Well...I'm in speechless...I don't know about the rest of you.
I just found something to believe in, and once again it is a horse. :grin2:
As a kid, Secretariat, Seattle Slew and Affirmed were my sports heroes. Growing up around horses, in a horse loving family, it was easy to lend human qualities to those amazing animals. To me they were the athletic equals of Joe Namath, Muhammad Ali and Nolan Ryan.
But I have to admit that American Pharoah flew under my radar.
Ending with Funny Cyde's' failure to win the TC all those years ago, I stopped watching the TC. I had long since given up on America having a Triple Crown Champion.
I though to myself, "Self. Give it up. They just don't breed, train and race horses vigorously enough to develop the bone strength, muscle density, and aerobic stamina needed to equip a two year old thoroughbred to run a killer race like the 1.5 mile Belmont successfully. Horse racing is run by insurance underwriters these days...not trainers and breeders."
The reason why the great horses like Dr. Fager , Citation, Seabiscuit and John Henry were so good and so fast was because they were raced...raced frequently and raced hard.
Well this past Saturday I had been working to chop down the primeval forest that is the back yard lawn of my new Houston home, when a friend from Arizona called me. During the convo he blurted out "So how about that American Pharoah? He's some horse huh?"
"Who?" I asked, completely clueless.
"American Pharoah. You know, the racehorse. He won the Triple Crown today!"
I cut the conversation short, and immediately went to my computer and watched the Belmont replay on YouTube, Then, wanting to take in the breadth of AP's accomplishment, I watched the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. Then I watched all three again...and again.. and again...all the time with a big sh!t eating grin on my face.
My faith in the world has been restored a bit. An exceptionally talented horse with a misspelled name has done what many thought would never be done again.
Check out his three victories. Wow. Just wow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNbtOEHaNZg
Now watch Pharoah during one of his pre-Belmont workouts. (There is no sound so don't adjust your computer) When his exercise rider finally takes him to the gate and turns him loose, watch how he comes around the top of the stretch, passes the other horse and reaches out with his forelegs. As he does so his hind legs have kicked off and he is literally hovering above the ground for about ten feet or so. You have to look close to see it. Only the truly great racehorses seem to have this ability to defy gravity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ejYeGgjMwI
I just found something to believe in, and once again it is a horse. :grin2:
As a kid, Secretariat, Seattle Slew and Affirmed were my sports heroes. Growing up around horses, in a horse loving family, it was easy to lend human qualities to those amazing animals. To me they were the athletic equals of Joe Namath, Muhammad Ali and Nolan Ryan.
But I have to admit that American Pharoah flew under my radar.
Ending with Funny Cyde's' failure to win the TC all those years ago, I stopped watching the TC. I had long since given up on America having a Triple Crown Champion.
I though to myself, "Self. Give it up. They just don't breed, train and race horses vigorously enough to develop the bone strength, muscle density, and aerobic stamina needed to equip a two year old thoroughbred to run a killer race like the 1.5 mile Belmont successfully. Horse racing is run by insurance underwriters these days...not trainers and breeders."
The reason why the great horses like Dr. Fager , Citation, Seabiscuit and John Henry were so good and so fast was because they were raced...raced frequently and raced hard.
Well this past Saturday I had been working to chop down the primeval forest that is the back yard lawn of my new Houston home, when a friend from Arizona called me. During the convo he blurted out "So how about that American Pharoah? He's some horse huh?"
"Who?" I asked, completely clueless.
"American Pharoah. You know, the racehorse. He won the Triple Crown today!"
I cut the conversation short, and immediately went to my computer and watched the Belmont replay on YouTube, Then, wanting to take in the breadth of AP's accomplishment, I watched the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. Then I watched all three again...and again.. and again...all the time with a big sh!t eating grin on my face.
My faith in the world has been restored a bit. An exceptionally talented horse with a misspelled name has done what many thought would never be done again.
Check out his three victories. Wow. Just wow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNbtOEHaNZg
Now watch Pharoah during one of his pre-Belmont workouts. (There is no sound so don't adjust your computer) When his exercise rider finally takes him to the gate and turns him loose, watch how he comes around the top of the stretch, passes the other horse and reaches out with his forelegs. As he does so his hind legs have kicked off and he is literally hovering above the ground for about ten feet or so. You have to look close to see it. Only the truly great racehorses seem to have this ability to defy gravity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ejYeGgjMwI
Put the internet to work for you.
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