American Pharoah won the 2014 Del Mar Futurity. TVG Network/YouTube)
American Pharoah in DOMINANT fashion won the 79th running of the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park, earning him 100 points in the Kentucky Derby standings and all but making him a lock to go off as the Derby favorite three weeks from now at Churchill Downs.
American Pharoah absolutely romps in the Arkansas Derby. On to Kentucky!
Entering the Arkansas Derby all eyes were on American Pharoah, who drew post position No. 6 and went off as the heavy 1/9 favorite in the eight-horse field.
American Pharoah entered the race coming off an impressive performance in the Rebel Stakes, winning by six-and-a-half lengths. The prized contender has earned $811,500 after winning three of his previous four career starts. That figure grew after the Arkansas Derby.
American Pharoah was ridden by Victor Espinoza, trained by Bob Baffert and owned by Zayat Stables.
Here are the full race results and prices:
| Race 11 Arkansas Derby – Grade: 1 | |||||
| Off at: 6:19 Race Type: Stakes | |||||
| Age Restriction: Three Year Old | |||||
| Purse: $1,000,000 | |||||
| Distance: One And One Eighth Miles On The Dirt | |||||
| Track Condition: Fast | |||||
| Winning Time: 1:48.52 | |||||
| Also ran: | |||||
| 4 – Madefromlucky, | |||||
| 5 – Bold Conquest , | Horse: | Jockey: | Win | Place | Show |
| 8 – Win the Space , | 6 American Pharoah | Victor Espinoza | $2.20 | $2.20 | $2.10 |
| 1 – The Truth Or Else , | 7 Far Right | Mike E. Smith | $2.80 | $2.40 | |
| 3 – Bridget’s Big Luvy | 2 Mr. Z | Ramon A. Vazquez | $3.80 |
The Arkansas Derby race replay can be found here on Oaklawn Park’s official website.
The second and third choices were Far Right and Madefromlucky, both figured to qualify for the 2015 Kentucky Derby, but obviously not contend. Far Right had the most to gain or lose entering Saturday’s race and ended up qualifying for the 2015 Kentucky Derby with his second-place performance on Saturday.
