Tom Segal asks/says - was American Pharoah 'given a gimme'.

Tom Segal is wrong.Supposition as opposed to the facts and figures of the triple crown Belmont stakes win.

As American Pharaoh prepares for his next start in the G1 $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park this weekend, Heidi Carpenter takes a look back at how great his Triple Crown-winning Belmont Stakes run really was.

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I have a confession: I missed the final strides of American Pharoah’s win in the Belmont Stakes  —  and the Triple Crown  —  because I was weeping into my hands. Although I was surprised by my reaction, based upon the personal accounts infiltrating social media I wasn’t alone in my emotional response. Cheering until hoarse, crying, jumping up and down, and running around  —  at 6:54 p.m. EDT on Saturday June 6, any which way human joy can be expressed, was.

The outpouring of emotion went beyond witnessing the first Triple Crown since 1978. It touched upon the simple beauty of watching American Pharoah gallop past the finish line with his ears pricked cheerfully, lengths ahead of his closest challenger and the phantoms of failed Triple Crowns past.

We were watching a magnificent animal  —  whose prairie-bound Equus ancestors were granted the gift of wingless flight by evolution millions of years ago  —  do what he was born to do: run far and fast with pure delight. This is the sort of performance we live for, and to witness it during the first Triple Crown sweep in 37 years was the pinnacle of Thoroughbred racing, and  —  let’s be honest here  —  all sports.

Just how good was American Pharoah’s Belmont Stakes? In comparing his Belmont win to that of the other 11 Triple Crown winners (Sir Barton, 1919; Gallant Fox, 1930; Omaha, 1935; War Admiral, 1937; Whirlaway, 1941; Count Fleet, 1943; Assault, 1946; Citation, 1948; Secretariat, 1973; Seattle Slew, 1977; and Affirmed, 1978), we determine that:

American Pharoah ran the fastest final quarter-mile (24.32 seconds, or 24 ⅕ when converted to the traditional fifths of a second for comparison purposes) of any Triple Crown-winning Belmont Stakes. The next two fastest final quarters were 24 ⅗ each (Gallant Fox in 1930 and Count Fleet, who won the Belmont by 25 lengths, in 1943). Secretariat’s legendary 31-length win in the 1973 Belmont recorded the fourth fastest final quarter, 25 flat.

In addition, aside from his first quarter mile, American Pharoah ran each subsequent quarter mile of his Belmont equal to or faster than the last: 24, 24 ⅗, 24 ⅖, 24 ⅖, 24 ⅕, 24 ⅕. He is the only Triple Crown winner to accomplish this remarkable feat. By comparison, the quarter mile splits of Secretariat’s Belmont are 23 ⅗, 22 ⅗, 23 ⅗, 24 ⅖, 24 ⅘, 25.

American Pharoah also ran the second fastest Triple Crown-winning Belmont: 2:26.65 (converted to 2:26 ⅗). That places him behind Secretariat’s world-record 2:24 (an anomaly that will likely never be touched) and just ahead of Affirmed’s 2:26 ⅘ in 1978.

The 2015 Belmont is the sixth fastest of 104 runnings at the current 1½ mile distance. American Pharoah’s 2:26 ⅗ falls behind 2:24 (Secretariat, 1973), twice 2:26 (Easy Goer, 1989, and A.P. Indy, 1992), and twice 2:26 ⅖ (Risen Star, 1988, and Point Given, 2001).

At 31 horses, American Pharoah ties Assault (1946) for the second most rivals defeated in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont combined. Only War Admiral (1937) comes ahead, with 32 horses defeated. (Horses entered in more than one Triple Crown race are counted for each entry.)

Lastly, American Pharoah’s winning margin of 5½ lengths is the fourth longest margin of victory in the Belmont, behind Secretariat (1973, 31 lengths), Count Fleet (1943, 25 lengths), and Citation (1948, 8 lengths).

Phew! Let’s think about all that for a moment. Among some of the titans of the turf, American Pharoah more than held his own  —  he outclassed most of them in one way or another. What’s more, with the flush of slow Belmonts in recent years, where the winners wound down before the finish like punch-drunk boxers, American Pharoah’s performance was a gift that cut through the tired old arguments that American horses can’t go beyond 10 panels and the Triple Crown races are too close together.

And the gift was recognized. For a rare few minutes, everyone  —  from life-long fans and veterans of the industry that have witnessed Triple Crown wins of yore, to relative newcomers that have seen a couple dozen racing seasons and nearly half as many Triple Crown misses, to brand-new fans, even if just for a day  —  united in celebrating American Pharoah’s win. And that is nothing to be surprised about.

Seagal is a ' guesser ' with zero credibility. How he ever justifies a salary, is a complete mystery.

The Belmont was handed to him on a plate, allowed to set very easy fractions so its no surprise he ran every quarter faster, Secretariat went 6f speed and ran every quarter faster.

