American Pharoah galloped into sports history last Saturday with a dominating victory in the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of the legendary Triple Crown. Pharoah led from wire to wire and coming off the fourth corner jockey Victor Espinoza put the horse into warp drive and left his principle rival Frosted in the dust. It was the first time in 37 years for a Triple Crown champion and only the 12th time since the event was inaugurated in 1875.
Pharoah was foaled on Groundhog’s Day 2012 (Feb. 2) at Stockplace Farm and is owned by Ahmed Zayat of Zayat Stables. He is a bay, that is to say he has a reddish brown coat with a black mane and tail. He has a faint white star on his forehead. He doesn’t have any other markings. He has a very short tail which is possibly due to another horse chewing it off. His old man (sire) is Pioneer of the Nile who finished 2nd in the 2009 Kentucky Derby. His mom or “dam” is Littlepricessesemma. He is a descendant of legendary horses Man o’War and War Admiral. Animal husbandry isn’t my strong suit but obviously the pairing worked. Pharoah is described as a ridgling rather than a colt because he has an undescended testicle. American Pharoah has been described as sweet, calm and mellow. He is comfortable around humans, an almost unheard of trait among thoroughbred horses. In the spring of 2014, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert took charge of the stallion. He noted the horse’s distinctive long, smooth stride and felt Pharoah had the makings of a champion. In his first race as a two year old at the Del Mar Racetrack in California, American Pharoah lost and looked bad doing it. After that, trainer Baffert removed his blinker hood and put cotton in his ears. He hasn’t lost a race since. After the 2014 racing year, Pharoah was named the Two Year Old Male of the Year. Victor Espinoza was selected to jockey the horse. Espinoza is considered to be one of the most capable jockeys riding today. Twice before Espinoza had a real shot at riding a horse to a Triple Crown. In 2002, Espinoza was aboard War Emblem and won both the Derby and the Preakness, only to fade in the Belmont. Last year, Espinoza rode California Chrome to wins at the Derby and Preakness and again lost the Belmont Stakes. So this year there was definite speculation that the same fate awaited him riding American Pharoah. Espinoza finally came through and is the only jockey to have three shots at a Triple Crown. He has donated 10 percent all of his career winnings to pediatric cancer research and gave all of his Belmont winnings to the City of Hope in California. As with his ride, American Pharoah, Espinoza has created a place for himself in the Sports Hall of Fame.
There is also the thing about his name: Pharoah is misspelled. It should be Pharaoh. Mr. Zayat is an Egyptian-American who named the horse to honor his sire Pioneer of the Nile. He said the American Jockey Club erred in its registration. They say no, that they recorded it as the application spelled it because it met the criteria and hadn’t been used by any other horse. Mr. Zayat’s wife Joan says that their son Justin conducted a contest on social media to name the colt and he picked that name as the winner, not bothering to check the spelling and it was sent by electronic media without being edited. Anyway it’s certainly a unique name.
A few of those who carefully follow American thoroughbred horses are making the claim that 2015 is an off year for three year old stallions and that American Pharoah is a good horse among a group of mediocre ones but not a great one. Sorry, but that is a pile of horse poo. American Pharoah is a great horse who will pass into legend. He will run maybe three more races and then after 2015 retire to a life of getting together with select female horses whose owners will pay an outlandish fee, and making little colts with them.
I do not follow horse racing. I have never bet on a horse race or even gone to see one at a track. Like many of you, I think that the horse is among the most beautiful of God’s creatures. I do follow the Kentucky Derby and the Triple Crown because they are among the great events of American sports and I’m a sucker for spectacle. I do have a very strong grudge against the horse racing industry because it has a very cruel side. Last Monday (June 8) Indy Star columnist Gregg Doyle wrote a very strong and heartfelt article about the incredibly dark side of thoroughbred horse racing in the United States. If you love horses or following horse racing you need to read Mr. Doyle’s article. It will shock and anger you. I know it did me.
I will end this by passing my congratulations to American Pharoah, trainer Bob Baffert, jockey Victor Espinoza, owner Ahmed Zayat (who incidentally has sold Pharoah’s breeding rights to Ashford Stud, although he maintained the racing rights), along with everyone who is a part of Pharoah’s winning team. It may be a long time before there is another Triple Crown winner. On a final note, Belmont Park has reported that literally thousands of bettors did not turn in their winning tickets after the race to claim their money to the tune of $315,829. The tickets are too valuable as a souvenir and down the road they may be worth a lot more then their $2 face value as a bit of racing memorabilia.
snicewanger@yahoo.com