Posted on 06/06/2015 7:35:44 PM PDT by Morgana
As American Pharoah came out of the far turn and squared his shoulders to let his rider, Victor Espinoza, stare down the long withering stretch of Belmont Park, a sense of inevitability surged through this mammoth old grandstand. The fans in a capacity crowd strained on their tiptoes and let out a roar from deep in their souls. It was going to end, finally — this 37-year search for a great racehorse.
No, a battered old sport was looking for an immortal thoroughbred, one worthy to stand alongside Sir Barton and Assault, War Admiral and Whirlaway, Count Fleet and Citation, a horse able to earn the title of a Triple Crown champion.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
video
looked like a sow race held the horse back for most of it. good show.
http://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/horses/triple/belmont/2015/06/06/video—watch-a-belmont-stakes-2015-replay/28613531/
You got to see Secretariat win the Belmont? Wow! What an incredible sight that must have been. I was 12 years old, watching it on the tv. I would have given anything to have been there! Horses were my life. :-)
American Pharaoh is descended on both sides, from Northern Dancer. Of course 90% of champion horses are descendants of Northern Dancer.
Next I’ll bet they say that the earth is warming up due to CO2 emissions or some such nonsense.
Yes, a great moment. My dad was happy because he had seen Citation win the Derby, so he said he had put a frame on it.
Actually that was the second fastest the race was ever run - second only to Secretariat.
Seattle Slew kinda got the shaft in a way, Secretariat was the first since Citation, and won in a convincing style. SS was just a few years later, and Cauthen rode Affirmed the very next year, obscuring SS.
“No, a battered old sport was looking for an immortal thoroughbred, one worthy to stand alongside Sir Barton and Assault, War Admiral and Whirlaway, Count Fleet and Citation, a horse able to earn the title of a Triple Crown champion.”
All great horses and none could hold a candle to Secretariat.
Secretariat’s Belmont win was the most jaw-dropping thing I have ever seen. He was so far ahead that all the other horses were out of the TV frame.
He owns the record at all three tracks.
Here’s a nice bit of trivia:
American Pharoah’s great great great grandsire was Secretariat.
A Triple Crown champion descended from another Triple Crown champion. How great is that?
Couldn’t outrun old Gramps, though. Secretariat holds the stakes record for all three Triple Crown races.
OK, a bi of trivia:
Name the only jockey to win the Triple Crown more than once.
31 lengths! The other horses had just come around the last turn when Secretariat was crossing the finish line.
He paid $2.10 straight across.
No, since Affirmed in 1978.
Three Triple Crown winners’ names begin with S (Sir Barton, Secretariat, Seattle Slew), two with A (Assault, Affirmed, American Pharoah), two with W (War Admiral and Whirlaway), two with C (Count Fleet and Citation), and one each with G (Gallant Fox) and O (Omaha.)
Everybody knew he was going to win.
But to win by such a margin was almost surreal. I knew I was watching something unique and great.
On another post I mentioned that there were few things good about getting old, but being around to see The Beatles and Secretariat are things I wouldn’t trade for the world.
How does the President find the time to win a Nobel Peace prize and run and win three horse races while running the country? Has he given up golf?
Doers he have parking tickets or moving violations anywhere?
LOL
Espinoza said he knew the horse would win it coming out of the first turn. The horse wasn’t even breathing hard after the race. He’s one for the history books.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.