As American Pharoah led by two lengths turning for home, tears began to run down my face. As Larry Collmus called American Pharoah the 12th Triple Crown winner with a half a furlong to go, I fell to the ground in my living room, shaking. The last time I felt like this, 2011, when Ruler On Ice won the Belmont Stakes. Ruler On Ice will always be my horse, the horse I loved going into the race for some reason, something I loved about him. However, the first horse that I ever bet on, Pioneerof the Nile. Having his son with the Triple Crown, carrying his silks, and the silks of Bodemeister, Nehro, Eskendereya, and the unbreakable Paynter, to victory, to the first Triple Crown in the United States since Affirmed in 1978, for an owner who just loves the sport so much, and to an owner who lives in my home state of New Jersey, unbelievable. Frank Mirahmodi put it best. American Pharoah is indeed the Ruler, mesmerizing.

Something incredible is the American Pharoah is only the second horse to win the Triple Crown who didn't start their last race in a state where a Triple Crown race was held (KY, MD, NY). Coincidentally, the last two Triple Crown winners both raced outside those three states.

1919 Sir Barton - Belmont Park (Futurity)
1930 Gallant Fox - Jamaica (Wood Memorial)
1935 Omaha - Jamaica (Wood Memorial)
1937 War Admiral - Havre de Grace - MD (Chesapeake)
1941 Whirlaway - Churchill Downs (Derby Trial)
1943 Count Fleet - Jamaica (Wood Memorial)
1946 Assault - Churchill Downs (Derby Trial)
1948 Citation - Churchill Downs (Derby Trial)
1973 Secretariat - Aqueduct (Wood Memorial)
1977 Seattle Slew - Aqueduct (Wood Memorial)
1978 Affirmed - Hollywood Park (Hollywood Derby)
2015 American Pharoah - Oaklawn Park (Arkansas Derby)

Gallant Fox and Omaha from right here in Bowie, Maryland thank you.

I was alive for the 70's triple crown horses but had no interest in racing at that young age. I was happy to see it happen but the replay of Secretariat's win I believe will always temper my enthusiasm somewhat.

When Zenyatta won the Breeders Cup Classic to remain undefeated - that moment and that horse and that crowd reaction was the greatest moment I have watched live in racing. On TV though. That was a wonderful moment.

Never In Doubt lads he was always going to win the Belmont he eat them up and spat them out with ease
Great to see a Triple Crown Winner doubt we will ever see another over here it was some atmosphere there

I've never seen a thoroughbred champion race live in my lifetime. I've seen Bayern, as he was training at Monmouth Park ahead of the Haskell when I was there (not for the Haskell tho...). Probably the biggest star I've ever seen was harness champion Sebastian K, who is one of my favorite. I will be buying Haskell tickets this year for a chance to see American Pharoah (he is most likely going there).
However, American Pharoah is far from being on my list of greatest of all times. It is a hard list to break. The most recent horse to make this list, Frankel. Before him, Tizway and Cigar. Before them, Affirmed. Then Secretariat, Northern Dancer, Kelso, Damascus, Dr. Fager, Sword Dancer, Native Dancer, Gallorette, Ribot, War Admiral, Phar Lap, Man O' War, and Colin.
Those 17 horses are who I consider the greatest horses in history. There may be some international stars I am leaving out, but I don't know all that much about the legends of the world. American Pharoah doesn't make this list, yet. If he were to easily beat the Haskell and BC Classic fields, maybe. But probably not. Before the Triple Crown began, I said that this crop of Triple Crown runners, were weak. Outside of AP, Dortmund, and Firing Line, the rest of the field is week. I discredited the Florida and New York preps. The Derby played out exactly like that. But now, is American Pharoah the best 3yo. Right now, yes. But how will he match up with Texas Red, Calculator, and many other top 3yos that didn't get a chance to run in the Triple Crown races. American Pharoah was much the best yesterday. Keen Ice, who I saw as a threat from being so close, just wasn't asked to kick. Frosted, didn't like the decently fast pace. Mubtaahij, couldn't grasp the sweeping turns, but held on strong for 3rd. Tale of Verve, way too far back. Closers don't fair well in the Belmont. Materiality, couldn't keep the trip. Frammento, never a factor. Each horse had a different reason for not winning. But American Pharoah was much impressive. For the three weeks between the Preakness and the Belmont, I thought of every way he could lose... I couldn't find one that was plausible (the most plausible one was that Tale of Verve decided to lead and American Pharoah pulled a Smarty Jones and chased and gave way...). I knew all day, if anyone was to win, it would be him. I'm not discrediting his Triple Crown, but putting it into perspective. Every Triple Crown winner is impressive. But some have tougher fields than others. Sir Barton had a very easy Triple Crown. Affirmed, a very difficult one. Change the outcomes by one length, and Alydar would have been the 1978 winner. Sham could have won the first two legs, if not for Secretariat. But what was most impressive of American Pharoah's wins, not the Derby, not the Belmont, but rather the Preakness. Poetry in Motion. He is Indeed the Ruler. I'm hoping for many more impressive performances.

