Saturday, May 16, 2015

American Pharoah: A Triple Crown Champion?

American Pharoah won the Preakness in a possum-pounder, driving rain at Pimlico Racecourse, outside of Baltimore today.  The gorgeous bay colt has me dreaming of a Triple Crown Champion.
Most of the trainers chose to saddle their horses under the grandstand today, with only two being saddled in view of the crowd.  It had begun to rain, big, hard, fat drops.  The inner rail soon looked like pea soup.  None of the horses, except American Pharoah, had run over a track like that.  The Pharoah seemed to like it, skipping ahead of his fellow contestants by 8 lengths in the Rebel Stakes, over a track listed a "muddy."  Considering Firing Line's late charge in the Derby, and not knowing how any of the colts would bounce back after a two week rest, I chose Bodhisattva, Firing Line and Divining Rod.
   At least I got Divining Rod correct.  American Pharoah owned the race, and he pretty much set the pace.  American Pharoah won the race, and a $2 winning bet paid $3.80; Tale of Verve placed second and paid $19 for a $2 show bet; and Divining Rod ran in third, paying $5.20 on a $2 show bet.  The perfecta paid $124.40; the trifecta paid $985; and the superfecta paid back $3,813.80 for a correct $2 bet.  The rest of the field finished in this order:  Dortmund was fourth, Mr. Z was fifth, Danzig Moon sixth, Firing Line seventh, and Bodhisattva (my winning choice) finished last.
   Now.  The big question is, can American Pharoah win the Belmont Stakes in three weeks time?  Will he be able to win covering that mile and a half distance?  Will the Derby and the Preakness have taken too much out of him?  He seems a good traveler - he isn't picky about "liking" a track.  (Easy Goer could win big in New York state, but no where else...)  Who will run against the colt in the Belmont?  I'd guess that Firing Line is out, as well as Bodhisattva, Danzig Moon, and Mr. Z.  What new colts will turn up to see if they can upset American Pharoah at this longest distance in the Triple Crown?  Will he be able to win the whole enchilada?  I hope so, but I'm not counting on it.
   And, yes, I am a curmudgeon when it comes to the Triple Crown champions.  It took me 30 years to admit that the great Secretariat was as good as he was.  Why?  Because Man O'War's winter pasturage was in Berlin, Maryland.  Because my Mother got to see Man O'War and touch him, and sign his visitor's book.  Because I was brought up on tales of "Big Red" - who was Man O'War, and not Secretariat.  I still believe that if Man O'War had been entered in the Kentucky Derby, he would have won, but Mr Riddle didn't believe you should ask a three-year-old to run 1 and  1/4 miles on the first Saturday in May.  So that will always be an unanswered question....
  If American Pharoah can win the Belmont Stakes on June 6, I'll jump on his bandwagon immediately!

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