The Classic was the worst ive ever seen.

That said, he is a great horse who I thought would win the triple crown, he is worthy of getting on the list, not in the same parish as Frankel and Secretariat though.

The most idiotic piece of nonsense I've ever heard.

Drunk or not salmon, I have to agree with your statement.

mmmaluskka ..... your post 20.59  yesterday....one word  brilliant
Tom Segal  should not be allowed out without his Mother

AP was def given an easy ride in comparison to other triple crown winners/attempters in the oppo and the races run - look at some of the last few triers and see the treatment they get from the other riders in the last 2 legs! Whether it's because he was so good or that it takes anything away from the achievement only time will tell.

that would be the segal who joined the throng to agree with obrien that gleneagles was one of the best ever, who finished about 2 turns behind sed pharoah or was obriens wonder horse in on the plot, LOL

You have heard the phrase - 'Only in America' - haven't you?

theres  more  shall we say  more funny races over here  on the sand every week .. why its 2k to the winner seen a horse to day  backed for 5k to lose and it did

American racing is much more competitive at the top level than UK or Irish racing

Frankel beat the same horse over and over.  And when that horse (Excelebration) went to Santa Anita to beat the "inferior" American turf horses it finished 4th

one last one  guys if you cannot see   hes won the gland slam ... its aint his fault nothing could match him in his last race   why  hes the best   since  BIG RED.... they made a film about big red      its on tv   you guys should call it up ...

arrested  ok he could not lose ...post your bets

so gleneagles obriens best ever horse [so he reckons ] got beat a straight , couldnt lay up always behind in a race where no one was trying and they plodded round ,hope they remember that when he,s syndicated at stud,did no one let the supposedly best jockey in on the plot ,when he was 20L behind and he was apparently the only one trying, LOL

johnny iam talking Top class mares......  ok if you have a donkey mare...... and   300 grand why not

He is clearly head and shoulders above the other dirt performers this year.
But he has kept his form amazingly well throughout a long season at the top.
In the Classic he beat the same old faces plus a European champ who did not go a yard on dirt .....can only beat the ones who take him on.

I think its fair to say the TV coverage never remotely conveyed a true reflection of the atmosphere.

Chris Smith 
November 4, 2015

If nothing else, the Breeders’ Cup Classic did one significant thing for me on Saturday – it dispelled one of the great myths about American racing.

After just shy of 30 years in racing journalism in the U.K., I had come to accept what appears to be understood fairly universally as a truth – that the sport in the U.S has one foot in the grave.

Handle is collapsing, attendances are thinning by the hour, tracks are closing. Interest in the sport is in freefall. Newspapers and the TV channels seem to have forgotten it even takes place, other than on a certain five days each year.

In short, America had better start getting used to not having horseracing at all as we know it.

Just one trip to watch racing Stateside has opened my eyes. The sport, the industry may be in crisis in the U.S., but don’t worry it’s going to disappear. It won’t. And its future is probably a lot rosier than the one facing many of the racing nations in Europe, including the U.K.

And no, I don’t believe the mere fact that there’s been a Triple Crown winner after a 37-year wait is going to turn things around, pull back the crowds, provide a long-term fix for all the problems.

American Pharoah may have been magnificent on Saturday afternoon, bludgeoning the field into submission before he even reached the finishing straight (and I’m not going to tarnish that tribute by trying to compare him with Golden Horn or Treve, or even Frankel or Secretariat), but his fleeting career on the racecourse can be no more than a short, sharp shot in the arm for racing’s morale. It will mean not a jot to the shape of its future.

I was prepared for all that before I set foot on the premises at Keeneland. What I wasn’t prepared for was the crowd.

Moment that will stay with us for ever

I’ve been there for the Cheltenham roar, the explosion of sound at the start of the Epsom Derby and the Grand National, I’ve heard the unfettered joy of the Irish as the winner comes in after a big race at Punchestown, Leopardstown, the Curragh or Cheltenham (especially Cheltenham). I’ve seen the adulation of young and old as legendary steeplechasers like Arkle, Desert Orchid and Kauto Star produced barely credible feats of athletic prowess on the jumps tracks of Britain and Ireland. I’ve seen people squashing together for a split-second glimpse of Frankel.

But I’ve never seen or heard anything before remotely like the reaction to American Pharoah at Keeneland on Saturday.

And I don’t just mean the wonderful, happy, deafening tumult as he drew further and further clear in the straight, or as Victor Espinoza raised his arms to the fanatical, enraptured stands in glorious, orchestrating triumph in a moment that will stay with most of us who were there for the rest of our days.

They were just as cacophanous before the race, just as buzzy and wondrous and excited as they lined the parade ring seven or eight deep even before the great horse appeared. A mighty, sweeping roar told you the instant he was led in – well before he came into momentary view over shoulders and round heads.

