War Story took one look at American Pharoah and decided it was best not to bother. The horse's owner, Ron Paolucci, said on Tuesday that he will not be running in the Belmont Stakes.
"[Trainer Tom Amoss] would rather run in a race where we'd be 5-2 or 2-1 than 50-1 or 60-1," Paolucci said (via Daily Racing Form). "So, I'll defer to him and do what's best for the horse."
Prior to the announcement, Amoss reportedly told Paolucci, "We probably should run somewhere else, so I'm going to leave my cowboy act at home and run in the race I probably should run in."
According to the Baltimore Sun, that race will be the Ohio Derby June 20 at Thistletown. That leaves eight horses to challenge American Pharoah on June 6: Carpe Diem, Frammento, Frosted, Keen Ice, Madefromlucky, Materiality, Mubtaahij and Tale of Verve.
Given American Pharoah's first serious training session ahead of the race, it won't prove to be much of a challenge. The 3-year-old colt ran out five furlongs in 1:00.40 and three-quarters of a mile in 1:13.20.
Trainer Bob Baffert expressed his impressions following the session.
"He's moving like his fluid self," said Baffert. "He came back the right way. That's Pharoah. That's the way. When he's on his game, that's the way he looks. Just really happy with the way he went."
Below are the updated odds for the remaining horses from Wynn Las Vegas (via the Courier Journal).
Wynn Las Vegas' Belmont odds / open / current
American Pharoah / 5-6 / 20-23
Frosted / 4-1 / 9-2
Materiality / 7-1 / 9-2
Carpe Diem / 12-1 / 10-1
Mubtaahij / 15-1 / 18-1
Madefromlucky / 18-1 / 18-1
Keen Ice / 20-1 / 20-1
Tale of Verve / 35-1 / 40-1
Frammento / 40-1 / 40-1
© 2023 Sportsworldnews.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
