2015 William Hill Haskell Invitational - American Pharoah

Triple Crown winner American Pharoah annexed the $1.75 million William Hill Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on August 2, 2015. The Haskell is part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge series. With the win, American Pharoah earned guaranteed entry into the Breeders' Cup Classic.

[@bandovreal22]

In my honest opinion, nothing on dirt can beat this horse. I really think American Pharoah is the best dirt horse since the great Secretariat.

[@VialliForever]

Congratulations, American Pharoah. Looking forward to seeing the Breeders Cup.

[@kissycatgb]

I love watching this horse run. He looks like he's just out for a' leisurely stroll'.....Go Pharoah Go!

[@MrDTJones1]

This made my day! Glad to see this in my lifetime! Very special.

[@josephfederico5165]

Subpar field and AP ran like a champion and totally outclassed them. Very honest pace and he still won with incredible ease. I have no doubt he could have easily beaten the track record (1:46.80) if just slightly urged to run. I like what this horse has done for racing. Very exciting to watch!

[@aquaticsunset]

couldn't agree more..nice to read an informed comment like that. Great mind, incredible stride, and one of the most beautifully built horses I've seen. Such an exciting horse to watch come down the backstretch!!

[@stevepearson8478]

Agree with 98 % of your comment … subpar field? Keen Ice was a closing 2nd and beat AP 3 weeks later …. I’m NOT comparing the 2. Just saying Keen Ice was pretty good. Ended up with over $3 million in earnings.

[@debraenderle4737]

I like how Victor tried to make the race competitive by keeping Pharoah in check somewhat, and giving the other horses a fighting chance. Standing up in the stirrups before AP even hit the finish line was a nice touch, too.

[@bailinnumberguy]

Espinoza could've taken a nap down the stretch. Maybe he did.

[@CarrieChengPhotography]

Randy Bailin I wish he hadn't taken a nap! Would have love to silence some of the "time" doubters of his greatness. Imagine how fast he could have gone had he just kept at that full gallop down the stretch! Hopefully for another day...

[@JOHN----DOE]

Carrie Cheng 109 Beyer while being eased ain't bad

[@uhegbu]

Randy Bailin Easy as pie for the Triple Crown winner. Bring on the Breeders Cup Classic.

[@garyproffitt669]

+John Doe From a training perspective that was a negative run as they went fast for the first half but the second was much slower with the winner being eased.This promotes fast twitch muslce growth for sprinting and reduces the stamina form of a horse. What we saw in the travers was a sprint race between frosted and AP and a slow down that left the door open for Keen Ice. You reap what you sow but also i reckon APs 10 furlong days are over..

[@1179trlr]

Brilliant horse. Brilliant jockey. Victor made it look like an exercise ride! How fun!

[@totalsportsdaily1052]

Want to thank Team American Pharoah for giving us the opportunity to witness greatness for a few more races.

[@uthem5232]

100% effortless win. A stroll in the park!!!!

[@bandovreal22]

Larry Collumus: "He could of won it by 20!". Couldn't be spoken true enough.

[@fargone5109]

Pharoah was in cruise control that entire race,only turning on a bit of speed to overtake Competitive Edge.The rest of the race was a breeze for him.Truly an amazing horse.

[@khamir49]

I watched this race too. AP is a thing of beauty.

[@AS-kx4bl]

I always look for the point in his race where American Pharoah shifts to "Pharoah Overtime Gear"... his head goes up ... hindquarters gather like a fist closing tight and then BAM! AP explodes with that ground-eating charge that is just mesmerizing to watch. I didn't see the POG today, AP was cruising. Good Boy, AP. Good Boy.

[@erosram2]

Allyson Stoll .He didn't even cruised; he jogged.

[@wtfbrb]

I watched AP win the Triple Crown at the Belmont, in person, right above the winners circle. It was amazing. I wish I could have been there to see this!!!!!

[@fargone5109]

Unphazed1337 Me too!The place went nuts when Pharoah thundered down the home stretch!

[@lpgft]

Hoping I have that opportunity in Saratoga for Travers. .. hoping !!

[@DoggieNYC]

AP has an incredible stride.

[@ttanza4004]

What an Amazing Horse!

[@coolerpaul]

Never even off the bridle. Awesome horse

[@AdamYoudell]

I could totally agree with them if they never raced him again, but I'm so glad they are doing this. Let him get out there and show what he's got. This was a walk in the park for him!

