The Belmont Stakes 2015
The Belmont Stakes will be run tomorrow and the race is American Pharoah's race to win. I've watched the horse since Arkansas and from my relatively untrained eye the horse goes well. He might not be Secretariat but there is very good reason the horse will be an odds on favorite for the race, if he wins he will be the first horse in thirty seven years to win the Triple Crown.
Pharoah's Owner rightly says it is about the horse and not the owner. I agree and I hope he (the horse) wins. Win and the talk about money, and breeding rights, the owner and babies will explode. Short of victory, Pharoah will be one of the last dozen or so horses that have won the Derby and the Preakness, but failed in the Belmont and the talk will revert to a rematch somewhere down the road, maybe the Breeder's Cup.
It's hard to win three races in a row at almost every level of competition and why should it be easy when you are running against the best horses around for a lot of money. Fresh horses that skipped the Preakness are running just to spoil the party and at least two of the horses in a smallish field of eight will definitely not be running for second place. Frosted and Materiality could win if Pharoah has some bad racing luck or can't make the mile and a half.
On a slightly different plane, a Triple Crown winner is a nice story but it won't save horse racing. I'm not sure anything can make horse racing anything more than a country fair activity at best. It's certainly about gambling, but there are easier and fairer games and now they are usually closer to home.
Saturday, I'm going to suspend reality, make a few bets, and hope American Pharoah is running strong at the end of the race.
It doesn't have to be like this race called by Chic Anderson in 1973:
They're on the turn, and Secretariat is blazing along! The first three-quarters of a mile in 1:09 and four fifths. Secretariat is widening now! He is moving like a tremendous machine! Secretariat by twelve, Secretariat by fourteen lengths on the turn! Sham is dropping back. It looks like they'll catch him today, as My Gallant and Twice a Prince are both coming up to him now. But Secretariat is all alone! He's out there almost a sixteenth of a mile away from the rest of the horses! Secretariat is in a position that seems impossible to catch. He's into the stretch. Secretariat leads this field by 18 lengths, and now Twice a Prince has taken second and My Gallant has moved back to third. They're in the stretch. Secretariat has opened a 22 length lead! He is going to be the Triple Crown winner! Here comes Secretariat to the wire. An unbelievable, an amazing performance! He hits the finish 25 lengths in front! It's going to be Twice a Prince second, My Gallant third, Private Smiles fourth, and Sham, who had it today, dropped back to fifth.
Pharoah's Owner rightly says it is about the horse and not the owner. I agree and I hope he (the horse) wins. Win and the talk about money, and breeding rights, the owner and babies will explode. Short of victory, Pharoah will be one of the last dozen or so horses that have won the Derby and the Preakness, but failed in the Belmont and the talk will revert to a rematch somewhere down the road, maybe the Breeder's Cup.
It's hard to win three races in a row at almost every level of competition and why should it be easy when you are running against the best horses around for a lot of money. Fresh horses that skipped the Preakness are running just to spoil the party and at least two of the horses in a smallish field of eight will definitely not be running for second place. Frosted and Materiality could win if Pharoah has some bad racing luck or can't make the mile and a half.
On a slightly different plane, a Triple Crown winner is a nice story but it won't save horse racing. I'm not sure anything can make horse racing anything more than a country fair activity at best. It's certainly about gambling, but there are easier and fairer games and now they are usually closer to home.
Saturday, I'm going to suspend reality, make a few bets, and hope American Pharoah is running strong at the end of the race.
It doesn't have to be like this race called by Chic Anderson in 1973:
They're on the turn, and Secretariat is blazing along! The first three-quarters of a mile in 1:09 and four fifths. Secretariat is widening now! He is moving like a tremendous machine! Secretariat by twelve, Secretariat by fourteen lengths on the turn! Sham is dropping back. It looks like they'll catch him today, as My Gallant and Twice a Prince are both coming up to him now. But Secretariat is all alone! He's out there almost a sixteenth of a mile away from the rest of the horses! Secretariat is in a position that seems impossible to catch. He's into the stretch. Secretariat leads this field by 18 lengths, and now Twice a Prince has taken second and My Gallant has moved back to third. They're in the stretch. Secretariat has opened a 22 length lead! He is going to be the Triple Crown winner! Here comes Secretariat to the wire. An unbelievable, an amazing performance! He hits the finish 25 lengths in front! It's going to be Twice a Prince second, My Gallant third, Private Smiles fourth, and Sham, who had it today, dropped back to fifth.
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