2015 Racing Highlights: Month by Month
2015 will go down as one of the most historic years in American horse racing history, as it was the year that marked the end of the 37-year Triple Crown drought. Throughout 2015, we watched as a sports legend was made in American Pharoah – a horse who became a national celebrity, putting horse racing in the spotlight. Although his accomplishments were certainly the main highlights of the year, several other great moments occurred in U.S. horse racing this year, so let’s look at some of those – broken down month by month.
January:
At the annual Eclipse Awards, 2014 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner California Chrome was named 2014 Horse of the Year.
In the early stages of the Derby trail, Upstart impressed with a 5 ½-length score over Frosted in the Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream.
In the first grade one of the year, Callback took the Las Virgenes Stakes at Santa Anita Park for three-year-old fillies.
February:
In one of the most thrilling races of the year, Dortmund battled Firing Line down the stretch of the Robert B. Lewis, regaining the lead in late stretch to prevail.
Constitution took the Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park over defending champ Lea, notching his second lifetime grade one victory at the Florida track.
In one of the most highly anticipated showdowns of the year, champion Shared Belief defeated 2014 Horse of the Year California Chrome in the San Antonio Handicap.
Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens clenched his 5000th North American win with a win aboard Catch a Flight at Santa Anita.
March:
The ill-fated Shared Belief wowed fans with a dominant victory in the Santa Anita Handicap, coasting to a 4 ¼-length triumph.
American Pharoah made his long-awaited 2015 debut – his first start since his 2014 Champion Two-Year-Old season – in the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park, winning by an effortless 6 ¼ lengths.
Americans were well-represented on Dubai World Cup Night: Green Mask finished third in the Al Quoz Sprint; Mshawish ran third in the Dubai Turf; Secret Circle won the Dubai Golden Shaheen; and U.S. based horses California Chrome, Lea and Candy Boy finished second, third and fourth – respectively – in the Dubai World Cup.
The final round of Kentucky Derby preps entered full swing as Materiality took the Florida Derby and International Star won the Louisiana Derby.
April:
Opening weekend at Keeneland provided a plethora of graded stakes action including Carpe Diem taking the Blue Grass Stakes along the Derby trail.
On opposite sides of country, more final Derby preps continued: Frosted conquered the Wood Memorial Stakes and Dortmund remained undefeated with a win in the Santa Anita Derby.
Beholder kicked off her five-year-old season with a win in the Santa Lucia Stakes at Santa Anita in a performance many call a “paid workout.”
American Pharoah made his final prep for the Kentucky Derby in the Arkansas Derby, winning by an effortless eight lengths.
May:
Lovely Maria gave owner Brereton C. Jones and trainer Larry Jones their third Kentucky Oaks victory.
The Kentucky Derby undercard at Churchill Downs provided plenty of excitement leading up to the Run for the Roses, seeing graded stakes wins from Divisidero, Tepin, Private Zone, Dame Dorothy, Competitive Edge and Finnegans Wake.
American Pharoah’s Triple Crown journey began when he outran Firing Line in the stretch of the Kentucky Derby.
The sheer brilliance of American Pharoah was put on display in the driving rain at Pimlico when the son of Pioneerof the Nile clenched the Preakness Stakes by 7 lengths.
June:
Amidst the excitement of a Triple Crown on the line, the Belmont Stakes undercard showcased fantastic graded stakes action including grade one wins from Tepin, Slumber, Honor Code and Wedding Toast.
Like a dream come true, the 37-year Triple Crown drought came to an end when American Pharoah drew away in front of a roaring Belmont grandstand to take the Belmont Stakes by 5 ½ lengths.
In a thrilling finish, Noble Bird kept the charge of Lea at bay in the Stephen Foster Handicap to win by a neck.
In another exhilarating stretch run, Hard Aces held off the late-charging Hoppertunity by a nose to take the Gold Cup at Santa Anita.
July:
Belmont Park’s second annual Stars and Stripes Festival made for an Independence Day card full of quality graded stakes events, highlighted by wins from Force the Pass, Lady Eli, Private Zone, Speightster, Effinex and Irish Jasper.
Big Blue Kitten captured his second United Nations Stakes, having also won the race in 2013.
After battling Frivolous down the stretch, Sheer Drama drew away in the late stages to claim her first grade I victory in the Delaware Handicap.
