American Pharoah rules as 12th Triple Crown winner

Agence France-Presse

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American Pharoah rules as 12th Triple Crown winner
American Pharoah ended horse racing's 37-year Triple Crown drought, becoming the first to win all 3 major races sine Affirmed in 1978

NEW YORK, USA – American Pharoah ended US racing’s 37-year Triple Crown drought on Saturday, June 6 (Sunday Manila time), romping to victory in the Belmont Stakes.

The sweet-striding bay colt ridden by Victor Espinoza and trained by Bob Baffert added the 1 1/2-mile Belmont to his Kentucky Derby and Preakness wins to become the 12th horse to sweep all three –  and the first since Affirmed in 1978.

Since then 13 horses had claimed the first two jewels of the Triple Crown only to be undone by the Belmont.

That list of near-misses included three horses trained by Baffert and two ridden by Espinoza.

“Wow! Wow!” Espinoza said as his mount cantered toward the winner’s circle to delirious cheers. “It’s just an amazing thing. He’s just an amazing horse!”

His mount broke slowly from the gate, but responded quickly as Espinoza took him straight to the lead.

He stayed in front the rest of the way, the first favorite to win the Belmont since Afleet Alex in 2005.

“He’s a great horse – it takes a great horse to do it,” an emotional Baffert said as he began to make his way from the stands to the winner’s circle surrounded by his family.

“I’m thinking about my parents,” Baffert added. “I wish they were alive to see this.”

The 62-year-old trainer has known Triple Crown heartbreak, having saddled Silver Charm (1997), Real Quiet (1998) and War Emblem (2002) for Kentucky Derby and Preakness wins, only to see them fall short in the Belmont.

“I was really getting to dislike this trophy. It’s caused me a lot of misery,” Baffert said as he accepted it. “I think it’s owed to the fans of New York, who kept paying their money, showing up, hoping … I still can’t believe it happened.

Espinoza was aboard War Emblem for that failed Triple try in 2002, and he had another Triple Crown chance go awry at the Belmont on California Chrome last year.

This time, Espinoza said, he knew at the first turn that Pharoah wouldn’t let him down.

“He broke a step slow, but in two jumps I was in the lead,” said Espinoza, who was in full control of the pace.

“Steady, steady all the way round, it was the best feeling ever across the first turn,” he said.

Godolphin-owned Frosted, trained by Kiaran McLaughlin and ridden by Joel Rosario, made a move heading into the final straight, but American Pharoah pulled away remorselessly to beat him by 5 1/2-lengths.

Keen Ice, trained by Dale Romans and ridden by Kent Desormeaux, was third.

It was a seventh win in eight career starts for American Pharoah, who captured his three Triple Crown victories in varying style.

He ground down the opposition in the Kentucky Derby to win by a length, while in the Preakness he shrugged off a driving rainstorm and muddy track to go wire to wire and win by seven lengths.

While the field of eight was the smallest in the Belmont since 2007, over the course of the three Triple Crown races American Pharoah defeated a total of 31 challengers — second most behind the 32 beaten by War Admiral in 1937.

Record drought ended

American Pharoah ended a record Triple Crown drought. The previous record gap was 25 years, from Citation in 1948 to the great Secretariat in 1973.

The 70s proved a golden age for the elusive feat, with Secretariat followed by Seattle Slew in 1977 and Affirmed in ’78.

Then the long winter set in and the difficulty of winning three races at three different circuits in just five weeks began to seem insurmountable.

An increasing focus by breeders on speed over stamina had the 1 1/2-mile Belmont looking an ever more daunting task for modern Thoroughbreds.

Some wondered if the feat first achieved by Sir Barton in 1919 would ever be seen again.

“New Yorkers, all racing fans, this is for you,” American Pharoah’s Egyptian-born owner Ahmed Zayat said as he raised the Belmont trophy.

“We need stars,” Zayat said. “I’m so thrilled, honored, privileged and humbled.”

Rappler.com

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