owner and breeder AHMED ZAYAT kisses AMERICAN PHAROAH on Friday. Vanessa Ng photo
HAIL THE TAIL
You can feel how much horse racing wants this one to be the one.
He has the name, the style, the connections, the quirks and, well the good looks.
AMERICAN PHAROAH, with his shortened tail, cotton in his ears and his cuddly personality, is a monster on the track (pun intended, the drink Monster is tagging along for the ride) and his 7 rivals will do what they can to beat him today.
Will he go to the lead and try and take it to them early?
Will Materiality press all the way?
What will that last 2 furlongs look like – will we be screaming for him to hang on?
If you have been through this ride before in horse racing, as a fan or horse owner or media person you know it is asking so much for a horse to win these 3 races in the 5 weeks allowed.
Spectacular Bid could not do it.
Northern Dancer could not do it.
Sunday Silence could not do it. I was at that one, sitting in the huge Belmont grandstand close to the top of the stretch as I watched my hero, Easy Goer, finally get his revenge on his jet-black nemesis.
A litany of others of varying levels of ‘greatness’ could not do it.
Unless you have been at Belmont to watch this race, it is hard to imagine how daunting the huge track is.
1 1/2 miles around.
A throng of 100,000 delirious fans awaits the horses into the stretch.
This is not for the faint of heart.
This is one of the greatest sporting moments.
Do not be discouraged if he does not win but hail him as one of the greats in 100 years of horse racing if he does.
DID YOU KNOW?
That AMERICAN PHAROAH’S cousin IDES OF MARC makes his career debut at Woodbine today? The Marcavelly gelding is out of Vintage Red, a sister to Littleprincessemma, the dam of the Pharoah.
Also, while Zayat and co. will be busy today, his Canadian bred 3yo TITAN goes for his maiden score today at Woodbine for trainer Mark Casse.
JACK WHITAKER and TRIPLE CROWN NEAR MISSES – great video
NEW YORK TIMES
Pulses are Zooming , Opinions are Flying
Conspiracy theorists, soothsayers and experts of all stripes feel truly at home in few places. The racetrack is one of these premier locales. The times when this assemblage of dreamers balances anxiety and gloom, hope and despair with the fervor of true believers are rarer still. The eve of a Triple Crown bid is such a time.
It was a wonderful day at the racetrack Friday as theories and opinions about the prospect of American Pharoah’s winning the 147th running of the Belmont Stakes and sweeping thoroughbred racing’s holy grail were lobbed and volleyed with the enthusiasm of junior tennis players on the opening day of the United States Open.
Joe Drape:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/06/sports/pulses-are-zooming-and-opinions-are-flying.html?ref=sports
Caught Between Fresh Horses and Triple Crown Tradition
by William C Rhoden
When eight thoroughbreds break from the post at Belmont Park on Saturday, American Pharoah will be the only one who has run in all three legs of the Triple Crown.
Seven fresh (or at least fresher) horses will be trying to ruin yet another Triple Crown contender’s bid for history.
This seems neither fair nor sporting, like Usain Bolt having to face sprinters who have skipped the heats and jumped straight into the Olympic 100-meter final, or the Cleveland Cavaliers skipping three playoff rounds and advancing directly to the N.B.A. finals.
TORONTO STAR PICKS THE BELMONT
http://www.thestar.com/sports/2015/06/04/the-stars-belmont-pick-american-pharoah.html
WOODBINE WRAP FRIDAY
DR SPORT kicked off Friday with a front running win at 4 to 5 for $10,00 claiming. The grey gelding was making his 3rd start off the layoff for Sam DiPasquale and Mike Kowalski. Justin Stein rode the 4yo who is 3 for 10 in his career.
His time of 1:03.25 for 5 1/2 furlongs translated into an 82 Beyer Figure, the highest of the day.
race 2- Trainer VITO ARMATA got his first win of the season with HABEMUS PAPAM, who rallied wide to win this allowance race for Ontario sired older horses. The winner was bred by Windhaven and is a Milwaukee Brew gelding owned by Dante Pagliaroli. Paul Attard trained the 4yo last year when he was 2 for 7. It was the gelding’s 2nd start of 2015 and Luis Contreras rode.
race 3- a $20,000 claiming race for fillies and mares at 6 furlongs went to NATURAL BLONDE, making her 2nd start for trainer Jim Ensom and a numbered stable. This 5yo mare had been 1 for 23 going into this race and had not win since she was a 2yo but she was coming off a race that should probably could have won but had trouble. She romped here at 5 to 2 under Gerry Olguin.
race 4- a turf maiden sprint at 7 furlongs went to favoured GOLDEN POINT, who came from about 5 lengths off the pace and rallied to win, holding off a flying beginner in Macho Brew. The winning Beyer was 76 for 1:22.76.
The winner is owned by Calumet Farms and trained by Mark Casse. Gary Boulanger rode the son of Point Given.
race 5 – a maiden allowance at 5 furlongs went to beginner TRIP OVER THE LINE who had fast workout times for Paul Buttigieg.
David Moran rode this gal and the race was run in a driving rainstorm.
Trip Over the Line is a Leonnatis Anteas 3yo filly out of Line Buster by K O Punch. The homebred earned a 65 Beyer Figure for her 8 length win in 58.14.
race 6 – The heavy rain from the previous hour made the 6th race come off the grass and it was the split of race 4, a maiden allowance at 7 furlongs. This was a wild race that finished with a trio of guys battling it out. The one in the middle of the charge, LUCKY LINDY, showed tremendous gumption to barge through under Patrick Husbands and by a nose over Hines who was a nose in front of Transformative.
It was the first winner of the season for trainer Mark Frostad, who conditions the colt by harland’s Holiday for Augustin Stable.
race 7 – READY FOR ROMANCE was ready to win. In this, her 2nd career race and first since Nov. when she won her debut for Sam-Son farms, the 3yo filly by More Than Ready led all the way to win in 1:10.11, a 74 Beyer Figure. Eurico Rosa da Silva rode and Malcolm Pierce trains.
race 8 – TRIGGER FINGER surged late from well back to win in a photo after jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson gave her a cue turning for home. The Florida claim, owned by Lawrence Cordes, caught favoured Wild Catomine, a stakes winner, to win this allowance/optional claiming race in her 2nd outing at Woodbine. She is a daughter of U S Ranger trained by Tino Attard.
race 9 – ROGER ATTFIELD, Hall of Fame trainer, is the owner and breeder of TOT, who won this 412,500 claiming race at 9 to 1 in his 3rd career race and first start since December. He was 1st time Lasix in this 7 furlong sprint and he led most of the way. Tot is by Not Bourbon out of Spice Isle by Langfuhr.
Wagering on Friday was a super $3 million.
ROBERT GELLER TO CALL LAST RACE AT EMERALD
Joins Woodbine team next week
