American Pharoah wins Kentucky Derby by a length

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - His two Kentucky Derby horses had been off the track and back in their stalls for an hour Wednesday morning. The day's work was done, but Bob Baffert was not inclined to leave, so the Hall of Fame trainer held court for a good hour. Even as the listeners dissipated to just a handful, Baffert kept talking, with or without questions.

He was reliving his training life generally, his Derby life specifically - Cavonnier's nose loss in 1996 when he was sure he would never get another chance, the three wins in six years from 1997 to 2002, the terrible disappointment with Point Given in 2001. He was funny and insightful, and whenever it got back to the 2015 Derby, Baffert's mood told the tale. He was euphoric.

He knew that American Pharoah and Dortmund were not only the most accomplished horses in the race; he knew they were training better than any horses at Churchill Downs. He knew what Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott told a few friends Tuesday night at dinner - that their coats "looked like silk.'' In fact, Mott said he had never seen two horses look better coming into a Derby than the two Baffert horses.

So Baffert was not surprised when his two horses controlled Saturday's Derby from start to finish. Dortmund set a solid pace, followed closely by Firing Line and American Pharoah. The fractions, on a Churchill Downs surface that was slowing down later in the day, were honest. Dortmund started to tire slightly at the quarter pole, Firing Line led briefly, but American Pharoah, always looking like the winner, got by Firing Line in the final 200 yards and won by a length, giving jockey Victor Espinoza his second straight Derby after he got California Chrome home last year.

Firing Line cost Baffert a 1-2 finish that would have been historic even by his standards. It was Baffert's fourth Derby win, tying him with former rival and now close friend Wayne Lukas, two behind Ben Jones, who won with all those great Calumet Farm horses in the mid-20th century.

"I don't know if I can go another [13] years like this,'' Baffert said.

Who knows about his next Derby, but the May 16 Preakness is next.

"The next one is, I call it the fun one,'' Baffert said. "You're coming off a Derby high, going in there to Baltimore. And the Preakness is one of my favorite races. We're just going to enjoy it. We have two weeks to really watch the replay about a thousand times.''

Baffert's three previous Derby winners - Silver Charm, Real Quiet and War Emblem - all won the Preakness. American Pharoah ran the mile and a quarter in 2:03.02, computing to a solid Beyer Speed Figure of 105. The top three all trained in Southern California this winter, but Dortmund, the horse that won the three major SoCal preps, had to settle for third in the main event.

This was not the superstar performance many had been predicting, but it was plenty good enough considering the rush job to get the colt to the Derby. American Pharoah would have been an overwhelming favorite in last November's Breeders' Cup Juvenile, but did not make the race because of a deep foot bruise.

While the bruise healed, AP could not train hard on the track so Baffert kept him fit by walking him regularly. The colt did not get his season started until March 14 so he was still really playing catchup when they played "My Old Kentucky Home.''

Everything had been easy for American Pharoah when he blew away overmatched competition in Arkansas. The talent was unquestioned, but nobody knew what would happen if the colt got into a fight. AP had to fight for his Derby. Do not be shocked if he explodes at the Preakness.

"I went to this race with so much confidence with American Pharoah,'' Espinoza said. "The way he was running, the way he was winning.''

A glorious day finished off a glorious weekend. The Derby has been run 141 times now and somehow just keeps getting bigger. A record 170,513 jammed every nook and most crannies at the Downs. This, a day after a record 123,763 came for the Kentucky Oaks. So the 300,000, two-day barrier is going down soon.

Players bet $194 million on the Churchill Downs card and $138 million on the Derby itself, $56 million in the win/place/show pools.

American Pharoah is a son of Pioneerof the Nile, the first of three Ahmed Zayat horses to finish second in the Derby. In 2012, Zayat had one of the toughest Triple Crowns in history. Bodemeister finished second in the Derby and Preakness; Paynter was second in the Belmont Stakes. All were trained by Baffert and led for all but 150 yards of the Crown's 6,930 yards.

Finally, it was Zayat's turn.

"Pharoah is a freak of nature,'' Zayat said about watching the race. "And for the first time, I'm seeing him right now working, working hard. And I knew that, if he had the lead, nobody will catch him. He has such a brilliant speed. I started getting really, really nervous. And my wife started crying. Like, literally, in seconds that emotion went from somebody who is crying out of fear that they're going to take it again from us to actually you have done it.''

Zayat's son Justin, who essentially runs the family's stable, started throwing up. That's emotional.

Later in the quiet of the Derby Museum after the parties were winding down, Zayat, so certain of success when he got into the game a few years ago and so chastened by its vagaries, spoke of "growing up'' and learning the sport.

He also could not help himself when asked about a Triple Crown, saying if Pharoah wins the Preakness, the Belmont "should be a piece of cake.''

Clearly, he needs to check that history dating back to 1978.

"Now, comparing him to all the others, I came with good horses,'' Zayat said. "But I felt today I came with a star.''

Only stars win the 2-year-old championship and the Derby. Since Spectacular Bid in 1979, only Street Sense (2007) and American Pharoah have done that double.

"I know a lot of people are hoping,'' Baffert said.

They are and with good reason. This Derby winner is a very good race horse.

"There's a certain aura about him and he has caught everybody's attention,'' Baffert said.

All that attention moves to Pimlico next week.