Triple Crown champion American Pharoah made his last public appearance until his next race start when he was paraded on Gold Cup day at Santa Anita last Saturday.

Escorted by jockey Victor Espinoza, assistant trainer Jimmy Barnes, exercise rider Jorge Alvarez, and groom Eduardo Luna, American Pharoah calmly made several trips around the walking ring while trainer Bob Baffert conducted television interviews.

The replay of his Belmont Stakes win brought cheers from the crowd of 21,000 as American Pharoah made his way out to the track, followed by a recording of "New York, New York."

"I got goose bumps when they played 'New York, New York,'" Baffert said. "It’s been in my mind ever since they played it before the Belmont.

“It's been overwhelming but it's good to see the fans out to see this horse. It's amazing how these fans just want to get a look at him."

"He's handled it pretty well but he was a bit nervous in the winner's circle. I guess he's ready to get back to work."

And that is exactly the plan as as Baffert confirmed that American Pharoah will soon be shipped to Del Mar where he will work against the clock for the first time since his Belmont win on June 6.

"We're going to back off on showing him," Baffert said. "He needs to relax now and take it easy."

Baffert said he will soon decide on race plans for American Pharoah, suggesting he could run in the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on August 2 or the Jim Dandy at Saratoga on August 1.

"He was always on my schedule. Now we're on his schedule,”Baffert said.

“When he shows me that he's ready to bounce and put in a strong performance, that's when he'll run."