[@elpirrurris7563]

All fans will miss him really hard when he be retired , he is one of those special horses that born every 30 , 40 years

[@bethmcrae4544]

That big, floating stride reminds me of Ruffian. His isn't quite as airy as hers was...but it's there, very apparent in the Belmont.

[@kitaroyuta]

AP just cruised the whole race lol He's a true champ!

[@VirKatJol]

What a beautiful run!

[@traviswilson2195]

Nick Zito said it best His best performance

[@wrldchamps04]

Jogged home.... awesome

[@Knutekritt]

What a beautiful fluid stride....I wonder if racing something that special is wise at this point.....ya dont see something like that every day...

[@tiggle5485]

Poor other horses never had a chance. I'm glad he came up to jersey for us.

[@therealpmiz1037]

that horse loves to run, and doesn't lose, period.

[@roundtable3501]

P Miz Keen Ice: hold my beer

[@kwgrid]

Keep having fun, Victor and AP. :)

[@billross6013]

its unfair, we should never compare the great ones, but only marvel at their great accomplishments.

[@barrybeave]

Sat in the death then let loose on the corner only to canter to the line...... Very impressive

[@battousaiblade]

congrats once again to a true champ!

[@luismelchor8291]

I would like to see him run in Dubai that would be awesome

[@lpgft]

I'll see you in Saratoga Pharoah ! Got my ticket in hand !!

[@ayleyaellkinder6502]

earned entry in the Breeders' Cup Classic? I would think a winner of ANY of the Triple Crown races, let alone the whole dang Crown would have a guaranteed entry!

[@anbd1952]

I would love to find footage of the entire show of the Haskell as it was broadcast by NBC. Does anyone know where I can see the whole show?

[@lpgft]

Hopefully to Saratoga next for Travers to run against Texas Red !

[@enrique9603]

Espinoza also rode California Chrome,He said Chrome was best horse he ever Rode.

[@chrisyates9083]

you can see from the finish of this race why Keen Ice was able to come back and beat American Pharoah. a very nice horse also

[@piputd]

Unbelievable horse!! Will he ever run in the UK??

[@benbim540]

Piputd N= no chance, they wouldn't risk him on turf and why should they.

[@mvlach77]

I'm wondering if AP would have gone sub-1.47 if asked to run even a little. I'm glad he coasted. Just wondering.

[@sirCULTURE]

HOLY SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@mcnultys32]

lets see how good he is if he runs in the breeders

[@lovetoodance98]

best horse since secretariat perhaps!!

[@erosram2]

Carolina Grant .I would say, since Bid. Slew and Affirmed were phenoms, too.

[@benbim540]

Carolina Grant dirt horse, different story on turf.

[@johnmoore9021]

Carolina Grant Spectacular Bid holds the world record for a mile and quarter on dirt.

[@johnanthony6664]

+Viking Vic AP still hasnt ran a mind blowing race yet Big Red broke 5 track records in one yr an lol ran sick 3 times ,haha after this race the owner of AP wasnt almost crying about the race ,if this horse coughs wrong they will sit him ,there arent no real horses no more, they r all babied

[@johnanthony6664]

Viking Vic times times times i just go to the facts ,how can one horse have all of the big 3 records ,sometimes winning not enough ,to be with the big boys an there only ONE,u need to win the triple an break track record,i just dont know what he would have run if he hit the horse alittle ,i m guessing take off a sec on all three racing.Hey did he suck somes day yesss,he pretty much didnt want to run some days,buttt if u r a great horse u have 5 6 amazing days who beats when he s healthy ,nobody.

[@The_Dope_Tribunal]

I expect american pharoah to run a bit more and go for the breeders cup record.I mean if he has a lead already and if it appears no1 can beat him,then why not since its his last race

[@J03GAR]

We are looking at the best thoroughbred of all time. If he could he would break every track record. But for what. Hopefully we can still be blessed to see him run while we can.

[@marilynshively670]

Jose Garcia I love AP, but I would not call him the best of all time and he does not have to be; he is a beast, the best of a generation. a freak of nature.

[@J03GAR]

Marilyn Shively​ to me he is the greatest of all time with much respect to all the Kings. But he is without a doubt the King of kings. Yes, we have seen a lot of great ones, but not like this guy.

