American Pharoah: 2015 Triple Crown winner
Super Bowl Sunday officially began the three month countdown until the
Kentucky Derby. We are now under 90 days
until the eyes of millions descend on Churchill Downs for two minutes. Last year, American Pharaoh succeeded in
winning the Triple Crown, becoming only the twelfth horse to do so and the
first since Affirmed in 1978. Although
this year’s race is still far off, the field and more importantly the favorites
are beginning to shape up.
In order to run in the Kentucky Derby, a horse has to be
three years old. A great horse only has
one chance to compete in the race, which is why you never hear of a horse
winning the Kentucky Derby in back to back years. Prospective horses compete in selected graded
stakes races across the United States.
The top four finishers in each race are awarded points based on their
finish. Thus far, the winners of each
race have been awarded only 10 points, with one race awarding the winner with 20
points. There are then eight 50 point
races and seven 100 point races running from the end of February through
mid-April. Now that you know a little
more about how the Kentucky Derby field is formed, let’s talk about some of the
early favorites.
Mohaymen:
- Mohaymen is already surrounded by a palpable
buzz. He has collected 20 points over
two wins along with two other wins in his four races thus far. He has won at Belmont, Aqueduct, and
Gulfstream Park. Mohaymen was purchased
in September for $2.2 million by Shadwell Farms and is being trained by Kiaran
McLaughlin. He is the son of renowned sire, Tapit, and
has been ridden by Junior Alvarado. On
betting sites Mohaymen is already the favorite for the Kentucky Derby. He ran an impressive 1:42:07 in 1 1/16 miles
in his victory at Gulfstream. It is
still early in Kentucky Derby prep season but Mohaymen currently stands as the
best bet.
Mor Spirit:
- Mor Spirit is currently just a step below
Mohaymen on the hype meter. He has
collected 24 points, which puts him second behind Nyquist. Mor Spirit is trained by Bob Baffert whose
reputation is at an all-time high after leading American Pharaoh to the Triple
Crown last year. Baffert is training a
handful of good horses this year but so far Mor Spirit has shown the most
promise. The horse is owned by jewelry
mogul Michael Lund Petersen and is being ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Gary
Stevens. Mor Spirit won the Robert B.
Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita this past Saturday with his sights set on the Santa
Anita Derby and then the Kentucky Derby a month later.
Nyquist:
- Nyquist is leading the pack with 30 points
collected already over two races. He
first won the FrontRunner at Santa Anita in late September and 35 days later he
won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. He has
won all five races he has run in thus far with Swipe placing second in four out
of those five races. Nyquist is owned by
Reddam Racing and is trained by Doug O’Neill.
He is the son of Uncle Mo who has a growing reputation as a sire. Keep an eye on this horse.
Other notable horses:
-
Flexibility with 15 points including a win in
the Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct in New York.
-
Swipe with 12 points including second place in
the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.
-
Greenpointcrusader with 14 points including a
victory at Belmont in early October.
-
Exaggerator with 16 points including a win at
Delta Downs. He is also the son of Curlin.
-
Sunny Ridge with 18 points including a win 10
days ago in the Withers Stakes at Aqueduct.
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