The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club has an "ambitious bid in the works to woo Triple Crown winner American Pharoah" to race there in August, according to Michael Chen of San Diego-based KGTV-ABC. Del Mar President & CEO Joe Harper said, "You're talking in the range of $5 million or so." Harper added that he "plans to pitch" American Pharoah's trainer, Bob Baffert, on a "sequel of sorts to the Triple Crown." Harper: "We just want to make sure we're in the game." Chen noted Del Mar's million-dollar Pacific Classic in late August "would be the first leg and The Breeder's Cup in October would be the final leg." A victory in those two and a race in between -- "possibly at Santa Anita -- scores a huge bonus." Harper added that he has "begun soliciting sponsors and believes he'll come up with the funds." Harper said that he hopes to make his pitch to Baffert "very soon" (10NEWS.com, 6/16). In New Jersey, Stephen Edelson wrote it seems "everyone is trying to steer the horse's connections in their direction." However, it is "unclear yet if Monmouth Park will come up with its own package" for the Haskell Invitational on Aug. 2, which "could include raising the purse, an appearance bonus, or both." Monmouth Park attorney Dennis Drazin said, "It's a lot [of] money. But at the end of the day, what I would say is that Baffert is a top horseman, and regardless of the money you have to do the right thing for the horse. And the right thing for the horse is to run at run at Monmouth Park against straight 3-year-olds. ... The ultimate goal is the Breeders' Cup Classic and you have to plan him getting to that race. The Haskell, although it's not walkover, it's the right kind of race." Edelson noted around 30,000 fans showed up at Churchill Downs on Saturday to see American Pharoah "parade down the track, while Monmouth Park sold out all its reserved seating for Haskell Day seven weeks in advance" with the horse in the mix to run (ASBURY PARK PRESS, 6/17).
