Thank You, American Pharoah

Like most horse racing fans, the names of the sport’s all-time greats are engraved in my mind: Secretariat, Man O’ War, Citation, Affirmed, Seattle Slew and various others. Each year, we enjoy a number of brilliant runners but much less often do we witness Thoroughbreds who fall under the distinguished category of “great.” Since I fell in love with horse racing in 2004 when I was eight years old, I have had the pleasure of watching several horses who have earned the honor of being regarded as all-time greats: Zenyatta, Frankel, Black Caviar, Sea the Stars, Wise Dan, Curlin and Rachel Alexandra among them.

But as far as American-based racehorses are concerned, I had not seen a horse that could be considered immortal. I saw this adjective as a thing of the past. I did not believe that I would ever see a horse that would enter this class. Rather, I turned to historical archives of all-time greats like Secretariat, thinking my generation would never see one like him.

I fell in love with horse racing as Smarty Jones was making a Triple Crown bid. Beginning that year, I became enchanted by the Triple Crown. However, also beginning that year, the importance and challenge of the series became increasingly important to me. Year after year, I watched as talented three-year-olds tried and failed to become racing’s twelfth wonder. As the drought that began when Affirmed got his nose in front in the 1978 Belmont grew more extreme, it became progressively unlikely to me that I would ever see a Triple Crown winner in my lifetime.

Then, American Pharoah arrived on the scene. We all know the story. The 2014 Eclipse Award winner for Champion Two-Year-Old Male, American Pharoah became the favorite in a deep Kentucky Derby field off of his success as a juvenile and his impressive wins at Oaklawn Park along the Derby trail. After winning the Derby with every ounce of grit and determination within him, and the Preakness with absolute ease, American Pharoah captured the attention of the nation as he prepared for a Triple Crown bid in the Belmont Stakes.

By a twist of fate, American Pharoah was training at Churchill Downs in preparation for the Belmont Stakes while I was visiting Kentucky. On the first morning of my trip to the Bluegrass State, my mother and I made the trek from Lexington to Louisville to watch the Derby-Preakness winner put in his first post-Preakness breeze.

It was the first time I had been to Churchill Downs since 2011. As always, the twin spires took my breath away as thoughts of the history that had been made beneath them galloped through my mind. As I wandered to the rail near the sixteenth pole to await my first glimpse of American Pharoah, the history and tradition of Churchill seemed to come alive right before my eyes. I pictured the grandstand and infield overflowing with fans, singing “My Old Kentucky Home.” I envisioned Triple Crown winners like Whirlaway, Secretariat and Affirmed racing down the stretch to take the first leg of series. And, as the time for American Pharoah to make his morning appearance grew nearer, I visualized him standing in the Derby winner’s circle with the garland of red roses draped over his shoulders.

Suddenly, American Pharoah – alongside his beloved pony, Smokey – appeared on the clubhouse turn as he jogged in my direction. I held my breath as I laid my eyes on the colt for the first time, zealously taking photographs so that I could document the moment forever. There he was, right before my eyes – the horse who had the chance to end the Triple Crown drought.

I walked away from Churchill Downs that morning on cloud nine, spewing words to my mom along the lines of, “We’ll be able to say we saw a Triple Crown winner work out before the Belmont.”

That morning alone would have been enough, but the week got even better. On Saturday, with press credentials in hand, I arrived on the backside of Churchill Downs, where I watched American Pharoah gallop around the track before standing just inches from him as he received a bath and walked the shedrow. I’ll never forget the moment when American Pharoah stopped right in front of me in his barn at Churchill, posing for my camera as his soulful eyes focused upon me. It felt like a dream.

We had planned to leave Kentucky to return home to Texas on Monday, June 2, and when the news surfaced that American Pharoah would have his final work for the Belmont that morning, I made it a point that we stop at Churchill one last time before departing the Bluegrass State. That day, a steady rain fell over Louisville, but along with a swarm of media and fans, I followed American Pharoah devotedly, taking an endless amount of photos of him. I had no umbrella; I didn’t even have a hood on my jacket or the proper shoes for rain. But something within me told me that this horse was special, so I stood in the rain to cherish the final time I would see him before he made his Triple Crown bid.

