Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) galloped 1 1/4 miles on the Churchill Downs main track Saturday at 8:30 a.m. ET after the renovation break. Exercise rider George Alvarez was in the irons for the Zayat homebred's first gallop since his 5 1/2-length win in the June 6 GI Belmont S. “He went great,” Alvarez said. “He was a little fresh and we are very happy with the way he is training.” Jockey Victor Espinoza has had quite a busy week after winning the Triple Crown, making appearances on The Kelly & Michael Show, the Today Show and the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon among others. “It's been a pretty crazy week, but it's been fun,” Espinoza said. “My life has changed quite a bit since I won the Triple Crown.” Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert watched American Pharoah train from the main gap on the Churchill Downs backstretch. “He needed to do something,” Baffert said. “We had to kind of take the edge off him a little bit for what he's about to do tonight, but for what he's been through he's been doing really well. We couldn't be any happier.”
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