By Heather Anderson
It was a victory 37 years in the making and well worth the wait as American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) completed his Triple Crown sweep with an emphatic 5 1/2-length victory over Frosted (Tapit) in front of thousands of adoring fans in Saturday's GI Belmont S. at Belmont Park.
Off a half-step slow from stall five as the 3-5 favorite, American Pharoah was able to establish an early and easy advantage with an opening quarter-mile in :24.06 with Materiality (Afleet Alex) close in tow, but–more surprisingly–Frosted and Keen Ice (Curlin) and Mubtaahij (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire})–in attendance. Well within the grasp of Victor Espinoza, the Zayat homebred took them into the final mile after four furlongs in :48.83 and covered half the journey in 1:13.41. Still traveling with supreme authority and apparently impatient of Espinoza's restraint, American Pharoah glided into the far turn and imperiously shrugged off Materiality and Keen Ice. Frosted–momentarily caught behind rivals–looked his only threat, but it was short-lived. To the crescendo of the 90,000 strong on hand, American Pharoah cut the corner for home under mostly hand urging and built up an unassailable advantage into the final furlong, coming home with a final quarter in :24.32 to create history on Long Island.
Saturday, Belmont Park
BROOKLYN INVITATIONAL S.-GII, $400,000, BEL, 6-6, 4yo/up, 1 1/2m, 2:27, ft.
1–#@COACH INGE, 117, g, 4, by Big Brown
1st Dam: Touch too Much, by Holy Bull
2nd Dam: Pawnee Patti, by Sir Richard Lewis
3rd Dam: Our Felicity, by Iron Warrior
($150,000 2yo '13 OBSMAR). O-Repole Stable;
B-Paul Pompa Jr (KY); T-Todd A Pletcher; J-John R
Velazquez. $220,000. Lifetime Record: 10-4-2-1,
$376,177. Werk Nick Rating: F.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–V. E. Day, 123, c, 4, English Channel–California
Sunset, by Deputy Minister. ($105,000 yrl '12
KEESEP; $135,000 2yo '13 OBSMAR). O-M Bryant;
B-Bluegrass Hall LLC (KY); T-J Jerkens. $80,000.
3–Sky Kingdom, 119, h, 6, Empire Maker–Sky Beam,
by Kingmambo. ($180,000 wlng '09 KEENOV).
O-Westrock Stables LLC; B-Jim J Fitzgerald (KY);
T-Bob Baffert. $48,000.
Margins: NK, 5 1/4, 1HF. Odds: 2.95, 3.55, 4.30.
Also Ran: Call Me George, Neck 'n Neck, Wealth to Me, Turco Bravo (Chi), Cary Street, Ever Rider (Arg), Micromanage, Effinex. Scratched: Red Rifle, Tacticus.
Click for the brisnet.com chart, the brisnet.com PPs or the free brisnet.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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