Triple Crown 2015: American Pharoah's Belmont Win Pushes Him into Elite Company
The holy grail of American horse racing was finally achieved on Saturday evening as American Pharoah romped to the Belmont Stakes to capture the Triple Crown.
The animal showed its strength and power throughout the race and adds the title to the May wins at the Kentucky Derby and Preakness.
Pharoah streaked past the winning post as he left the field in his wake, with the moment captured by USA Today's social news editor Nick Schwartz, per BreakingNews.com:
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Pharoah's achievement of the Triple Crown cannot be underestimated—for 37 years, a succession of world-class animals have attempted to take the three biggest wins in one season, and they have all failed.
The three classics all fall within a five-week period, with Belmont often proving one step too far in stamina for many horses.
But AP ran his race to perfection against a field that was far fresher than his three-year-old legs. Pharoah now joins an elite list of 12 who have won the Triple Crown in racing's long and illustrious history.
Owned by Zayat Stables and trained by Bob Baffert, the colt smashed his way out of the gate and lead the race from the start—and none of his competitors could catch him as the 90,000 crowd cheered him home.
Bryan Armen Graham of the Guardian reported that Pharoah's time of 2:26.65 was the sixth-fastest in the race's 147-year history. As expected by many, and reflected in the betting, Frosted finished second—but the five-and-a-half-length victory represents the third-biggest margin of any horse completing the Triple Crown, proving what a magnificent specimen AP is.
Bleacher Report racing analyst Jessica Paquette said Pharoah deserves to be considered with the best of all time but is disappointed he will now go to stud—rather than attempt a second shot at Triple Crown glory:
Secretariat and Count Fleet are often considered the greatest of the 12-strong winners list from the ages, but AP is certainly the greatest colt of the past 30 years.
His strength makes him the most desirable breeding partner on the planet, with Maggie McGrath of Forbes claiming the colt is now worth a cool $50 million.
Sid Fernando, president and CEO of Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, is quoted by McGrath—explaining why AP is such a special breed: "The sire line is very stamina-oriented, but the female line of descent—the dam, the second dam, the third dam—they’ve all been very speed-oriented horses. It’s a unique pedigree, in a way.”
This blend makes Pharoah a winning machine, but it is such a shame he will not race into a fourth year before retirement.
However, racing history was witnessed on Saturday, and AP is a once in a lifetime achiever for the sport's fans to see run.
He will be remembered as one of the finest examples of thoroughbred racers in the world for generations to come, and his offspring are more than likely to feature in Triple Crown drama in the years ahead.
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