American Pharoah – Inspiring yes, but can he captivate new racing fans?
In June of 1978, at Belmont Park, Affirmed didn’t just win the Triple Crown. He fought for it. He dug in when confronted in the stretch by his adversary, Alydar, looked him in the eye and whinnied, “Hoy no compadre.” Laz Barerra taught him that.
In that moment, countless new racing fans were born. Ask a group of fans between the age of 50 and 60 today what got them hooked on horse racing, and the vast majority of replies will begin with the words, “Affirmed and Alydar.”
A smattering will attribute their first interest in a horse named “Seattle Slew,” who won the Triple Crown in 1977. He capped off his trio of wins in the Belmont Stakes by defeating Run Dusty Run by 4 lengths, while the trip comments noted it was a “handy score.”
Since Slew’s victory preceded Affirmed by only one year, you have to wonder why so many racing fans (myself included) refer to Affirmed as the horse that got them interested in the sport.
The answer should be obvious – it’s the manner Affirmed won the Belmont Stakes. He gutted out a victory in the most thrilling way, against the worthiest of opponents. Nothing captivates like competition.
In 1977 I was seventeen years old and living in the Saratoga, New York region. Seattle Slew sparked an interest in me about horse racing, but it was just an ember … that could have extinguished or ignited. In the summer following Slew’s Triple Crown victories I visited Saratoga racetrack two or three times. He did not race there that summer and my ember was smoldering.
In 1978, the moment Affirmed crossed the finish line in the Belmont Stakes, my ember was set ablaze. That summer I purposely took a job working a night shift, so that my days would be free to go to Saratoga racetrack. My routine was the same every day. Work from 11:00pm until 7:00am, sleep for 4 hours, go to the track, come home, eat and sleep another 2-3 hours, and then back to work.
Photo courtesy of Penelope P. Miller/America’s Best Racing.
Now what does this all have to do with American Pharoah? He did his job – he won the Triple Crown and broke the drought of 37 years, and no doubt has inspired some casual fans to be more interested in horse racing. My point is this … he did it in Seattle Slew like fashion. Inspiring is not the same as captivating, the latter being to “attract and hold the attention of someone.”
American Pharoah has gotten the public’s attention. Now, can he captivate an entire generation of new horse racing fans like Affirmed did? Or will he have to settle for inspiring a lesser number of fans like Seattle Slew did?
I believe American Pharoah still has an opportunity to snag the bigger prize and captivate many more fans than Seattle Slew did, because something exists now that did not in 1977 … The Breeders’ Cup, the culmination of the racing season, where champions are tested. And this year, the possibilities are tantalizing for some year-end captivating competition.
The winners of the past seven consecutive Triple Crown races are all in training. They are: American Pharoah, Tonalist, California Chrome, and Palace Malice.
I know I’m dreaming big, but what if they all make it to the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Classic? And what if Shared Belief recovers from his injury in time to join them? We’re talking about a “Field of Dreams” here.
Let’s keep dreaming. What if the race chart for American Pharoah in the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Classic were to read as follows?
American Pharoah broke alertly, establishing an early lead, while being pursued in earnest by California Chrome down the backside. On the far turn California Chrome swung up to engage American Pharoah, but was unable to get by him. As he retreated, Palace Malice came through an opening on the rail to wrestle the lead away from American Pharoah at the top of the stretch. From there to the 1/16 pole these two dueled, before American Pharoah regained the lead. In the final 100 yards Tonalist and Shared Belief came with bold runs, but American Pharoah held on determinedly for the victory as the three of them hit the wire together.
Would American Pharoah winning a “Grand Slam” of horse racing captivate an entirely new generation of horse racing fans?
I truly hope we get to find out.
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