A showdown between some of the nation’s top turf females in the Diana Stakes at Saratoga did not disappoint, with Hard Not to Like flying late to win by a nose over Tepin.
August:
In his first start since sweeping the Triple Crown, American Pharoah took the Haskell Invitational with utter ease in front of a large crowd at Monmouth Park.
The Whitney Stakes resulted in one of the best finishes of the year as Honor Code ran down the front-running Liam’s Map to take the Saratoga staple by a neck.
A hometown hero took the grade I $1,000,000 Arlington Million when the Illinois-bred The Pizza Man out-finished challengers from around the world.
Champion mare Beholder took on the boys in the Pacific Classic and in one of the most impressive efforts of all-time from a female racehorse, she swept past her male rivals with absolute effortlessness to win by 8 ¼ lengths.
The 2015 edition of the Travers Stakes validated Saratoga’s nickname – the “Graveyard of Champions” – when Keen Ice passed American Pharoah in the final strides.
Both of 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra’s only two offspring – Rachel’s Valentina and Jess’s Dream – won their racing debuts at Saratoga.
September:
In the second start of her career, Rachel’s Valentina made her graded stakes debut a winning one, taking the Spinaway Stakes at Saratoga.
Closing weekend at Del Mar provided plenty of graded stakes competition, but perhaps the most impressive performance was Songbird’s 5 ¼-length triumph in the Del Mar Debutante.
Liam’s Map found the winner’s circle in breathtaking fashion, wiring the field in the Woodward Stakes by 4 ¾ lengths.
A big Saturday of racing at Belmont saw impressive graded stakes victories from Big Blue Kitten, Isotherm, La Verdad, Rock Fall and Wedding Toast.
On the same day but on the opposite side of the country, graded stakes and Breeders’ Cup preps filled the card at Santa Anita – including Beholder’s romp in the Zenyatta Stakes.
October:
Super Saturday at Belmont was a muddy mess, but was full of Breeders’ Cup preps – featuring wins from Greenpointcrusader, Stephanie’s Kitten, Nickname, Takeover Target, Appealing Tale and Tonalist.
Opening weekend at Keeneland – also known as Fall Stars Weekend – provided an abundance of exciting racing, including grade I wins from Gomo, Brody’s Cause, Tepin, Got Lucky and Grand Arch.
Om continued to make himself known for more than just defeating American Pharoah in his debut, clenching his second graded stakes win of the year in the Twilight Derby.
The first Breeders’ Cup to be hosted at Keeneland was one for the history books. Plenty of incredible wins – including Liam’s Map’s Dirt Mile, Songbird’s Juvenile Fillies, Runhappy’s Sprint and Tepin’s Mile – made for an incredible edition of the two-day event, but the highlight was certainly American Pharoah’s breathtaking victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. With this win, the Triple Crown winner became the first winner of what has been dubbed the “Grand Slam” of horse racing.
November:
Coming off a runner-up effort behind American Pharoah in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Effinex earned his first grade one victory with a score in the Clark Handicap.
In what would be the final start of his career, Tonalist got up in the final strides to take the Cigar Mile.
Two-year-olds sparked dreams of what the spring may hold at Churchill Downs as Carina Mia ran away with the Golden Rod Stakes and Airoforce won his dirt debut in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes.
Dortmund continued his comeback with an effortless win in the Native Diver Stakes at Santa Anita.
December:
With an eye-catching inside rally, Mike Smith rode Street Fancy to a grade one win in the Starlet Stakes.
X Y Jet turned in an incredibly impressive performance in the Mr. Prospector Stakes at Gulfstream, coasting to a 9 ¼ -length victory in a final time of 1:08.56 – only 0.44 seconds off of the track mark for six furlongs.
In an easy manner, Mor Spirit captured the year’s final grade one for two-year-olds, winning the Los Alamitos Futurity.
On the day after Christmas, opening day at Santa Anita provided one final, graded stakes-packed day for 2015 – highlighted by an impressive win by Runhappy in the grade one Malibu Stakes.
It is unlikely that we will ever witness another year in racing quite like 2015. Between American Pharoah’s historic three-year-old season, Beholder’s dominance, a highly competitive older male division with stars like Honor Code and Liam’s Map, and a brilliant sprinter like Runhappy, there was no shortage of memorable racing moments this year.