American Pharoah – It All Comes Down To This

American Pharoah – It All Comes Down To This

By: Natalie Rietkerk

Horse racing’s Triple Crown is the most elusive feat in all of sports, with only 11 winners in the history books. If you are like me and born well after Affirmed captured the title in 1978 – you have never seen a Triple Crown winner. We have only experienced the emotional roller coaster of tear-jerking near misses with the most recent being California Chrome, just last year.  Yet, here we are again placing our hopes in a plain brown colt, with a short tail, named American Pharoah. Has our equine hero finally arrived?

It would seem so – but we’ve thought that before. However, American Pharoah may very well be the one to end the 37 year Triple Crown drought and achieve horse racing immortality. After all, he has everything going for him and the right connections to get him there; a Hall of Fame trainer by the name of Bob Baffert and jockey Victor Espinoza, who have both gone down the Triple Crown trail several times before.

Let’s quickly review American Pharoah’s career thus far. In 2014, he dazzled spectators in the Del Mar Futurity, dominated the FrontRunner Stakes and received the Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse Eclipse Award. He would have to skip the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile due to a deep hoof bruise which resulted in a five and half month layup.

American Pharoah’s comeback performance in the Rebel Stakes was nothing short of mesmerizing and sparked hope in the eyes of racing fans. He crushed the field and floated across the sloppy track, like there was nothing to it, and with a twisted front shoe, no less. In his final Kentucky Derby prep race in the Arkansas Derby, Espinoza tested American Pharoah by having him stalk the pace rather than go straight to the lead. This silenced the critics, who thought the superhorse was nothing more than a one trick pony.

Now, I assume most of you watched American Pharoah’s gutsy win at the Kentucky Derby – if not, do yourself a favor and go YouTube it immediately. Not only did our protagonist defeat one of the most talented fields in recent history, he ran about five lengths longer than they did due to his break from post-18. Still not impressed? After the Derby, Baffert said that American Pharoah did not bring his A-game and Espinoza stated that the colt seemed confused by the amount of horses in the race, which is why his signature homestretch kick was lacking. Yet somehow, American Pharoah’s desire to win, ground covering stride and tough disposition made him the ruler of the Kentucky Derby.

If you thought American Pharoah would be too exhausted for the Preakness Stakes coming in on just two week’s rest – you were not alone. The hope of a Triple Crown waned when he drew the dreaded 1-post, Espinoza was thrown from his mount in the starting gate just an hour before the Preakness and a thunderstorm let loose during the post parade. This was no stage for victory – and it wouldn’t have been for any horse besides American Pharoah. Showcasing flexibility and grit, American Pharoah and Victor Espinoza bolted to the lead and never looked back. While others faded amongst the mud and rain, a drenched American Pharoah glided to a seven-length victory. Perhaps he really is the horse we’ve been dreaming of for 37 long years.

“He’s amazing and he’s been a special horse to me from day one,” said Espinoza. “He is just incredible.”

The deck already appears stacked against American Pharoah in the Belmont Stakes, with a field of fresh horses eager to stop him from becoming an immortal in the sport of kings. He will be the only horse to run in all three Triple Crown races this year, which has been a subject of controversy – as California Chrome’s owner, infamously, lamented last year. However, American Pharoah is no ordinary horse and has overcome every challenge that has been thrown his way – and there have certainly been plenty.

So, go ahead, move the finish line a couple furlongs back and throw in some rested competition. It’s not going to matter. For the second year in a row we will get to experience the thrill of a Triple Crown bid, and that alone is more than enough to excite. This time, I believe our hero has arrived and he will be carrying the hopes of the nation with him on June 6.

Photos courtesy of Alex Evers

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 Follow Natalie on Twitter @NatalieRietkerk

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