TRIPLE CROWN WINNER - American Pharoh wins the Belmont!

[csziggy]

Just now!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. It is great news!

I was really hoping he would.

First horse to win the Triple Crown since 1978 !!!

[femmocrat]

2. :hooray:

I am very happy for all those who got him there! Congratulations to Bob Baffert and Victor Espinoza!

[struggle4progress]

3. Cool!

I hope it's not too late for me to bet on the race

[Rhiannon12866]

4. Even if you bet him to win, it only paid $3.50 for a $2 bet - so you would have won $1.50

I heard that lots of winners aren't cashing in their tickets since this really is history!

[Skittles]

5. it is spelled PHAROAH

http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/06/us/american-pharoah-pharaoh-spelling-feat/index.html

[csziggy]

6. That never registered with me until they were doing a "bio" on him

After the race. Apparently they had a contest to name him and between the contest and the registration process that extra "a" got in there. Oh well - too late to fix my thread title now.

Thanks!

[KamaAina]

9. It's not an extra 'a'

it's supposed to be "Pharaoh".

[jmowreader]

12. It is, but that's not how he's registered

The breeder had an online contest to pick his name, and the winning entry was "American Pharoah." No one corrected the misspelling before they entered the name into the Jockey Club book.

[Skittles]

13. he is a beaut, and the race was exciting

[Aristus]

7. I'll never forget the last time this happened.

Affirmed in 1978, ridden by Steve Cauthen. I was 9 years old. I remember how excited Cauthen was. He kissed Affirmed on his flank, which even then I thought was a little gross. The horse had just run a race and must have been really sweaty...

[KamaAina]

10. I stoutly maintain that Alydar, who came second to Affirmed in all three races,

could have eaten most of the county-fair nags that came after him for lunch, with the possible exception of Risen Star, whose shot at glory was ruined by a crappy trip in the Derby.

[Aristus]

11. I loved Alydar.

I think seeing Affirmed and Alydar running first and second in all three races was the beginning of my perception that coming in second doesn't make you a loser.

You know that Nike slogan from the 90's? "Second place is the first loser." I found that view repellant; repugnant, even. Coming in second, or even third, in any serious competition is something to be proud of. A justification for years of training, sacrifice, and dedication.

I loved that Alydar was the more successful stud of the two, though.

[KamaAina]

8. Not since I was a teenager!

[UTUSN]

14. I love the horse, but love the bond he has with Victor ESPINOZA:

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Espinoza

[font size=5]Victor Espinoza[/font]

(born May 23, 1972) is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing who won the Triple Crown in 2015 on American Pharoah. He began riding in his native Mexico and went on to compete at racetracks in California. He has won the Kentucky Derby three times, riding War Emblem in 2002, California Chrome in 2014, and American Pharoah in 2015. He also won the Preakness Stakes three times, riding War Emblem in 2002 California Chrome in 2014 and American Pharoah in 2015. He was the first jockey in history to enter the Belmont Stakes with a third opportunity to win the Triple Crown.[1] finally winning the elusive honor in 2015, the oldest jockey to win the award.[2]

Espinoza was born on a dairy farm in Hidalgo, Mexico, the eleventh of twelve children.[3][4] He and his brother José, his senior by three years, enjoyed riding horses on the farm; when he was 15 he traveled to Cancún to assist his brother as a Quarter Horse trainer.[3] He paid for jockey school by driving a bus in Mexico City at age 17.[4][5] Within a few years, Espinoza was racing thoroughbreds at Mexico City's track, Hipódromo de las Américas.[3][6] His first winner there was in 1992.[7]

Espinoza moved to Northern California, where by 1994 he was the leading apprentice rider at the Bay Meadows and Golden Gate Fields racetracks.[4] A year later, he moved to Los Angeles.[3] His big break came in 2000 when he won the Breeders' Cup Distaff aboard Spain.[3] He rode his first Kentucky Derby in 2001, placing third on Congaree,[7] and in 2002, he won both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes atop War Emblem.[3] Between 2000 and 2006 he averaged 193 wins a year and twice finished third in total earnings among jockeys.[3] However, his career entered a slump until he decided to refocus. As he explained, "One day, I woke up and I said ‘This is not how I’m going to end up my career." He hired a new agent in January 2013, Brian Beach, and with a change in motivation[8] went on to obtain his 3,000th career win, aboard Flashy Delight, on May 31, 2013, at Betfair Hollywood Park in Inglewood, California.[9] After winning the 2014 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes on California Chrome, in June 2014 Espinoza traveled to Britain to win the Windsor Castle Stakes at the Royal Ascot meeting on the Wesley A. Ward-trained colt Hootenanny.[10]

Espinoza is unmarried and has no children.[24] He donates ten percent of his winnings to the City of Hope to support pediatric cancer research.

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