The morning before his scheduled flight to Long Island, American Pharoah took off at Churchill Downs.

The Triple Crown contender breezed 5 furlongs effortlessly in 1 minute, .20 seconds for jockey Martin Garcia, including a final eighth of a mile in an extremely fast 11.60 seconds. In workouts, the finish is what matters most, and rarely does a thoroughbred close so quickly in a race, let alone during the morning.

"Everything went really well today," trainer Bob Baffert said. "He just kept clicking right along, and so now we just play the waiting game and hope everything goes well when we go to the Big Apple."

Track clocker John Nichols had American Pharoah going 13 seconds for a furlong, 25 seconds for a quarter-mile, 36.60 for 3 furlongs and 48.60 for a half-mile in a light rain on a main track that was rated fast.

The long-striding bay colt was still full of energy after his serious business was over, galloping out eagerly with his ears up in 1:13 for 6 furlongs, 1:26 for 7 furlongs and 1:39.60 for a mile.

"I was worried about the rain a little bit, but the track was in perfect shape," Baffert said. "He went around there really nice."

The son of Pioneerof the Nile is expected to gallop this week at Belmont Park, where he never has raced or trained. Six consecutive wins at five different tracks give Baffert confidence he will handle this one.

The Triple Crown trophy has been unclaimed since Affirmed swept the series in 1978, and Churchill Downs executive Darren Rogers will accompany it to New York, as he did last year. Baffert will try for a record fourth time to grab it, so although it's not exactly business as usual, he knows the drill better than anyone ever has.

"I know what I'm walking into," Baffert said. "I had a meeting with everybody yesterday and said that when we get there, it's going to be pretty crazy, but we've been through it. So we're not going to be overwhelmed by it because we're used to the big show.

"The biggest challenge for him is getting up there and running around that big track. Hopefully the track won't be too deep."

• Two horses withdrew, shrinking the Belmont field to eight. Trainer Todd Pletcher said Monday that Carpe Diem won't run Saturday. Also, trainer Ken McPeek withdrew The Truth or Else.

Carpe Diem was 10th in the Kentucky Derby and will point toward the Haskell Invitational or Jim Dandy Stakes this summer. The Truth or Else has an ankle issue; he did not run in the Kentucky Derby or Preakness.