NEW YORK — A hero’s welcome greeted Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in Kentucky on Sunday, the first of many such receptions expected for the sporting world’s newest superstar.

The 3-year-old colt has more racing in his future, along with an avalanche of publicity and money-making opportunities after pulling off the first sweep of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont in 37 years.

Before leaving Belmont Park, trainer Bob Baffert led American Pharoah onto a patch of grass outside of, fittingly, Barn 1 on a sunny and warm morning. It was only hours after his front-running, 5 1/2-length victory, but the low-key champ appeared to enjoy the attention, dutifully posing for photographers and patiently letting bystanders pet him.

“He’s a really sweet horse,” Baffert said. “We’re going to share him with everybody.”

There were celebrity visits, too, for the newest member of racing’s elite club. Fellow Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott stopped by for a close-up look at American Pharoah, much like Baffert visited Mott’s barn in the mid-1990s to see Cigar, who won 16 consecutive races.

American Pharoah arrived in Louisville, Kentucky, later in the day, and was greeted by hundreds of cheering fans at Churchill Downs, his home between Triple Crown races.

Jockey Victor Espinoza threw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium, where Baffert attended the game.

Next up for racing’s 12th Triple Crown winner is some well-deserved downtime, having won five consecutive Grade 1 races in nearly 21/2 months. That’s a compressed schedule for a racehorse, most of which have at least 30 days between starts.

“It’s ridiculously insane what he did yesterday,” Baffert said. “It was a beautiful moment.”

Owner Ahmed Zayat pledged to keep the horse in training at least through the end of the year. Before the Belmont, Zayat sold breeding rights to Coolmore Ashford Stud near Versailles, Kentucky. The family has said it received offers higher than $20 million, but the terms of the deal haven’t been disclosed.

“They have zero say until he retires,” Zayat said. “We owe it to the sport to do the right thing. Money plays an important factor in this game. I’ve already sold the breeding rights, but it is my genuine desire, as a fan, as someone who loves horses, to race him as long as I possibly can.”

Zayat will leave it up to Baffert to map out a schedule. Among the races under consideration are the Jim Dandy at Saratoga in upstate New York on Aug. 1; the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth in New Jersey on Aug. 2; the Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Aug. 22; and the Travers at Saratoga on Aug. 29.

The ultimate goal would be the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Oct. 31 at Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky, the cradle of American racing and breeding, and near where American Pharoah will serve stud duty.