American Pharoah's exercise rider on what makes the champ special

Triple Crown champion American Pharoah was in tip-top shape the morning following his Haskell Invitational (G1) heroics, according to exercise rider Jorge Alvarez.

"He came out of the race perfect," Alvarez said. "He looks like he could go out there and do it again today. He wasn't even tired this morning. He cleaned the tub and ate all of his food."

After taking a tour of the shedrow, the Bob Baffert trainee hopped on a van to Atlantic City Airport and took a flight back to his summer home, Del Mar.

"We'll stick to his normal routine," Alvarez said of the game plan. "For three days, he'll just walk and then go back to jogging. Bob will decide from there."

Alvarez, who previously worked for the late Hall of Famer Bobby Frankel, described American Pharoah as the best horse he's handled.

"I sat on his grandfather, Empire Maker, and this horse's sire, Pioneerof the Nile, Peace Rules, and a lot of other great ones, but never one like this one.

"He makes it all extra special.

"He is a very smart horse. That's the key to what makes him so good. He never wastes his time or energy on the wrong things. He puts all of his energy and effort into the right things and that makes all of the difference."

Photo courtesy of Ryan Denver/Equi-Photo.