Tag Archives: American Pharoah

Sports news

You go, Patch!

Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t give a hoot about the Kentucky Derby, a horse race that occurs each May in Louisville, Ky.

This year, though, is different.

A thoroughbred named Patch is going to take his place Saturday in the starting gate. I want Patch to win the race.

Why? The beast has just one eye.

I get excited about horse racing only when the same horse wins the first two legs of the Triple Crown — the Derby and the Preakness. My favorite horse races of all time were the 1973 and 2015 Belmont Stakes, the final Triple Crown race.

In1973, Secretariat won the Triple Crown by damn near lapping the field at the Belmont. In 2015, American Pharoah broke a 37-year Triple Crown drought by leading from wire to wire in a stunning race.

This year, I’m hoping to watch the Kentucky Derby and am going to cheer for Patch to show up those other horses. He’s about a 30-to-1 underdog. Hey, horses have come from farther down on the odds chart to win.

Go for it, Patch!

Sports news

How odd? I don’t like horse-racing, but am thrilled today

Someone has to explain this one.

I’m not at all nuts about watching horses running around a track with a mini-man perched on the saddle.

However, I do excited when a horse wins the first two legs of the Triple Crown. And then I get really excited when the same horse wins the third one.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/horseracingspecial/american-pharoah-becomes-1st-triple-crown-winner-in-37-years/ar-BBkMGCO

That was my state of mind this evening as I watched American Pharoah win the Triple Crown, becoming the first horse since 1978 (Affirmed) to accomplish the feat. It’s the longest stretch between Triple Crown winners in Triple Crown history.

Secretariat remains the gold standard for horse-racing excellence. What’s more, Secretariat won the 1973 Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths. Jockey Ron Turcotte ever laid a land on his steed. In fact, he was unaware of the distance between his mount and the next one until they turned down the stretch and Turcotte said he couldn’t hear any other horse sounds: hooves pounding or horses snorting.

This one was good. American Pharoah led from the gate and took it all the way home.

However, consider this: It comes from someone commenting on a friend’s Facebook post about which horse is the best in history. This fellow said Secretariat’s winning time in the Belmont Stakes would have put him 15 lengths ahead of American Pharoah.

Still, the newest Triple Crown winner joins some heady company.

Well done.