Coming home: Cafe Pharoah and "North"

Perhaps the movie "North" is best known for Roger Ebert's scathing review.

"I hated this movie. Hated hated hated hated hated this movie. Hated it," he wrote.

Perhaps he ignored its target demographic—frustrated kids who dreamed of not having to wait until adulthood to flee the nest and search for a better life.

I was one of those kids. I loved "North." Loved loved loved loved loved that movie. Flaws and all, I remember it fondly whenever a youngster goes on an incredible journey destined to bring them back home.

Cafe Pharoah was born and bred in Kentucky, by Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, out of the Grade 2 winner Mary's Follies. He sold for $475,000 at OBS March last year, then was off to Japan.

Cafe Pharoah's voyage has gone better than any of North's travels. He debuted Dec. 14 in a newcomer race at 1,800 meters over the Nakayama dirt. He broke sharply and never looked back.

On the strength of that performance, trainer Noriyuki Hori and owner Koichi Nishikawa put him right on the Road to the Kentucky Derby for the 1,600-meter Hyacinth Stakes on Sunday. Even though he got into stride slowly and then settled last early, he sustained an outside rally and slipped clear to win by a measured length.

Although Cafe Pharoah has outclassed his foes in both starts, we know more about him than about most lightly raced Derby prospects who win on class. Though it is valid to ask how tough the Hyacinth was compared to American preps, especially with Japan's classic surface still on turf, we already know he has versatility and maturity. He can effectively use different running styles, and he can stay engaged, even if the start goes imperfectly.

As a youngster I found the final moral of "North" disappointing. Quarter-century spoiler alert: it was all a dream, and North belonged at home with his own parents all along. But if Cafe Pharoah continues to progress in Japan, his return to his birthplace may be far from disappointing. It may reveal him as a serious contender for the Kentucky Derby (G1).

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Derby Remix is a weekly series that crosses the lines of culture and Kentucky Derby contenders.