Triple crown winner American Pharoah.

Agencies/New York

American Pharoah’s owner, Ahmed Zayat, considers Saratoga Race Course “The Summer Place to Be” for his Triple Crown hero. Yet unless he’s ‘100 percent,’ trainer Bob Baffert doesn’t want to run him at “The Graveyard of Champions.”
Baffert was in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., on Monday for the yearling sales Tuesday night and Wednesday night, and he visited Saratoga’s backstretch in the morning. Inevitably, he was asked whether Pharoah will ship from California to run August 29 in the Travers Stakes.
“We’re trying to make it,” Baffert said, “but he’s going to have to really convince me. I have to be all in and really confident, because I know if he comes here, he’s going to have to run hard.” That would be a 180 from the Haskell on Aug. 2, when Pharoah cruised by 2 \ lengths.
“It’s a tough, demanding racetrack,” Baffert said of Saratoga, “but he’s handled everything thrown at him so far.”
Unlike almost everybody else, Saratoga is not Baffert’s happy place, although he did win the 2001 Travers with Point Given. He’s 1-for-5 in the Midsummer Derby, finishing third with Roman Ruler (2005) and out of the money with Coil (2011), Liaison (2012) and Bayern (2014).
“He’s been such a special horse and he has this following now,” Baffert said. “I want to make sure I do the right thing. I know there’s always that pressure that we want to run.”
Much of it is coming from Zayat, who has said he wants to run in the Travers if Pharoah is thriving. Anticipation is high at the Spa, where posters call it “Pharoahtoga.” Zayat said the decision is up to Baffert, but it’s clear which answer he wants to hear.
“I’ve been pressured into bringing other horses here and they didn’t do well, but this horse is different,” Baffert said. “Point Given is the only one I brought in for the Travers that had a chance to win. The other ones, I was just trying to make something happen.”

Preakness will remain on NBC under 7-year deal
The Preakness will be broadcast on NBC for another seven years after the network announced a contract extension with the Maryland Jockey Club on Monday.
NBC had already reached contract extensions to broadcast the other two races in the Triple Crown _ a 10-year deal for the Kentucky Derby and a seven-year deal for the Belmont Stakes.
“This long-term agreement will allow us to build the Preakness, Black-Eyed Susan, Pimlico Special and Preakness week activities through multiple channels to reach a wider audience,” said Alon Ossip, CEO of the Stronach Group, the Jockey Club’s parent company, in a statement. “The Stronach Group is committed to growing the sport of thoroughbred racing, and we believe our relationship with NBC is another step in that direction.”
The network has broadcast the Preakness since 2001. This year’s race, with American Pharoah winning on his way to the first Triple Crown in 37 years, drew a 5.8 overnight rating, down slightly from 2014 but in line with the numbers from recent years.