American Pharoah Out of BC Juvenile

exactly hat comments would you make jon? would you rather they run an injured horse? what amazes me about your bias against baffert is that you choose the times when he does the right thing to bash him, which is exactly what your doing by making your no comment remark. that is quite evident. the horse has a bruised foot in a workout. what would you do? does this have anything to do with medication? does it have anything to do with the deaths from he thyroid meds, which btw, is going on two years ago now? have his numbers been nearly that bad since then? or before? no they havent. it was an anomaly and bad luck, and yes probably a bad move on his part by using a medication that wasnt needed at the time. BUT it wasnt illegal and he hasnt had those problems since. but some cant let it go and have to continue to hate on the guy because he is successful and a winner. he wins races, which is his job. if this horse were trained by lukas, he probably would not have been pulled. instead he would have run and ended up dead or broken down completely. bayern had a bruised foot last year too, and it ended up costing him a shot at the derby. but bob did the right thing and look at him now. bob may have had more deaths by giving the wrong meds in his career, but lukas has always killed or broken down way more horses by running them when they werent 100% or just plain over running them. in my opinion that is way worse. but you keep hating on bob all day long. everyone is used to it by now.

Anyone would be "crushed". Hopefully Pharoah will be great as a 3 yr old. They went through so much with Paynter. Like them or not, they have paid their dues. (I guess they don't agree with Wiz about Coach LOL)

Zayat Crushed by American Pharoah Injury
By Lenny Shulman
Bloodhorse


It has been a tough history, the story of owner Ahmed Zayat and the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.

One of the top owners in the country the past eight years, Zayat has seen one horse after another come up short in Breeders’ Cup events, the victims of slow starts, bumping, and erratic running. But the toughest beat of all came Oct. 28 when his dual grade I-winning 2-year-old American Pharoah was withdrawn from the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr. I) after being found to be off in his left front.

Homebred American Pharoah, by Pioneerof the Nile , represented perhaps Zayat’s best shot to end a winless streak that has reached 17 in the World Championships. He still has Mr. Z in the Juvenile and Prayer for Relief in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I). But American Pharoah being sidelined was a tough pill to swallow for the New Jersey-based Zayat.

“Devastated. Crushed. Saddened. Bob Baffert said he’s the best 2-year-old he has ever had,” Zayat said Oct. 28. “He was training like a machine. Poetry in motion. And it wasn’t just us. Analysts from the East Coast were gushing over him.

“Even though the vets can’t find anything wrong with him, you have to do right by them so that they do right by you. It’s too much of a risk to run him. Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise.”

Zayat was referring to the fact that only one horse, Street Sense , in 30 years has won the Juvenile and come back to win the following year’s Kentucky Derby (gr. I). Clearly, his connections thought American Pharoah is so good he had a big chance of accomplishing the rare double.

As for Mr. Z, Zayat noted he has had several troubled trips in his five starts, particularly his second-place efforts in the Sanford Stakes (gr. III) and Saratoga Special (gr. II) this summer. In his most recent effort, Mr. Z, by Malibu Moon , was second to the now-likely Juvenile favorite Carpe Diem in the Breeders’ Futurity (gr. I) at Keeneland.

Mr. Z, who was bred in Kentucky by Richard Maynard, is trained by D. Wayne Lukas, by far the most successful trainer of Juvenile winners.

Zayat also has Prayer for Relief in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I). He has looked well since arriving at Santa Anita Park and could be a live longshot at 30-1 on the morning line.

Zayat has bounced back from numerous disappointments with his horses, including two years ago when he finished second in all three Triple Crown races (with Bodemeister in the Derby and Preakness, gr. I) and Paynter in the Belmont Stakes (gr. I).

“A lot goes wrong,” Zayat said recently. “It takes a lot of perseverance. You have to have the personality for it.”

That perseverance is again being tested Breeders' Cup week. Perhaps it will end with a longshot winner, or maybe American Pharoah will come back next season and vie for an even bigger prize. For now, though, it is another gut punch in the world of fragile Thoroughbreds.



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Read more on BloodHorse.com: www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/88354/zayat-crushed-by-american-pharoah-injury#ixzz3HUFYRxdj

pharaoh has a lot of potential - hope he's ok - but damn - a few years ago it was "virus" - now it's "bruised feet" - wth really knows? don't believe the statements - pr bs!