To add to the admiration I had for American Pharoah, just days before the Belmont I dialed the number for John Hall, the yearling manager at Taylor Made Sales Agency who worked with American Pharoah as a yearling. I interviewed him about the colt as a youngster before writing an article about it. Thanks to the kindness of those at Taylor Made, I had even more room in my heart for American Pharoah and felt as though I now had a small connection to the horse.

In the blink of an eye, Belmont Day arrived. It had been 11 years since Smarty Jones set a fire within me that will never be extinguished. Many aspects of my life had changed since my fascination with the Triple Crown began, including my further involvement with the Thoroughbred industry, but I was still horse-crazy – perhaps even more so than I had been as an eight-year-old.

I glued my eyes to the television screen in hopes that American Pharoah would accomplish what had not been achieved in 37 years. Throughout the afternoon on Belmont Day, my nerves ascended to the point where I could feel my heart beating rapidly as post time neared. Nonetheless, I was confident in American Pharoah. Perhaps it was because he was clearly the best of the group, or how tremendous he had looked in person. Maybe it was because I had witnessed firsthand the presence he has – a cool character who possessed the “look of eagles.”

As soon as American Pharoah took the lead after breaking from the starting gate, my confidence only continued to skyrocket. As the steady fractions were posted and jockey Victor Espinoza held the colt back, I knew he had it. Around the far turn, Espinoza had not even asked American Pharoah for his run.

But as Frosted attempted to deny American Pharoah triumph, memories of various Triple Crown disappointments that had occurred since Affirmed’s sweep of the series in 1978 flashed through my mind, but one in particular haunted me for a split second: Birdstone overtaking Smarty Jones in the final strides.

However, that worry lasted for just a split second. American Pharoah proved himself a special horse, a rare animal we are lucky to witness. My heart soared as he began to pull away as the field entered the stretch while I screamed “OH MY GOSH” over and over, my face in my hands as tears streamed down my face. As I leaned forward, closer to the television as the bay colt made his history-making stretch drive, my parents cheered along with me. When American Pharoah crossed the finish line in front, they ran to me, hugging me. At last, I had witnessed a Triple Crown winner.

With American Pharoah’s Triple Crown triumph, I had experienced a range of emotions I had never before faced. It took several minutes for the euphoric tears to reach an end and for the smile on my face to finally fade. I declared June 6, 2015 the happiest day of my life. It was the day one of my biggest dreams reached fruition, the day the drought came to an end, the day the racing industry was on top of the world.

American Pharoah became a national celebrity overnight. He was no longer just a hero in horse racing; he was a sports hero. American Pharoah and his connections appeared on NBC’s Today Show the morning after his Belmont victory. He graced the cover of Sports Illustrated. He was a superstar.

And thanks to the generosity of his connections, we were able to cherish him like no racehorse has been cherished before. They have shared them with the media and fans, allowing admirers to get up-close-and-personal with the kind-natured Thoroughbred. Like a celebrity who loves his fans, American Pharoah took it all in stride, posing for the cameras and welcoming the many kisses, hugs and pats that fans offered him. He essentially toured the country, visiting eight different tracks throughout 2015 at which he either trained or raced. He was paraded in front of fans, he greeted masses of visitors; he was truly America’s horse.

As adoration for American Pharoah soared, his connections continued to share him with us – not only his personality, but his talent. The colt raced three more times following his historic sweep of the Triple Crown, further affirming himself among racing’s greats. Becoming only the twelfth horse to capture the Triple Crown was a guaranteed berth into the sport’s history books, but American Pharoah and his connections chose to further prove the horse’s brilliance.

In his first post-Triple Crown race, American Pharoah conquered the Haskell with ease. Passing his rivals as though they were standing still, the bay colt finished the race in a time just .95 seconds behind the track record despite winning under wraps.

