television.
"We just talked about how relieved and lucky we
are that the horses ran so well and that we won another Derby," he said. "We
were pretty tired, pretty worn out. It's been a really hectic week. When you
have that kind of pressure on you that everybody puts you in the winners' circle
(in advance), it's added pressure. It was a different feeling. It was a lot of
relief."
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As for carrot-loving American Pharoah, his
performances, five wins in six starts, do the talking, though Baffert was quick
to explain his brilliance.
"He was just born with that talent," the horseman stated. "He has that long stride. He's quick. He's got a really good mind. He just
floats over the ground. He's different, just the way he's made. What we saw
yesterday is that he's not one-dimensional, which is so nice to have.
"(2012 Derby runner-up ) Bodemeister had to just be out there. (American
Pharoah is) quick. He's handy. You can move on him at any time. I think with
more racing he's getting smarter. He wasn't rank with Victor at all. So he can
sit there and pounce, run by you and go a mile and a quarter. He is competitive.
He wants to win. He knows he's special."
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