Saratoga hopes for American Pharoah, other tracks in the mix

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) — It may be a longshot, but the prospect of American Pharoah’s next race coming at Saratoga Race Course this summer has the locals buzzing.

The Bob Baffert-trained horse had barely crossed the finish line in Saturday’s Belmont Stakes to clinch the first Triple Crown since 1978 when people around Saratoga Springs began wondering if American Pharoah will race at the Spa.

The nation’s oldest thoroughbred racetrack has history on its side, but it’s facing stiff competition from New Jersey’s Monmouth Park, home to the $1 million Haskell Invitational.

Baffert has mentioned the Haskell and Saratoga as candidates for American Pharoah’s next race, but the Jersey Shore track is considered to have the inside edge for two main reasons: it offers appearance fees for trainers of top horses and Baffert has won the Haskell seven times.

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