Last August at Del Mar, American Pharoah ran the first race of his career. Facing eight other horses that had never won a race and sent off as the seven-to-five favorite, the highly touted Bob Baffert horse faded halfway through the contest to finish fifth, beaten by over nine lengths. Baffert was not worried. He knew that he had a quality horse and so in his next race he skipped the easier money of the maiden ranks to run in a graded stakes race with a winner’s share of one hundred and eighty grand. It was the only race that American Pharoah was not favored in, but once the betting public saw him win the Del Mar Futurity by four and three-quarter lengths, they would never allow him to escape favoritism again, and he would never disappoint his backers. Just ten months after losing in his debut, American Pharoah lit up the Belmont track and made the grandstand erupt as he became the first Triple Crown winner since 1978.

Before the Belmont I was sure that American Pharoah was the best three year old horse of the bunch this year, but I did not think he was certain to win the Triple Crown. As the race approached, a gut feeling made me become more confident in his chances. After watching the race and seeing the final time, I’m blown away. Anytime this horse runs in the future, he will have my heart and my wallet.

On a historical level, the only horse to be significantly more dominant over the Triple Crown races was Secretariat, who was a freak with a huge heart. Not a figurative huge heart, but literally, an over-sized ticker. The doctor who performed the necropsy said, “We just stood there in stunned silence. We couldn’t believe it. The heart was perfect. There were no problems with it. It was just this huge engine.” To do the things Secretariat did, a horse would need to be a once in a century genetic mutant. American Pharoah can’t touch Secretariat’s performance, but no other Triple Crown winner had a faster time in the Belmont Stakes than American Pharoah and he ran the last quarter mile of the race fast enough to make me believe he could crush any horse, at any distance, any time. The bottom of this horse is nowhere in sight. Second place finisher Frosted would have passed any horse but the best of a generation coming down the Belmont stretch. American Pharoah showed what a special horse he is by not just hanging on, but pulling away. It looks like he won’t run after this year, but as of now they are planning on running him in a few more races and I can’t wait.

The next races are not mapped out yet but the final destination is the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic in Kentucky at Keeneland in late October. The location of that race rotates and it was held at Santa Anita for the last three years. I’m bummed it won’t be in Southern California this year but there is a chance American Pharoah will run down here once more. The Pacific Classic is a million dollar race at Del Mar in late August. While there are other big races around the same time on the East Coast, Baffert might keep him close to his Santa Anita base for a race. If he does I’ll make it a priority. In fact after I finish this I’m going to look into getting some seats or a box for that day. If he doesn’t run it’s still a fun day at the track and if he does I can sell those seats for a profit and use the money for bets and beers in the infield.

It is a shame that we live in a time where the money from the breeder’s shed is more enticing than the money from major races. If American Pharoah came back and ran as a four year old, he would bring more money and attention to a sport that needs it badly. A race against next year’s Kentucky Derby winner or another highly touted horse would make for quite a show. A few years back there was an undefeated horse from Australia named Black Caviar. By the time her winning streak reached into the twenties as a five year old, every race she ran was an event, especially for her fans in Australia. The image of Australian bars packed with people cheering on a horse that they didn’t even have a wager on still makes me smile, and I wish that Americans could share in a similar experience. American Pharoah will not run enough to build up that kind of fan base or enthusiasm, but I am selfishly hopeful that his last few races will draw major attention because I will watch and wager on them regardless, and it is more fun to have normal people watching the race with me instead of just the regular track junkies.

Life can be quite the mixed bag. It will throw things at you with no rhyme or reason. Events that come out of left field can lift you up or slam you down. When something comes along that gives you joy, grab it with both hands, try as hard as you can not to let it go, and make no apologies. Last weekend, life gave me a horse that can make me happy just by running a race. I don’t need to bet a dime on American Pharoah to appreciate the opportunity to watch him perform. I can’t logically explain why I am this amped about a horse running a race, but when it comes to feelings of euphoria, fuck logic. If something feels right, it is better to roll with it than to waste time asking why. Right now this horse makes me happy and I hope he has the chance to make more people happy before he goes on to live the dream when he is put out to stud.