American Pharoah Stakes 2024 Analysis

By Jarrod Horak

The Grade 1, $300,000 American Pharoah Stakes will be run at Santa Anita Park on Saturday, October 5, 2024, and this is Win & You’re In race for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. The seven entrants will travel 1 1/16 miles on the main track and this is a Kentucky Derby 2025 points race. The American Pharoah goes as the ninth race on Saturday with a scheduled post time of 5:00 p.m. EDT.

American Pharoah Stakes Analysis (Top 4 Selections)

#7 Getaway Car (2-1) easily wired the field in his first two starts as the favorite including the Best Pal (G3). He dueled from the inside post in the Del Mar Futurity (G1) on Sept. 8 and he weakened to 4th of 7 (beaten 6 lengths). He got too keyed up from the rail last time, and the outside draw should help him relax in the early going. Bob Baffert excels with the blinkers off move and this $700k Curlin colt drilled a best of 60 bullet for this on Sept. 28. Juan Hernandez stays put and he should be forwardly placed from the outside post. Baffert has won this race a dozen times including victories in five of the last six years, and Hernandez guided home Muth (2023) and Cave Rock (2022) for this outfit.

#3 Citizen Bull (5-2) pressed outside and beat next-out winner Smash It in his abbreviated sprint bow on Aug. 17. He came back in three weeks in the Del Mar Futurity (G1), and he rallied wide from the outside post, flattened out, and just grabbed the show. He reconnects with his winning pilot Martin Garcia and he stretches out after two sprints. Bob Baffert’s $675k Into Mischief colt sports two fast local works for this including a five panel gate move on Sept. 27.

#1 McKinzie Street (9-5) smartly wired the field in his Del Mar debut at 5 1/2 furlongs. Runner-up Emerald Bay was a next-out winner and is entered in this race, and this colt stalked the pace and was clearly second best in the Del Mar Futurity (G1) second time out. Kazushi Kimura sticks with Tim Yakteen’s $290k purchase and I like his early-pressing versatility.

#5 Emerald Bay (6-1) was clearly second best behind McKinzie Street as the beaten favorite in his sprint bow, and he stretched out and easily graduated as the chalk second time out. Bob Baffert’s $700k Nyquist colt is not as fast as his two stablemates and Juan Hernandez abandons. Antonio Fresu is his new pilot and he drilled a local gate bullet for this on Sept. 16. 

American Pharoah Stakes Video