SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- There was gridlock outside the track at 7 a.m. Friday, and drivers gladly paid $7 to escape the traffic and park on somebody's front lawn.
An estimated 15,000 fans poured into Saratoga's grandstand, and perhaps 3,000 mobbed the backstretch, all of them there to see a very fast brown horse.
Such is the drawing power of American Pharoah, whose Triple Crown sweep has made him a mainstream obsession. A local cable station broadcast live for a half-hour, showing Pharoahites packed three deep on the rail all the way down the backstretch.
As a security guard said: "He's a big celebrity."
Pharoah stepped on the track at 7:50 and galloped about a mile and a half on a cool, sunny morning. Cheers and applause reached a crescendo as he passed the finish line with exercise rider Georgie Alvarez, and then he was back in the barn 10 minutes later.
"I feel very happy with the way he went today," trainer Bob Baffert said. "He's very happy here. This is beautiful horse country. I think he thinks he's at camp."
There was a photo opportunity for hundreds when Pharoah received a bath after being walked for 15 minutes.
"It's a Kodak moment," Baffert said shortly before Pharoah preened when he heard the clicking cameras.
When he gave a full-face pose and a profile, a woman said, "Aw, how cute."
Baffert calls American Pharoah "a baby around the barn and a beast on the racetrack."
The 1-5 morning-line favorite will be expected to go into beast mode today against nine rivals in the Travers Stakes
The New York Racing Association raised the purse from $1.25 million to $1.6 million as long as Pharoah starts. Although that makes second place worth $270,000 instead of $230,000, it also makes victory far less attainable. There isn't much pace in the race, so jockey Victor Espinoza may try to repeat his wire-to-wire runaway in the Belmont Stakes and his easy victory in the Haskell, when he sat just off the early leader before taking command.
Dallas Stewart, who trains Preakness runner-up Tale of Verve, admitted as much.
"If American Pharoah runs his race, we're all running for second," he said.
Kiaran McLaughlin will saddle Belmont runner-up Frosted, the 6-1 second choice. He wasn't thrilled with Sunday's announcement that Pharoah was coming.
McLaughlin said he was hoping that American Pharoah would be pointed to the Pennsylvania Derby, and knows it might take unusual circumstances for his horse to win.
"We're sitting on go, but I don't know if we're good enough," McLaughlin said. "We just need some racing luck and hope that he isn't as good as he's been."
Trainer Keith Desormeaux and jockey Kent Desormeaux, his younger brother, will try for the upset with Jim Dandy winner Texas Red, the third choice at 8-1. Four of the past six Jim Dandy winners have won the Travers, and last year only a nose kept Wicked Strong from making it five.
Texas Red, based in California last summer and fall, finished a distant third to American Pharoah in the Grade I Frontrunner Stakes at Santa Antia, but has not faced him since.
A foot bruise forced Pharoah to skip the Breeders' Cup Juvenile last fall, and Texas Red crushed the field by 6 1/2 lengths. A foot abscess then forced Texas Red off the Derby trail, and his trainer said he thinks he's ready to peak in his third start off a layoff.
"Once we saw we couldn't make the Triple Crown, we had our eyes on the Travers," said Keith Desormeaux, who like Kent started on the "rules are for fools" Cajun bush tracks in Louisiana. "Pharoah seems bullet-proof, but it seems we've got a good combination of freshness and experience. We're hoping that's to our advantage."
Dale Romans' deep closer, Keen Ice, chased Pharoah in the Kentucky Derby (seventh, by 8 3/4 lengths), Belmont (third, by 7 1/2) and Haskell (second, by 2 1/4).
At least he's gaining on him.
Romans, always confident and quick with witty lines, said he wanted to thank the chairman of the NYRA.
"I want to thank Chris Kay," Romans said, "for capping the crowd at 50,000 and limiting the number of people who are going to boo my horse."
American Pharoah will try to become the second winner of the Arkansas Derby to win the Travers. Temperence Hill won the Arkansas Derby, Belmont Stakes and Travers in 1980.
Will Take Charge won the Rebel and Travers in 2013 en route to an Eclipse Award as champion 3-year-old male. Will takes Charge didn't run in the Arkansas Derby.
A slew of Oaklawn-raced horses will be running on a Travers Day undercard that features six other graded stakes races: the $750,000 Personal Ensign; $500,000 Ballerina, $500,000 King's Bishop, $700,000 Forego, $1 million Sword Dancer and $400,000 Ballston Spa.
Winners of the Personal Ensign, Ballerina, Forego and Sword Dancer earn automatic spots in a Breeders' Cup race in their division.
2014 3-year-old filly champion Untapable, winner of the $600,000 Apple Blossom Handicap April 10, is among numerous Oaklawn-raced horses entered in stakes races on the Travers undercard.
Untapable drew post 6 in the Personal Ensign for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles. Also entered is Stopchargingmaria, fourth in last year's $400,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn.
Sarah Sis and Street Story are among eight fillies and mares entered in the Ballerina at 7 furlongs. Sarah Sis won Oaklawn's $150,000 Grade III Honeybee Stakes March 7. Street Story was a two-time stakes winner at the 2014 Oaklawn meeting ($100,000 Dixie Belle and $100,000 Instant Racing).
Holy Boss, winner of the $100,000 Bachelor Stakes April 10 at Oaklawn, seeks his fifth consecutive victory in the King's Bishop at 7 furlongs. Three-time Oaklawn riding champion Ricardo Santana Jr. is named on Holy Boss, who also won a March 19 entry-level allowance/optional claimer at Oaklawn. Mr. Z, who finished third in three Kentucky Derby prep races at Oaklawn, including the Arkansas Derby, will be cutting back to a sprint for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas.
Race Day, the top older handicap male at this year's Oaklawn meeting, drew the rail for the Forego at 7 furlongs. Race Day won the Razorback Handicap on March 14 and the Oaklawn Handicap April 11. Bourbon Courage, runner-up in a 2014 allowance race at Oaklawn, drew post 3. The Big Beast, a March 1 allowance winner at Oaklawn, is scheduled to break from post 5. Den's Legacy, who snapped a 19-race losing streak in a March 18 allowance race at Oaklawn, drew post 11 for trainer Ron Moquett. Santana is named to ride. Falling Sky, fourth in the 2013 Arkansas Derby, drew the extreme outside, post 12.
Information for this article contributed by Oaklawn Park's media relations department.
Sports on 08/29/2015