American Pharoah's Haskell Win Confirms Status as Breeders' Cup Classic Favorite

American Pharoah didn't exert a lot of effort in routing the field in Sunday's triumph at the Haskell Invitational.

Spectators at Monmouth Park got a glimpse of the Triple Crown champion's return to racing, and he picked up right where he left off from the Belmont Stakes. Installed as a 1-9 wager before the starting gates opened, American Pharoah lived up to his top billing.

With how dominant American Pharoah was against his seven other competitors in a 2 1/4-length win that wasn't even that close, he confirmed himself as the prohibitive Breeders' Cup Classic favorite.

If there were any doubts as to how American Pharoah would handle a layoff of nearly two months between his Crown-capping, wire-to-wire romp at the Belmont, those were abruptly put to rest. This Grade 1 field had no chance against Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert's extraordinary colt.

Sports Illustrated's Tim Layden reminded fans how well American Pharoah has run without much imploring from jockey Victor Espinoza since the horse's maiden Triple Crown win at the Kentucky Derby:

Baffert has seen plenty of special horses in his life as such an accomplished trainer, so his praise for American Pharoah after the Haskell was rather telling, per the Courier-Journal's Jennie Rees:

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There's a lot of pressure now with this horse. I was pretty anxious before they went into the gate. I was probably more nervous before the race than ever before when I ran him. I was watching like a fan, too, like, 'Where did he come from?' I've had some really nice horses, but this horse, what he does, he's just incredible. He makes me emotional because he's a gift from God, or something. He's a brilliant racehorse.

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The Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky, doesn't take place until October 31, and American Pharoah could still run more races between now and then. No matter what happens in any of those prospective appearances—health permitting, of course—his run at the Haskell is evidence that American Pharoah has the tools to achieve more.

''We have to get him home first and see what we'll do,'' said Baffert on what's next for his horse, per the Associated Press, via Fox Sports. ''I want to do the right thing for American Pharoah. There are a lot of options out there. Every time I lead him out there I want to feel good about it.''

The AP report indicates Baffert won't like running Pharoah against older horses, which is what he'll have to do in late October. One strong possibility is the Pennsylvania Derby, a race Baffert won with Bayern last year before the horse went on to triumph at the Breeders' Cup Classic.

To provide an idea of what's at stake for the Classic, its purse is $5 million. That's a lot more than the $2 million for the Kentucky Derby, $1.5 million for the Preakness and Belmont and $1.75 million at the Haskell.

Unfortunately, injury problems will likely sideline California Chrome for the rest of the 2015 season. Older horses are eligible to ride in the Breeders' Cup Classic, and California Chrome would have been a formidable challenger after winning the first two Triple Crown legs last year and finishing fourth in the Belmont.

If California Chrome is unable to go as expected, American Pharoah's odds shorten even more. Even the best Triple Crown competition, and the others who tried to pull the upset at Monmouth Park couldn't even come close.

Nothing seems to faze American Pharoah, who has now won eight races and shows no signs of slowing down. As long as Espinoza is in the irons, the pair appear to be unbeatable. Time will tell whether that's true before the Breeders' Cup Classic, but the plentiful energy Pharoah still had in the tank at the Haskell hints that Espinoza can push him if need be—and that his best may be yet to come.

It's easy to look ahead and speculate what's next for American Pharoah, due to how much he dusted the competition. The fact that he did is worth savoring, because the wait between Triple Crown winners was 37 years, and it may be decades before a horse like American Pharoah comes along again.