Kentucky Derby winner American Pharoah a go in Preakness

LOUISVILLE, Ky (AP) - Lured by the promise of carrots, American Pharoah was led out of the barn to face a throng of cameras.

Reluctant at first, the Kentucky Derby winner perked up when trainer Bob Baffert offered the colt's favourite snack. American Pharoah pricked his ears upon hearing the click of cameras and struck a regal pose.

"The good ones," Baffert said, "they love the clicks."

And the white-haired trainer has got himself a good one.

"He's just so good and so special," a clearly biased Baffert said. "He was born with that talent."

Now he and his fourth Derby winner are headed to Baltimore for the Preakness in two weeks, the next stop on the Triple Crown trail. Baffert has won that race five times, most recently in 2010. He confirmed his intentions with Maryland Jockey Club officials in a phone call on Sunday.

Third-place finisher Dortmund, who led much of the way, will probably run in the 1 3/16-mile race on May 16, too.

"The way he was travelling down the backside, I thought maybe he was going to win it," Baffert said.

He will decide Dortmund's next race for sure after talking with owner Kaleem Shah.

"I'm sure he's going to want a little revenge," Baffert said. "His horse ran a really good race."

The trainer has no mixed emotions about possibly running American Pharoah, owned by Ahmed Zayat, and Dortmund against each other a second time.

"My job is to get my people there if the horse is doing well," Baffert said. "They understand that sometimes I'll beat them with another horse. If Dortmund turns the table on him, so be it."

He plans to keep American Pharoah and Dortmund at Churchill Downs before sending them to Baltimore, likely on May 13.

A record crowd of 170,513 packed Churchill Downs under sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-70s Saturday to watch a favourite win for the third straight year. American Pharoah rallied to overtake 10-1 shot Firing Line in the stretch and win by a length.

On- and off-track wagering on the 13-race card totalled a record US$194.3 million, up four per cent from the mark of US$187 million set in 2012. Total wagering on the Derby was a record US$137.9 million, a four per cent increase from the US$133.1 million also set three years ago.