Bob Baffert and Ahmed Zayat knew there was risk in running American Pharoah after he won the Triple Crown.
The brilliant colt could no longer exceed expectations; he could only win or be labeled a disappointment.
So Baffert, the trainer, and Zayat, the owner, felt excruciating tension Sunday as they waited for American Pharoah to enter the starting gate at the William Hill Haskell Invitational, his first race since the Belmont Stakes.
"I just did not want to let this crowd down," Baffert said.
They needn't have feared. Superstardom did nothing to dull American Pharoah's competitive form.