Pharoah a Clear ‘FrontRunner’

Zayat Stables homebred American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) heads a field of 10 juvenile males looking to secure an automatic berth into the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in this afternoon’s GI FrontRunner S. at Santa Anita. Fifth on debut as the 7-5 favorite in a key Del Mar heat Aug. 9, the bay showed what all the first-out fuss was about when he set the pace and never looked back in the Sept. 3 GI Del Mar Futurity. The ridgling earned a 101 Beyer Speed Figure–the highest a 2-year-old has received so far this year–while defeating three of his FrontRunner rivals in the process. The main question for the 8-5 morning-line favorite is the stretch out to 1 1/16 miles, but his Zayat-owned and Baffert-trained sire was all route. “All the horses are going long first time, but American Pharoah’s win at Del Mar was very powerful,” offered Baffert, winner of a record five renewals of this event, which was formerly called the Norfolk S. “Everybody is hoping they can go two turns, but you don’t know it until they prove it. On the other hand, I haven’t seen anything in his works that would make me inclined to think he can’t do it. He’s pretty special, so we’ll see what happens.” Baffert also saddles Peachtree Stable’s Lord Nelson (Pulpit), who justified 5-2 favorite’s odds to annex a five-panel special weight at Del Mar first out July 19. Richard Pell’s Calculator (In Summation) was third that day before finishing fourth behind sidelined speedster Om (Munnings) in American Pharoah’s debut. He was second by 4 3/4 lengths in the Futurity. Sixth in that same Aug. 9 race was Hronis Racing’s Daddy D T (Scat Daddy), who ran to strong tote support to score in the Oak Tree Juvenile Turf on the Futurity undercard. He has never raced on dirt, but sports a pair of quick works over the surface, including a six-furlong bullet in 1:11.80 Sept. 20. Mark Casse also sends out a pair of contenders. Conquest Stables’s $475,000 OBSMAR purchase Conquest Panthera (Kitten’s Joy) was backed all the way down to 1-2 for his Aug. 24 unveiling at Del Mar, and came through with a professional score that earned him the J “TDN Rising Star” J distinction. He’ll likely have no trouble with the stretch out from six to 8 1/2 furlongs, but is a slight question mark over the surface. John Oxley’s Skyway (Sky Mesa) was third in Churchill’s GIII Bashford Manor S. June 28 before annexing the GII Best Pal S. in California Aug. 3. He was a wide-trip fourth in the Futurity as the 2-1 favorite.