He suffered his first and only defeat of the season in the penultimate start of his career, the Travers Stakes at Saratoga. The track has been heralded as the “Graveyard of Champions,” having seen the defeats of many Thoroughbred legends – including Man O’ War and Secretariat. Its reputation held true for American Pharoah as well. The well-traveled Triple Crown winner ran his heart out in the “Midsummer Derby,” being pressed while setting the pace before being passed in the final strides by Keen Ice to finish second.

Following the loss, American Pharoah faced widespread criticism – simply because he had revealed that he was not entirely perfect. But truth be told, the colt – likely quite fatigued from the large amount of traveling he had done as of late – laid it all on the line in the Travers and still managed to finish an outstanding second. It was as if the racing world was doubting what was right before our eyes. American Pharoah had accomplished what we had long been waiting for, but it seemed as if many were questioning his true greatness.

I, however, revered the racehorse. Never before had I witnessed a Triple Crown winner. I knew American Pharoah was special – an all-time great. I wanted to cherish every minute that remained of his racing career.

As a result of this, I supported him as he approached his career finale – the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland. His showdown with champion mare Beholder and the brilliant Liam’s Map fell through, paving a golden path for him to validate his legacy.

I have attended four Breeders’ Cups in my lifetime (2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013) and therefore have witnessed the efforts of some of modern-day racing’s greats including Zenyatta, Goldikova and Wise Dan in these championship races. The Breeders’ Cup has an atmosphere like no other and this year’s, held at Keeneland for the first time, was certain to have an electricity like the event had never had before, as a Triple Crown winner was competing in the Breeders’ Cup for the first time. Racing fans were eager to see if American Pharoah could achieve an accomplishment that had never previously been possible: become a winner of both the Triple Crown and the Breeders’ Cup Classic, a feat termed racing’s “Grand Slam.”

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend this year’s Breeders’ Cup, as I was competing in the Appaloosa World Championship Show in Texas. While this was certainly the next-best event for me to personally attend, my heart ached to be at Keeneland to bid the champion farewell and witness history.

However, carrying two trophies out of the show ring while aboard my horse, Handy Principles, after two different classes certainly eased the heartache. Shortly after earning my second Reserve World Championship of the day, I eagerly tuned in to the online live stream of the Breeders’ Cup to catch American Pharoah’s final run at history.

And in that moment, it became apparent what the horse had done for the sport. While I was not surrounded by 50,000 other fans to cheer on the Triple Crown winner, it was not only my mother and me watching the race online. Several people piled into the room and around my laptop to cheer on American Pharoah as he etched his name among the immortals.

As soon as American Pharoah clenched the lead in the early stages of the race, I knew he had it. Jockey Victor Espinoza was a cool character aboard the colt as the pair led the field all the way around the track. We were in for a treat; I could sense it. Sure enough, American Pharoah seemed to shoot from a cannon at the top of the stretch, galloping away to a 6 ½-length tour de force.

Each of us watching on my laptop were “horse people” and each of us were in awe of the greatness he displayed. Walking around the show grounds shortly after the race, I encountered several people who said they had not seen a racehorse like him since Secretariat.

In a matter of two minutes, American Pharoah further asserted himself among racing’s all-time greats. He established himself as the greatest racehorse I have ever seen in my lifetime. At last, I had witnessed a horse whose name could be mentioned among the once seemingly imaginary legends that had existed decades before me.

His list of accomplishments reads like one that someone would create for an imaginary horse; it seems almost impossible. He was an Eclipse Award champion as a two-year-old and is a lock to receive the Eclipse Awards for 2015 Champion Three-Year-Old Male and Horse of the Year. He became the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years and the first “Grand Slam” winner of all-time with his track record-breaking victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Witnessing American Pharoah’s career was a dream come true. He was the racehorse I thought only existed in fantasies, but fortunately for myself and the sport I love, he created a spark within racing that only a legend can generate. And for that, I thank American Pharoah.

Portions from this blog were taken from my previous posts “My First Triple Crown Winner” and “Appreciation for American Pharoah”