Triple Crown winner American Pharoah wins Haskell in return

OCEANPORT, N.J. (AP) -- American Pharoah turned on the speed in the stretch and easily won the $1.75 million Haskell Invitational on Sunday in his first race since sweeping the Triple Crown.

Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, Jorge Alvarez up, takes a morning gallop in front of fans at Monmouth Park in Oceanport (Bill Denver/Equi-Photo via AP)

With a large crowd cheering him on at Monmouth Park, American Pharoah came around the final turn and then took off from the field and cruised to a 2 1/4-length victory under jockey Victor Espinoza without any urging.

American Pharoah swept the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes to become the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years. After a 57-day break, the 3-year-old colt looked better than ever in winning his eighth consecutive race.

Sent off at odds of 1-10, American Pharoah became the shortest price in the 48th running of the Haskell, returning $2.20 for a $2 win bet.