A spectacular sight on Saturday for the now 12th horse in history to have ever won the coveted Triple Crown, American Pharoah swept the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont to achieve the extraordinary feat, not a small job considering the last horse to win all three of North America’s biggest races was Affirmed in 1978. Since then, 13 horses have come to this historic track having won the first two legs of the Crown.
Bob Baffert trainer for American Pharaoh knew exactly what he was walking into with his past three attempts to gather the three legs from the coveted Triple crown ended in tears, with War Emblem stumbling out of the starting gate some 13 years ago, Silver Charm back in 1997 passed on the last stretch by Touch Gold, and a year after that a head bob decided the race for Victory Gallop over Real Quiet, Baffert understood the unfairness of the competition for the Triple Crowner seekers, the players lined up to play for the Triple Crown at the betting windows, and after Carpe Diem and The Truth Or Else pulled out from the race this Monday the odds were boosted even more before the race.
With only 2:26.65 – the quickest Belmont time since 2001, American Pharaoh managed to take home the Triple Crown and a well earned spot in the annals of horseracing history, coming full circle from his own interesting debut back in August when American Pharoah finished fifth as a 2-year-old colt and has been simply brilliant ever since. This was his seventh straight victory at six different racetracks, 43-year-old jockey Victor Espinoza never had any doubt about the preparedness of Pharoah before the race and his chances of achieving the triple title, already his third attempt to grasp the winning crown, Espinoza has been the rider on War Emblem, and on California Chrome last year.
The star-studded fraternity of Triple Crown winners after 37 years of unworthy attempts will crown American Pharoah to join their prestigious ranks. Salute the other accepted members and conquerors of the famously known, “Test of Champions”: Sir Barton (1919), Gallant Fox (1930), Omaha (1935), War Admiral (1937), Whirlaway (1941), Count Fleet (1943), Assault (1946), Citation (1948), Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977) and Affirmed in 1978.
