American Pharoah ‘can run his best again’ with Gleneagles showdown on the cards

Talk of American Pharoah retiring has been dismissed by the Triple Crown winner's owner. Mel Evans / AP Photo

It is on. All talk of American Pharoah’s retirement was quashed on Thursday after owner Ahmed Zayat took to social media to confirm that his US Triple Crown winner would race on.

Zayat’s decision raises the likelihood now of American Pharaoh taking on English and Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Gleneagles in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at the end of next month.

With connections of star US filly Beholder also aiming for Keeneland Racecourse, the US$5 million (Dh18.3m) event looks one for the ages.

American Pharoah suffered his first defeat of the season when Keen Ice took advantage of his brutal stretch battle with Godolphin’s Frosted to skip past them both in the dying stages of the Travers Stakes at Saratoga on Saturday.

American Pharoah and Frosted went through the first 1,200 metres in 1 min, 1.148 secs, a time not out of place in the Dubai Golden Shaheen at Meydan Racecourse. Following talks with trainer Bob Baffert, jockey Victor Espinoza and assistant trainer Jimmy Barnes, Zayat believes that the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years is not on the wane after all.

“I am very confident in my decision,” Zayat said. “Not a moment has gone by since the race on Saturday when I have not thought about this decision. My initial concern right after the race was about American Pharoah’s condition, because he did not run his ‘A’ race. He has come out of the race in great shape. And after examining all the evidence I believe there were a combination of factors that prevented American Pharoah from running his absolute best on Saturday. I have every confidence that he can run to his best again, and he deserves the chance to do so.”

Whether American Pharoah has a prep race before his Breeders’ Cup swansong is doubtful, but plans remain fluid.

Another who will be retiring at the end of the season is trainer Clive Brittain. The 81-year-old British handler has saddled numerous top-class horses for the ruling Dubai Royal family.

Pebbles became the first horse trained in Britain to win at the Breeders’ Cup when in 1985 she won the Breeders’ Cup Turf for Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Others to be sent out from Brittain’s Newmarket stables include Mohammed Obaida’s Sayyedati, who won five Group 1s in the mid-90s, and Sheikh Rashid bin Dalmook’s Rizeena, who won the Coronation Cup at Royal Ascot last season and was retired.

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