[@juancastellanos2254]

Jose Garcia that he is the best horse in the last 1/4 century, yes he is, no doubt that he is, I won't argue that. But to call him the greatest ever is your personal opinion. You see, to a lot of people, including myself, in order for him to be considered the GOAT, he would've have to face a horse like Secretariat, or compete against the kind of horses Secretariat ran against, like Sham for instance, a horse who was denied a spot in history, a horse who could've easily been remembered as a legend himself, had he not had the misfortune of being born the same year that Secretariat was born on. I believe that AP is probably in the top 15, but AP hasn't had that kind of competition, he hasn't faced a horse that can challenge him from start to finish, a horse almost as fast and as strong as him, a horse that would not yield without demanding from AP to leave it all on the track. It's been 42 years since Secretariat won the Belmont, and still no horse (EVER), has come close to his record, or finishing the race the way he did. Secretariat wasn't even hit once during the race, he was on auto pilot, he just loved to run, it was almost unearthly, just like the move he made to take the lead to win the Preakness, his jockey Turcotte once said that he had to move him hard to the outside because Big Red would have ran the horses in front over. He was a freak of nature, and it wasn't just his body, but his attitude. He loved to race, he was extremely competitive and cocky. AP is a monster and he well deserves his spot in history, he'll surely go down as one of the greatest ever, but Secretariat was and still is the GOAT. And then you have horses that cannot just be pushed aside, Citation Five, War Admiral, Native Dancer, Seattle Slew, . AP is a great horse, but he has modern age science and technology on his side, he has better care, he runs on faster tracks, he has a much better nutrition, he's handled by a much larger and better trained staff, all of the things that none of those horses ever had, and yet, Secretariat still has him beat by 2:65 in the Belmont. Not only is Secretariat also a Triple Crown Winner, but he engraved an indelible image upon all those who witnessed him. AP certainly will leave wondrous memories for those of us lucky enough to one day say we saw what he did, and no amount of time will ever dull or cloud those memories, but only one horse has ever been described as the, super horse, or the horse that God built, or the perfect horse, and that was Secretariat. A well known vet of that time said that Secretariat should not exist, because he was an anomaly, anatomically he was almost without flaw. As you believe AP to be the greatest, I believe that Secretariat is an immortal super natural horse that defied all believes.

[@J03GAR]

Juan Castellanos​ thank you for that awesome comment and knowledge if history behind Secretariat. Secretariat will always be remembered for his amazing accomplishments in the track. Most of he's records still stand to this date which is amazing its self. Andrew Beyer calculated speed figure is just mind blowing, 139 is just out of this world. Forego and Sham where his competition that I can think of. Unlike AP having a hand full of Graded Stakes winners that he took down in he's run for the Triple Crown. The difference in tracks, nutrition, trainning, and competition is the same. Both horses ran, ate and trained the same as there competition. The only difference is the culter change.

[@J03GAR]

horse racing has changed throughout the years for the safety and durability of these horses in the tracks. Its just what time has evolved too.. Which is a plus, you do see a lesser rate of breakdowns.

[@erosram2]

He was only breezing... The mile in 94 2/5, almost jogging. He's not from Earth.

[@redbrian3655]

Geared down and just off the stakes record...... now that's class. What's next? Pa Derby? I understand that Monmouth has created him a race. How cool is that? BTW, was this as big a crowd as the famous Bet Twice/Alysheba/Lost Code Haskell in '88?

[@pittpanther1022]

redbrian3655 Much bigger crowd. Previous record crowd was 53,000 in 2003 for Funny Cide. Today's was 61,000.

[@redbrian3655]

Thanks. A well-deserved crowd for AP. Glad he drew them in.

[@lpgft]

Travers in Saratoga! Already got my tickets !! Hell yeah !! 50,000 cap

[@carnusales7110]

HAND RODE HIM !!! VERY IMPRESSIVE

[@damiennguyen7349]

AP would have broken stakes record if espinoza wanted him to...

[@AceTheSkylord]

He could've ran the arc de triomphe..

[@14Jondaime]

wtf barrier trial???

[@rhoderickpercak952]

y sin darle ni un solo latigazo... eso si se llama proteccion de animales.. jeje

[@AaronHuber]

Could have won by 6 lengths, did Espinoza even take out the whip?

[@erosram2]

Aaron Huber .By 6? By 10!!

[@benbim540]

***** i think he had 18 lbs in hand I rate the second at 115 on that run so i think AP run to 133 rating

[@duchessedepeluches]

Aaron Huber Nope, and he eased him in the stretch.

[@AaronHuber]

Yeah could have been 10! Can't wait to see what he does next.

[@AaronHuber]

classy!

