Espinoza’s schedule remains packed; McAnally reflects on
past TC winners
That will be one of the engagements keeping the reinsman away from his Santa
Due mainly to “A-List” national media commitments, Espinoza will not resume riding at Santa Anita until next Sunday, according to
“He threw out the ceremonial first pitch today at Yankee
Espinoza will be back in the saddle on Saturday as he has the call on Cat Burglar for
American Pharoah has already arrived back at Churchill and the track will put
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The bay sophomore’s connections are passing on the love in other ways, too.
Bob and Jill Baffert, along with Espinoza, have announced
they will be donating generous sums following their Triple Crown triumph to
several different charities.
The Bafferts will be donating $50,000 each to the
following charities: The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA), the California
Retirement Aftercare Account (CARMA), the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund
(PDJF), and Old Friends Farm in Kentucky.
Espinoza, who has actively supported City of Hope for
several years, will donate his entire Belmont Stakes purse earnings, $80,000, to
the nationally renowned cancer research and treatment facility which is located
in Duarte, California.
The goodwill was spread across social media on Saturday as the Triple Crown and American Pharoah
were the number three most searched topics on Google — worldwide.
The hashtag #American Pharoah was used 46,800 times immediately following the race,
which resulted in it becoming a nationally trending topic by the end of the day.
The Triple
Crown went mainstream on Friday when Mark Levin, nationally syndicated radio
talk show host and best-selling author, mentioned it and American Pharoah’s
pursuit of same on his three-hour show that can be heard in the Los Angeles area
on 870 AM, The Patriot.
“I’m rooting for American Pharoah,” said Levin, adding
that “Secretariat was my favorite horse.”
On the CBS Sports website
Saturday morning, it was the top headline: “Belmont: Pharoah runs for TC, 6:50
ET post.”
And at Santa Anita Park, “Go, Victor! He did it, he did it!” was overheard above the
Hours after the race, on the streets of staid, old money
Ron McAnally has seen it all. As Santa Anita’s oldest
So how does American Pharoah stack up on that storied list?
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“I saw Citation at Garden State Park in 1948,” said
McAnally, who trained many champions, the most celebrated being two-time Horse
of the Year John Henry. “I was a groom back then and everyone was talking about
Citation. I went to the head of the stretch one day and saw this horse passing
the finish line while the others were turning for home. Citation was one of the
greatest horses who ever lived.
“But I’ve always thought American Pharoah could win the
Triple Crown, although after he won the (Kentucky) Derby (by only a length, his
shortest margin of victory), I thought they might have a chance to beat him.
“But after winning the Preakness (G1) on an off track, which he loves, I was
more certain. In the Belmont, there wasn’t much competition for him.
“It will be interesting to see what he can do after this, if he runs in the
Haskell (G1) or the Travers (G1) and then the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).”
That said, American Pharoah has little left to prove on the
race track. A deal for his breeding rights has already been finalized, with his
retirement planned at the end of this year, and something unforeseen would have
to happen for him not to be named Horse of the Year.
The pity is that racing will not see his rhythmic and
effortless stride again after 2015.
“They couldn’t insure a horse for as much money as American
Pharoah is worth now,” McAnally admitted. “They’d need 10 insurance companies to
cover the premium. That’s why we don’t see those champions too long nowadays.
“We saw John Henry race until he was nine because he was a
gelding, and you see some others, and it’s because they aren’t a stallion.
“That’s the reason they retire full horses like American Pharoah. They can’t
insure them for that amount of money. But yesterday was great for the game.
Racing needs a champion.”
Kent Desormeaux was right in the thick of the action in Saturday’s Belmont. Winner of the 2009
“Test of the Champion” on Summer Bird, the Hall of Fame
jockey rode 17-1 shot Keen Ice (Curlin) to a third-place finish, 7 1/2 lengths behind
American Pharoah.
“It was definitely historic, it was definitely an emotional
event, and I think you could feel the energy,” said Desormeaux, bright and bushy-tailed back
at Santa Anita on a picture-perfect Sunday morning. “I know I felt the energy
around the eighth-pole when the crowd knew Pharoah was going to get there.
“There was a dramatic roar. When we got to about the eighth-pole and we were
approaching the wire, the crowd went bananas. On the Richter Scale, it went from
a seven to an 11. They went crazy.”
Added Espinoza’s agent, Beach, who remains on the
scene in New York, “When the horses turned for home, the whole grandstand
started to shake. It felt like an earthquake. The roar just got louder and
louder. I never experienced anything like it.”
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