HOT SPRINGS -- Minutes before Wednesday's official drawing of post positions for the Arkansas Derby, Oaklawn track announcer Frank Mirahmadi asked the few hundred in attendance to stand for the national anthem.
That is an Oaklawn tradition, and the assembled crowd of horsemen, fans and media probably didn't know it, but it wouldn't have been surprising if they had been asked to sing God Bless America afterward.
Charles Cella, sitting quietly on a bench for the derby draw, loves the song and sings it loudly at many functions with his friends and family always joining in.
Cella bravely created the Racing Festival of the South in 1973, and while the racing is always good at Oaklawn Park, the final week includes headliners shipped in from all over the country to run in one of several big races.
One such megastar is American Pharoah, a horse trained in California for Bob Baffert and the winner of the March 14 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn.
His wire-to-wire victory was by more than 6 lengths, and jockey Victor Espinoza, who also will fly in for Saturday's Arkansas Derby, never went to the whip.
Espinoza and American Pharoah, the 2-year-old male Horse of the Year in 2014, are undefeated in three races together. American Pharoah lost his career debut, and no challenger has been within 3 1/4 lengths of him since. American Pharoah also has recorded speed figures of 100 or better in his three victories. Those are impressive numbers.
American Pharoah was expected to be the morning-line favorite, but a murmur went up in the crowd when Mirahmadi announced that he was 1-2. He won't stay there. American Pharoah probably will go off at 1-9, and if his next race is as good as his past three, he could possibly earn the favorite's role for the May 2 Kentucky Derby.
There is some speculation among horsemen that Baffert will try to get American Pharoah to rate, which means Espinoza might try to get the colt to relax slightly off the lead. American Pharoah already has enough points to qualify for the Run for the Roses. Then again, the winner Saturday stands to get $600,000 of the $1 million purse.
So far, at least in his past three races, American Pharoah has run like his tail was on fire.
American Pharoah drew the No. 6 post in the field of eight, but Bridget's Big Luvy, who drew the No. 3 post, is coming off a wire-to-wire victory in the Private Terms Stakes at Laurel in Maryland in his last start and may fight American Pharoah for the lead.
The Arkansas Derby is the biggest race of the day nationally and it attracted a pretty solid field of competitors, starting with Far Right, owned by Harry Rosenblum and Robert LaPenta.
Far Right, who will fire from the No. 7 post, is the second choice on the morning line at 9-2. Far Right's owners and trainer Ron Moquett mapped out a strategy just for Saturday's feature race.
They passed on the Rebel after Far Right won the Smarty Jones and Southwest Stakes. Not because they were afraid of American Pharoah, but to freshen Far Right. He's continued to train like a bear, according to those who have seen him, which is a good thing.
The third favorite is Madefromlucky, who shipped in from Florida for the Rebel Stakes and ran a distant second to American Pharoah. Madefromlucky is trained by Todd Pletcher, who has won a record four Arkansas Derbies.
An interesting entrant is Mr. Z. He finished last in the Louisiana Derby, while racing without blinkers, on March 28 but was the betting favorite in the Smarty Jones and Southwest Stakes. In the Smarty Jones, Mr. Z looked to be in control until he went so far right that he could have spit in the grandstand.
Mr. Z is trained by D. Wayne Lukas, and the last thing anyone ever does is take a Lukas entrant lightly.
So the field of eight is set for Saturday, and American Pharoah, arguably the nation's top 3-year-old -- again he was the champion 2-year-old male -- is the main headliner. But there are more upsets in thoroughbred racing than any other sport in the world.
Sports on 04/09/2015