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KENTUCKY DERBY REPORT MARCH 18, 2015 by James Scully American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) returned from a 168-day layoff with a superb victory in the March 7 Rebel Stakes (G2), ratcheting up the excitement level surrounding the two-year-old champion as he powered home over the wet track at Oaklawn Park. Three-time Kentucky Derby winner Bob Baffert is double-barreled with leading contenders, readying both American Pharoah and the unbeaten Dortmund (Big Brown) for the May 2 Run for the Roses. Rebel After entering the stretch drive with a short lead and his ears pricked, American Pharoah dazzled with massive strides as he finished full of run in the 1 1/16-mile Rebel. Jockey Victor Espinoza was along for the ride as the talented sophomore effortlessly extended his margin, winning by 6 1/4 lengths. A dominant two-time Grade 1 winner last season, the champ is back in fine fettle and will continue to bring excellent speed to future engagements. American Pharoah stumbled leaving the starting gate, partially dislodging his right front shoe before quickly recovering and accelerating forward to the lead, showing the way by about a length into the first turn. Following a pokey opening quarter-mile in:24 2/5, the pace became downright glacial, with a half in :49 3/5 and three-quarters in 1:15 1/5. American Pharoah saved plenty for the final furlongs, generating a 109 BRIS Late Pace rating for his stirring stretch run. That number compares favorably with the 108 Late Pace that American Pharoah received posting a 3 1/4-length decision in his previous outing, the September 27 FrontRunner Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita. The front-runner left a pair of quality foes in his wake that afternoon, easily defeating subsequent graded stakes winners Calculator (In Summation) and Texas Red (Afleet Alex) at the same 1 1/16-mile distance. American Pharoah wasn't facing any proven rivals in the seven-horse Rebel, but Madefromlucky (Lookin for Lucky) left a nice impression, out-finishing Bold Conquest (Curlin) in deep stretch to be a clear second. The Todd Pletcher-trained colt has room for improvement off his stakes debut. The slow pace didn't benefit Bold Conquest or fourth-placer The Truth or Else (Yes It's True), who don't appear good enough to challenge elite three-year-olds at this stage but could show more down the road. Their connections are probably hoping for a fast track next time after catching sloppy conditions in both the Southwest (G3) and Rebel this year. American Pharoah posted big Speed numbers last season and given the slow early pace in the Rebel, the bay colt registered a very respectable 99 BRIS Speed rating on Saturday. He's expected back at the Hot Springs, Arkansas oval for the $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1) on April 11. And with his presence, American Pharoah probably won't face any top opponents in that spot either. It will be no surprise to see him continue to perform at a high level while stretching out to 1 1/8 miles next time and American Pharoah could wind up being the Kentucky Derby favorite with another impressive win. His first real test figures to come at the taxing 1 1/4-mile Kentucky Derby distance. The top 50 percent of his pedigree is no issue, with his multiple Grade 1-winning sire Pioneerof the Nile finishing second in the 2009 Kentucky Derby. A son of Empire Maker, Pioneerof the Nile will likely continue to be represented by many more Kentucky Derby prospects in the years to come. However, the bottom half of American Pharoah's pedigree rates a serious concern since it's built for a sprinter. He's out of a mare by the speedy Yankee Gentleman, Littleprincessemma, who made only two starts in her brief career. Her only other foal to start, Xixixi, ran all 12 times at six furlongs. Littleprincessemma is out Exclusive Rosette, who made all 17 of her starts at six furlongs or less. She is the dam of a pair of stakes winners: Misty Rosette, winner of the 6 1/2-furlong Old Hat (G3); and Storm Wolf, who captured the seven-furlong Laz Barrera (G2) in his only attempt past six panels. American Pharoah counts Ecliptical, Tri Jet and Crozier as the sires of his second, third and fourth maternal dams, respectively. None of those names will be confused with being stamina influences. He wouldn't be the first three-year-old to do so, but American Pharoah will need to outrun the sprint-oriented nature of his female family if he is to thrive at classic distances this spring. Upcoming Two scoring races are on tap this weekend, Saturday's Sprial Stakes (G3) at Turfway Park and Sunday's Sunland Derby (G3). They are the last two races offering points on a 50-20-10-5 scale before the final round of major preps begin on March 28 and the points elevate to 100-40-20-10. The Spiral will feature 12 runners at 1 1/8 miles on Polytrack and the main challengers include El Camino Real Derby (G3) winner Metaboss (Street Boss); Royal Son (Tiznow), who exits a 5 1/4-length romp over the track in the John Battaglia Memorial; and Grade 3 hero Imperia (Medaglia d'Oro), who will be looking to rebound from a disappointing fifth as the favorite in the Risen Star (G2). The Sunland Derby features Firing Line (Line of David), who gave Dortmund all he could handle finishing a close second in the Los Alamitos Futurity (G1) and Robert B. Lewis (G2). The Simon Callaghan trainee is expected to face another Baffert trainee, Lord Nelson (Pulpit), a multiple stakes winner at one turn who will be looking to improve upon a fourth in the San Felipe (G2).
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