Kentucky Derby favorite American Pharoah moved into unlucky No. 17
American Pharoah goes over the track Thursday during morning training for the
American Pharoah is the favorite to win Saturday’s 141st Kentucky Derby, but trainer Bob Baffert and owner Ahmed Zayat suffered what might be an unlucky turn Thursday when it was announced that Todd Pletcher-trained Stanford had been scratched from the field.
Frammento, trained by Nick Zito and ridden by Corey Nakatani, drew into the field and slots into the No. 20 position.
Baffert had been relieved on Wednesday after American Pharoah drew the No. 18 starting spot because it figured to give the colt room to maneuver apart from the logjam of a 20-horse field.
But now all entries who held positions 12-20 move in a spot.
That puts American Pharoah at No. 17, from which no horse has ever won the Derby.
Baffert, a three-time Derby winner, knows the history and had joked on Wednesday that he wanted to avoid the spot.
“I don’t want the 17,” he said.
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