Category: Horses

In 2015, American Pharoah (sic) became the first horse since Affirmed, in 1978, to win the American Triple Crown. Four months after what ESPN correspondent Richard Rosenblatt called “a dazzling display of speed and endurance” in the Belmont Stakes, which he won, readily, by 5½ lengths, American Pharoah easily won the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland. In so doing, he became the first and, so far, only horse to win the four most prominent races in American horse racing in a single season and complete what is known, informally, as the “Grand Slam”.

 

All in all, in a career lasting just 64 weeks, between August 2014 and October 2015, American Pharoah won nine of his 11 races – including eight Grade 1 wins – and over £5.3 million in prize money.

 

His two defeats came in a maiden race, over 6½ furlongs, at Del Mar on his racecourse debut in August 2014 and in the Travers Stakes, over 1 mile 2 furlongs, at Saratoga on the penultimate start of his career in August 2015. On the latter occasion, he was beaten three-quarters of a length by Keen Ice, whom he’d beaten by 2½ lengths, with jockey Victor Espinoza sitting motionless, in the Haskell Invitational Stakes at Monmouth Park on his previous start. In any event, after two months off American Pharoah set the record straight by making all to beat seven rivals, including Keen Ice, by 6½ lengths and upwards in Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland the following October.

 

Bred and owned by Zayat Stables, LLC and trained by Bob Baffert, American Pharoah run just three times as a juvenile. Despite missing the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile through injury, victories in the Del Mar Futurity and the Frontrunner Stakes were sufficient for American Pharoah to be named American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse in 2014. In 2015, he was named American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse and American Horse of the Year, by unanimous decision. In fact, he became just the just the second horse in the history of the Eclipse Awards, after John Henry in 1981, to poll every vote for Horse of the Year.

 

Incidentally, the incorrect spelling of his name was nothing more than a mistake by Ahmed Zayat, CEO of Zayat Stables, LLC, although Zayat originally blamed The Jockey Club before later backing down.

Frankly, there’s not much that can be written about Red Rum that hasn’t been written already. “Rummy”, as he was affectionately known, became a household name after winning the Grand National three times, in 1973, 1974 and 1977. His death, at the age of 30, in 1995 was front page news and, 11 years later, he was still the best-known horse in the country, according to a survey commissioned by Brooke animal welfare charity.

 

His first National, in 1973, was arguably the greatest of all time, but Red Rum became the villain of the piece after catching Crisp – who was conceding 23lb and had been 15 lengths, or further, clear jumping the final fence – in the shadow of the winning post to win by three-quarters of a length. In 1974, Red Rum was saddled with top weight of 12st, but put in probably his best ever performance at Aintree when beating L’Escargot by 7 lengths.

 

After back-to-back victories in the National, his progress towards equine immortality faltered, but there was no disgrace in his 15-length defeat by old rival L’Escargot in 1975, or his 2-length defeat by Rag Trade in 1976. In 1977, as a 12-year-old, Red Rum was left in the lead when favourite Andy Pandy fell at Becher’s Brook on the second circuit and gradually drew further and further clear, eventually passing the post 25 lengths ahead of Churchtown Boy, to a tumultuous reception.

 

In fact, Red Rum was due to run for a sixth time in the National, in 1978 but, on the eve of the race, was found to have suffered a hairline fracture of a small bone in his foot and immediately retired. Following his death, Red Rum was buried at the winning post at Aintree and his grave marked with a head chronicling his unprecedented National record. He is also commemorated by a life-size statue, sculpted in bronze by former jockey Philip Blacker, which overlooks the paddock at Aintree.

Bred and owned by Christopher Chenery and trained by Lucien Laurin, Secretariat won the American Triple Crown in 1973, becoming the first horse to do so since Citation in 1968. A beautifully balanced, power chestnut, who stood 16.2 hands high, Secretariat was befittingly nicknamed “Big Red”.

 

Secretariat was beaten on his racecourse debut in a maiden race, over 5½ furlongs, at Aqueduct Racetrack in July 1972, but, according to the Daily Racing Form, “finished full of run against the rail” in fourth place. The experience clearly wasn’t lost on Secretariat, because he was first past the post in his eight remaining starts as a two-year-old, although he was demoted to second place on his final start, in the Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park, after bumping runner-up Stop The Music in the closing stages. Nevertheless, he was voted American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse and, remarkably, for a horse of his tender years, American Horse of the Year, in 1972.

 

In his three-year-old campaign, Secretariat was surprising beaten into third place behind stable companion Angle Light in his final preparatory race for the Kentucky Derby, the Wood Memorial, over 1 mile 1 furlong, at Aqueduct, calling his stamina for the extra furlong of the Derby into question. His supporters needn’t have worried though; Secretariat not only won the Kentucky Derby by 2½ lengths from Sham, who’d been second in the Wood Memorial, but did so in a record time of 1 minute 59.40 seconds.

 

In the Preakness Stakes two weeks later, Secretariat faced just six rivals and, confidently ridden by jockey Ron Turcotte, was never threatened in the second half of the race and, again, passed the post 2½ lengths of Sham. The official winning time, of 1 minute 54.40 seconds, was disputed by the Daily Racing Form, who had timed the race at 1 minute 53.40 seconds, and 39 years later, in 2012, was officially corrected to 1 minute 53.00 seconds by the Maryland Racing Commission. The previous record time was 1 minute 54.00 seconds, set by Canonero in the Preakness Stakes in 1971.

 

In the Belmont Stakes, Secretariat galloped into racing immortality, beating his nearest rival by 31 lengths in a time of 2 minutes 24.00 seconds or, in other words, a world record for 1 mile 4 furlongs on dirt that still stands. Secretariat was, unsurprisingly, also voted American Horse of the Year in 1973 and at the end of his career had won 16 of his 21 races and over $1.3 million in prize money.