It's good to see a triple crown winner but for me there's more to racing than that, I get more enjoyment following the old warrior's like Lava Man who ran until he was 8 and always turned up for the fight.

My favourite horses around at this moment is a Colorado bred( probably the best Colo bred ever) Get Happy Mister or one of the best Nebraska Breeds in Diamond Joe. I get as much excitement in watching them win as watching AP win the Crown. I use to love to watch this hose called Joey P race at Monmouth, might not have been a world beater but was very consistent in Stakes races at that course.

The one thing I will say about rating horses is it's hard because they come from different era's but the one that gets me is that War Admiral is always near the top of the rankings and is always 10 or 20 horses in front of Seabiscuit any yet Biscuit beat him. I can never work that one out.

Honestly, I don't find Match Races a test of talent. Match Races don't always have the pace or trip for a certain horse to win. I do put War Admiral above Seabiscuit. But just because Seabiscuit beat War Admiral in a match race doesn't mean that Seabiscuit is better. Should I say Honor Code is better than Tonalist hands down just because he beat him yesterday? No. War Admiral had a much better career overall.
Speaking of match races, I was looking at Champions, a book that DRF put out, and one of the first match races in US history, was between America's first great, Domino, and his rival Dobbins. At Sheepshead Bay, they ended up finishing in a dead heat. Then, Domino would run in the 3rd Special at Gravesend, against one runner, the great Henry of Navarre. How did it finish? You guessed it, another dead heat. Super cool.

The one thing about the match race was it was won in track record and they still went 2 seconds quicker than American Pharoah did over that track. War Admiral was a flat track bully until the Biscuit served it up to him and he curled up into a ball.

The other fact about Seabiscuit was that he ran 35 races as a two year old and by the end of his 3yo he had run 58 times. The horse was just warming up to be good. On his last ever race as a 7yo he broke the santa anita track record in the H'cap.

I think Honor Code is more talented than Tonalist, he was my dark horse for the triple crown last year until he got injured. He has more pace than Tonalist.

Exactly. I was just using that as an example. The Met Mile was the first win for Honor Code where I saw that he actually beat someone. The hot pace played well to his advantage. Last year, while he was always well placed, he never beat anyone strong. He couldn't even get past Social Inclusion, who now struggles to win Allowance races. I think there is some talent in Honor Code, but I would like to see more from him and have him be able to win in races where there isn't a pace meltdown. But he now has a bid for the Breeders Cup Dirt Mile, so hopefully he performs well there. I am looking at Pants On Fire to get back to the pace he was at a few years ago. The trip to Japan took its toll on him, but he is a great miler. The pace hurt him a lot Saturday, but I look for him to rebound this summer at Monmouth Park. Expect him to make a trip to Keeneland for the Dirt Mile and be a live longshot to hit the board, if not win.

Going into January of last year the two big hopeful's for the Kentucky Derby on the East of the country were Cairo Prince and Honor Code, both got injured and had to miss the road to Kentucky. I rated his win in the Remsen as a 2yo as the best form on the east side of the country.

Khozan for me, he was the most impressive winner of a Maiden I've seen since Ghostzapper blew me away many a year ago. His second start was even better and I'm sure on that performance he would have given the mighty AP a race, he has so much speed. I just hope he comes back from a serious injury to show what he's got, I think stardom was around the corner.

A Little something i threw together




I see the great horse has a full brother who was born in February Named IRISH PHAROAH
Triple Crown 2018???

I don't know about America but in the UK there is a limit on the number of characters allowed in a name so that is why the spaces often get omitted. I have a horse with a 18 character name and I think that is the maximum allowed.

The limit is 18 characters, capitals only at beginning of the words, and in TB race, not numbers/special characters (although numbers are allowed in QH racing, which naming is run by AQHA, not The Jockey Club). For capitals, if you want A.P., you need periods, or else it will be Ap (or any other two let initials). It is why Pioneerof the Nile has no space between Pioneer and of. You do not need to have capitals at the start of every word, just a the begining of the name.

Also, I think there is a nice colt coming up in the UK next year, a colt by Dubawi out of Ouija Board. Ouija Board has bred horses that can win anywhere from 8f to 12f, and Dubawi has had horses win from 5f to 12f. I think he could win the 2000 Guineas and the Epsom Derby (which he is nominated for). The St Leger may be tough, but I think it is possible. So maybe the long drought over there can come to an end.

What is American Pharoah worth?
Apparently $2 million. Canterbury Park will add $1.8 million to its purse for the Mystic Lake Derby (making a total purse of $2mil) in hopes of luring American Pharoah. The purse hike will only happen if AP goes. Will AP go for the money or the grade (I.E. Travers, Pacific Classic, wait for PA Derby, JCGC, or Awesome Again)? If Martin and Coburn were the owners, I think they'd go just for the money, but Ahmed Zayat wants to race for prestige and show America this amazing Triple Crown winner. Honestly, I would like them to race in Canterbury to help out the Minnesota track and possibly make it the second best track of the northern middle states (behind Arlington Park). But we shall see. This gives an idea for SO6, purse boosts. Imagine if certain 3yo grade 1's would give extra money to a Triple Crown winner winning the race. That would be a cool addition... But I'll keep dreaming...