Belmont Diaries: Crowning the Pharoah

I’m not sure that any words that I write today will adequately capture the magic of experiencing American Pharoah becoming the first Triple Crown winner of my lifetime, but I’m going to try. Fortunately, I have photos to help me convey just how unforgettable this year’s Belmont Stakes was.
American Pharoah was definitely the horse everyone was talking about at Belmont Park on Saturday; he also inspired some very creative fan outfits!

I love seeing people having fun with their clothes at the races – people watching can be a great pre-race activity, and a sense of humor is always welcome in my book.
I also had the great privilege of meeting horse racing superfan and American Pharoah supporter Jenny before the races began on Saturday. She was awesome and was kind enough to agree to take a selfie with me.
 
She told me her picks for the Belmont, and it turns out that she had the trifecta (i.e. the first three finishers of the race) correct – Jenny is going to be a force to be reckoned with in this sport! 
Since the Belmont Stakes was such an historic event, I’m going to focus this blog entirely on that race and American Pharoah’s Triple Crown win. So let’s jump right into it! 
By the hour before the Belmont Stakes, the crowd at Big Sandy (Belmont Park’s affectionate nickname) was massive, and it seemed that most of the people in attendance had crowded around the paddock in an effort to see American Pharoah and his competitors before the biggest race of their lives. 

Since I knew that there would be pretty strong competition to get photos of the Belmont Stakes runners heading out of the tunnel and onto the racetrack, I hustled to get a spot where I could (hopefully) get some good photos. I’m so glad that I did! I was able to see the pony riders (the folks who escort the racehorses from the paddock to the starting gate) having some fun as they waited for their charges to emerge. 

The pony riders weren’t the only ones excited for the race to begin: the crowd around the tunnel, bathed in the early evening glow, strained forward to get photos of the Belmont Stakes runners.

Finally, the horses were ready for the post parade. Mubtaahij and his smiling jockey Irad Ortiz led the field to the track as a cheer went up from the fans packing the grandstand. 
 
When American Pharoah emerged the crowd went wild. My favorite part of the photo below? It’s not just that Victor Espinoza was so calm that he was blowing bubbles; it’s that he had the presence of mind to match his gum to his silks. That’s attention to detail right there.
 
The horses were followed by the Belmont Stakes blanket; while the Kentucky Derby wreath is one of red roses and the Preakness is made of bright yellow Black-Eyed Susans, the Belmont Stakes garland is composed of pure white carnations. It’s truly a work of art and its presence meant that we were moments away from celebrating the 147th Belmont Stakes winner.

With that, the post parade began. Every eye (and, in my case, camera lens) was trained on American Pharoah as he passed the grandstand before the Belmont Stakes.

As the horses moved off to warm up for the race, the starting gate drove past to move into its position in front of the grandstand. As it motored past, the tractor driver honked his horn merrily to the delight of the crowd.

As the minutes ticked down to the start of the Belmont Stakes the photographers shooting from the turf course readied their cameras in the hopes of capturing history in a frame. 

Finally, it was post time. When American Pharoah entered the starting gate, a roar went up from the grandstand.

And moments later, when all eight horses were loaded and ready to go, the gates sprung open and the 3-year-old Thoroughbreds swept onto the track and down the stretch for the first time. 

The Belmont Stakes is a mile and a half long, so we had a bit of time to wait until the runners rounded the turn for home. I kept my eye on the jumbo screen on the infield, tracking American Pharoah’s every move along with 90,000 of my closest friends. 

And, when the horses rounded the turn for home with American Pharoah in the lead and pulling away, I finally let myself believe that he was going to win. I took a deep breath, steadied my hands as best as I could, and prepared myself to take the photos of my lifetime as American Pharoah romped down the Belmont Park stretch and into legend. 

After American Pharoah crossed the finish line as the clear winner of the Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown, Victor raised his fist in salute to his horse and their amazing accomplishment.

As soon as I lowered my camera, my hands started shaking so hard and my eyes filled with tears. When I tell you that I’ve been waiting my whole life to see a Triple Crown winner, it’s not hyperbole. I remember rooting with all of my heart for Sunday Silence to win it when I was barely eight years old and Alysheba the year before that; I was even born in the year of Pleasant Colony’s failed attempt. I was in the stands at Belmont Park for Smarty Jones, for Real Quiet, for Charismatic.
This has been something I’ve dreamt of and pined for since I can remember, and to be there to finally see the Triple Crown captured was more than I ever dared to hope. I know that I wasn’t alone in my overwhelmed and unbridled joy: the entire grandstand had erupted, with fans on their feet screaming at the top of their lungs with their fists raised in salute to the Pharoah.