Bob Baffert has said it’s like being with the Beatles. Now I know what he means. Maybe it’s like that when One Direction or Taylor Swift are in town.

And I’m well aware that what happened at Keeneland pales by comparison to the reaction at Belmont after American Pharoah clinched the Triple Crown. But I wasn’t there for that. I hadn’t totally understood what it meant when I read about it.

So there I was on my way to Lexington believing Americans don’t like racehorses as much as Europeans. They do. And then some.

In Britain, the Triple Crown (2,000 Guineas, Epsom Derby, St Leger) hasn’t been won for 45 years (Nijinsky in 1970). It’s arguably harder to win than the U.S. Triple Crown, stretching a horse from a mile in May to a mile and threequarters in September. Three years ago, the Ballydoyle colt Camelot went to Doncaster for the Leger seemingly certain to do it after winning the first two legs. There was a big crowd that day – the authorities had worked hard to publicize the attempt. Doubtless Camelot would have received a rapturous reception had he done it (he was second). Doubtless he’d have been the subject of a few column inches on the general sports pages the next day. That would have been it, though.

That same year – 2012 was a PR dream for racing in Britain – there was also Frankel. Totally awesome, totally capable, utterly unbeatable. Unbeaten in 14 runs, mostly over a mile, all but four of them Group 1s, he made all the best horses in Europe look woefully substandard, and he built up a following way beyond that of most British flat racers. The crowds swelled wherever he ran. Even non-racing fans began to recognize his name. But that was all. The passion, the noise, the sheer love for the horse, was barely a tenth of what I witnessed in Kentucky.

Deep Impact and Black Caviar

You probably need to experience racing in Japan or Hong Kong to see anything comparable. The top racehorses are public heroes there. In 2006, up to 10,000 Japanese made the pilgrimage halfway across the world to Paris to watch the great Deep Impact try to win the Arc. They put so much money on him through the tote windows that at one point he was 1-10 on the pari mutuel. And still they backed him. Most of them didn’t intend to cash in any winnings anyway – the betting slips were souvenirs. They sobbed when he could only finish a below-par third.

Or Australia. Racing is so central to their culture that Melbourne Cup day is a public holiday. When the remarkable mare Black Caviar was running, Aussie Rules football games were rearranged to avoid clashing with her races, and big screens were regularly erected at other venues to give adoring fans around the country the chance to watch her run.

Certainly horseracing still flourishes in both those jurisdictions (the prize money in Japan dwarfs that of the U.S. – American Pharoah may have won more than $8 million, but that wouldn’t break into the top 10 on Japan’s all-time list), but less than it did. They are having problems too. Handle is falling, attendances are down, tracks are struggling. The same, of course, is true all across Europe, only more so.

Everywhere there are more and more other ways to lose your money gambling, and all of them providing the providers with a more secure margin than horse racing. Everywhere, every day there are more and more alternative ways to spend your leisure time. Everywhere team sports carry much more appeal to most than individual ones do.

After Saturday, though, I don’t believe racehorses are adored anywhere more than they are in the United States.

This is a country where 50,000 people sometimes show up for steeplechase meets where there is no betting. Make no mistake, that wouldn’t happen anywhere else. And it’s a country where people ring their hands in despair at the thought of ex-racehorses being sold for slaughter on their way into the food chain. Very few elsewhere care one way or another.

It’s also the country where 15,000 people missed their breakfasts to watch American Pharoah do a gallop at Saratoga one Friday in August.

It’s a level of passion, of pride, of optimism that may just be unique to America. Okay, there are many, many things wrong with U.S. racing - it’s a sad, uncoordinated mess organizationally, the public have lost confidence because they think most of the runners are drugged, there are fears that the breed has become weaker, and so on - but you can’t tell me it’s beyond the wit of America to adapt and innovate and come out the other side with a slicker, healthier product.

That will happen eventually. It’s inevitable. There’s a vibrant heart beating powerfully at the core of the invalid, and that means it will never die.

Sir tom has, by his own admission, had a terrible flat season.
So have many
when this happens you tend to start looking for reasons
why your old certainties are no longer relevant
This is why segal has zeroed in on American Pharoah
trying to understand something he cannot comprehend.
From my limited knowledge of dirt racing, i believe it is possible for US trainers to train a horse to withing the nth degree of its highest capabilities.
I remember Kieren fallon wrote how he worked for bobby frankel and how the trainer and work jockey knew the exact fractions around santa anita a horse could run
in short its like a science.
Going to keeneland Baffert arguably knew the level of performance to which his horse was capable of executing
Nothing in the field would be able to go with him
In the race the godolphin runner Frosted who took on AP at saratoga opted not to cut his own throat
so AP got an uncontested lead and won as he pleased
pretty simple really
not the greatest race but one with an obvious winner, in hindsight.

I'm afraid we're definitely in the sour grapes zone with Tom these days.  His reaction to Litigant winning the Ebor was nothing short of a disgrace.