Muth Heads Saturday’s Grade I, $300,000 American Pharoah Stakes

MUTH HEADS SATURDAY’S GRADE I, $300,000 AMERICAN PHAROAH STAKES AS JUVENILES GO A MILE AND ONE SIXTEENTH

*RACE IS A BREEDERS’ CUP ‘WIN & YOU’RE IN’ CHALLENGE RACE QUALIFIER *

ARCADIA, CA (Oct. 4, 2023)—Freshened since beaten in his second start, Zedan Racing’s Muth is the horse to beat as he stretches out to a mile and one sixteenth in Saturday’s Grade I, $300,000 American Pharoah Stakes at Santa Anita. Named for the 2015 Triple Crown winner, the American Pharaoh has attracted a field of eight juveniles.

A Breeders’ Cup “Win & You’re In” Challenge Race Qualifier, the American Pharoah winner will earn a fees-paid berth into the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita on Nov. 4.

Trained by Bob Baffert, Muth, a $2 million 2-year-old in training sale purchase this past March, was a runaway 8 ¼ length winner of his five furlong maiden debut here on June 18. Subsequently second to his eventual Grade I stakes-winning stablemate Prince of Monaco going six furlongs in the Grade III Best Pal Stakes Aug. 13, Muth sat out the Grade I Del Mar Futurity Sept. 10 and should be extremely tough with leading man Juan Hernandez back aboard on Saturday.

Odds-on in both of his races to date, Muth is out of the Uncle Mo mare Hoppa.

Todd Pletcher will be represented in the American Pharoah by Repole Stable’s Be You, a colt by Curlin who ships in from Saratoga Springs. Second, beaten a nose as the 3-2 favorite in his six furlong debut Aug. 5 at Saratoga, Be You checked in fourth, beaten 4 ¼ lengths in the Grade I, seven furlong Hopeful at 5-2 on Sept. 4 and will also be two-turning for the first time.

A $320,000 Keeneland September Yearling, Be You is out of the Congrats mare Jacaranda and will be ridden for the first time by Umberto Rispoli.

A first-out maiden winner going six furlongs on Sept. 2 at Del Mar, Wine Me Up will assume the role of the “other Baffert” for owners Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman. A $300,000 March 2-year-old in training purchase, he’s one of several that figure to ensure a fast pace on Saturday.

By Vino Rosso out of the Kitten’s Joy mare Deanaallen’skitten, Wine Me Up will be ridden for the first time by Ramon Vazquez.

THE GRADE I AMERICAN PHAROAH WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 9 of 10 Approximate post time 5 p.m. PT

1. Rothschild – Mike Smith – 122
2. Muth – Juan Hernandez – 122
3. Next Level – Kent Desormeaux – 122
4. Wine Me Up – Ramon Vazquez – 122
5. Raging Torrent – Antonio Fresu – 122
6. Be You – Umberto Rispoli – 122
7. Indispensable – Geovanni Franco – 122
8. El Magnifico – Hector Berrios - 122

First post time for a 10-race card that will include three other stakes on Saturday is at 1 p.m. Admission gates open at 11 a.m.

The American Pharoah Stakes will be part of the first-ever Breeders’ Cup Challenge Pick Six, which will combine three races from Keeneland and three from Santa Anita. The wager has a $1 minimum and a player-friendly 15 percent takeout.