[@scottkelley1324]

A P was a f ing freak and as I said earlier when JUSTIFY ran his 2nd race like a monster, I said Bob has another TRIPLE CROWN WINNER on his hands....he won from off the pace early then his natural speed like A P 's won the Triple Crown and by the way, JUSTIFY'S natural speed was better than A P's and not to rag on A P because he was amazing but THINK ABOUT WHAT "JUSTIFY" DID AND HOW EARLY HE DID IT. He was and is 100 lbs heavier than A P and is more of a F ING FREAK. He won't lose, ever because after kicks the shit outa everybody again in THE HASKELL & THE BREEDERS CUP CLASSIC, he has nothing to prove but in all honesty, he has nothing to prove now lol....JUSTIFY IS A F ING MONSTER FREAK!...LOVE HIM!!!!

[@lovetoodance98]

jockey never had to go to the whip!!!

[@jas026able]

Carolina Grant Victor whipped him pretty good down the final furlong at the Belmont.

[@josephfederico5165]

james sullivan You mean the Kentucky Derby. Didn't appear to do him any harm though either.

[@jas026able]

Joseph Federico Yeah, much more in the Derby, you are right. But Espinoza seemed to go to the whip at the very end, final furlong at Belmont. I came to Metropolitan New York many decades ago from Massachusetts. They always called Boston a hockey town. I think New York is a horse town. How could one dispute that after hearing a 90,000 chorus singing "New York New York" at Belmont, and the cheering for America's horse.

[@johnanthony6664]

I m alittle dicussed about what i saw today.I love horse racing an i love a mind blowing performance,an i think they r managing this horse greatly but why dont they let this horse try an go out there an c what kind of time he can run.Been watching horse racing since 68 an people forget winning streak an even great triple crown winners like slew but they dont forget Big Red blowing away a track record by 2 seconds at the belmont ,if they r going to race this horse 2 more times let him run an let him go an c if he can do something like in 73 ,something people wont forget,they r treating this horse like a fucking baby.God my mom knows nothing about sports but she still remembers Big Red,pleasz just let the horse go out an at least lets c if he can do something amazing so We Dont Have To SAY He Could Of .The classic coming up let him try an break the track record.

[@pittpanther1022]

We'll see that at the Classic. Just let him win races until then. At Keeneland we're going to see something very special.

[@People-Business-And-Ideas]

John anthony Couldn't agree with you more... Its been driving me crazzzzy since the Belmont. " Victor lost a huge opportunity to do just that in the Belmont; holding back Pharoah through the entire final turn... Knowing he's got tonnes of horse. Its like he doesn't grasp the enormity of the moment??? That ''Sporting Legends'' are not only defined by spectacular achievements... But also by the events themselves. Winning the Triple Crown puts you in the fraternity. But CRUSHING wins define you!!! SOMEONE PLEASE TELL THIS JOCKEY TO LET THE HORSE RUN.

[@lpgft]

Dont worry. They'll open him up for the Travers in Saratoga !!

[@People-Business-And-Ideas]

lpgft I hope so!!! The only excuse to all this race restraint would be if they're planning to bring him back next year as a four year old for the betterment of fans and the sport, despite the risk and monetary expense (insurance cost). That would be a BOSS move. If he dominated most of his 4yr old campaign and in the process won back to back Cup Classics... that would be legendary amongst his crown fraternity. If I owned AP that would be the plan. F*** the monetary expense; you'll only have this legendary opportunity once in a lifetime.

[@johnanthony6664]

First of all the owners an trainers r telling the jockey to save him,for fucking what i dont know they r only racing him 2 more times , I m telling u he s just going to be another great horse that put a streak together an of course a triple crown winner,but never in Big Reds class,if i m the owner i d take a shot an let this horse loose for the next to racing an break 2 track records ,this is why people lost interest in horse racing course u have a great horse am they r going to run him 8 times an thats it.These jerk offs r killing this horses greatness.

[@billross6013]

I know what the problem with this race is. the competition is weak. i want some freak 1:33 miler to push him the first half an then hope a big closer try to come get him. i am looking for a track record from this horse. quit babying him espinosa.

[@sitdownclowns8424]

On dirt, on grass wth is the difference? We're judging the horse and jockey performance. Who's faster on clay, AP or Federov? Who cares, Federov would have to face him on dirt.

[@OJguy14]

i shot that

[@OJguy14]

ur welcom

[@mattduchon4273]

When is his connections going to put him in a race with horses that can stay competitive with him? He has beaten these horses already. He will not win the BC Classic, trust me, my 2 year old son told me