With tears in my eyes, I blindly followed my fellow photographers to the dirt of the racetrack to try to get pictures of our 12th Triple Crown winner as he took his victory lap. Everyone was hugging and laughing and weeping and I think the only phrase I heard the whole time was, “Oh my God!” It was magical. Trainer Bob Baffert’s assistant Jimmy Barnes was on the racetrack with us with the biggest smile on his face:

And behind him, American Pharoah returned to the homestretch as the new Belmont Stakes and Triple Crown champion. Victor Espinoza was ecstatic, flashing thumbs-up to all of his well-wishers. 

Victor and American Pharoah then paraded past the Grandstand, waving to fans and basking in the glory of the afternoon’s victory. 

Fans cheered and waved homemade signs supporting American Pharoah:

This one may, reading simply, “Phinally,” may be my favorite.

On his way back to the winner’s circle, Victor shared a horseback hug with the outrider escorting him.

Then it was time to head down Victory Lane to American Pharoah’s coronation as the newest Triple Crown winner. Victor and Pharoah made their way to the winner’s circle led by NBC cameras with the clicks of 90,000 cameras ushering them on their way.

After the winner’s circle photos were taken, American Pharoah headed back to the barn area. I decided to follow him since I wasn’t ready for my Triple Crown moment to end. Pharoah’s regular exercise rider Georgie , wearing the blanket of carnations around his shoulders, walked alongside his horse as they left the Belmont Park stretch and a lifelong legacy behind them.

As they walked back to the barn, fans along the first turn and on the path to the stable area cheered the new Triple Crown heroes.

American Pharoah’s first destination was the test barn: the winner of the Belmont Stakes (actually, the top four horses) are all drug tested after the race; the state officials need blood, saliva and urine samples from the horses for the battery of tests they perform, and sometimes this can cause a bit of a wait. That’s because the blood and saliva are pretty easy to get, but the urine… well, that’s another story. In the interim, Georgie reemerged from the test barn with his blanket of flowers and he was met by congratulations and hugs from his many friends and well-wishers gathered around.

I managed to catch a quick photo of American Pharoah getting hosed off behind the chain-link fence separating the highly-restricted test barn from the rest of the stable area; then the handsome colt disappeared again until his tests were behind him.

About a half hour later, the crowd near the test barn gates parted and Pharoah emerged, heading back to his regular barn in the Belmont stable area.

He had another very brief shower behind the barns and munched on some carrots as he relaxed under his caretakers’ ministrations.

American Pharoah then settled into his stall for a dinner fit for a horse newly Triple Crowned, and I gathered my gear together to return to my own digs.
I was too wired to sleep much after the unbelievable excitement of Saturday, but I had every reason to get up early on Sunday morning: American Pharoah, his trainer Bob Baffert and his jockey Victor Espinoza were scheduled to be on the “Today Show” live from Belmont Park at about 8 a.m., and I wanted to be there in plenty of time to witness it. So I was up and at ‘em at about 5:15 on Sunday and on my merry way to the racetrack by six. (What can I say? When I budget for time, I really do it with gusto.) My colleague John and I arrived by about 6:45, and I’m so glad that we did, because we were in for the treat of a lifetime.
When I arrived, Bob Baffert was grazing American Pharoah and chatting with the media. Between bites of grass, the Belmont Stakes winner would pick his head up to strike a pose for the assembled media. 

And assembled we were. There was quite a scrum surrounding Bob Baffert, hanging on his every word as he talked about the Belmont Stakes and American Pharoah.

And then the most remarkable thing happened. Bob looked at all of us and casually asked, “So, anyone want to pet him?” You bet we did! And that’s how I ended up playing with the only Triple Crown winner of my lifetime.

I got to pet #AmericanPharoah this morning- what a thrill!! Thank you to Bob Baffert for the amazing experience. pic.twitter.com/JKte32c0nR
— Penelope P. Miller (@PenelopePMiller) June 7, 2015

Vía @BH_CNovak de @BloodHorse "@amer_pharoah es diferente a cualquier otro ejemplar que he tenido" Bob Baffert pic.twitter.com/a5YQfyWT95
— Blood-Horse Español (@Bloodhorse_Esp) June 7, 2015

I even got a chance to kiss him on the nose! And even though there were a ton of us who reached in to touch greatness, American Pharoah stayed calm and friendly the entire time. He truly is an incredible horse and this was, very seriously, one of the coolest moments of my life. I feel so lucky to have had that amazing experience, and I cannot thank Bob Baffert for the trust and generosity that he showed us this morning.
At about that time, Victor Espinoza arrived and was fitted for a microphone for his “Today Show” appearance.

Once he was set up, he and Bob were seated in the set and American Pharoah, led by Jimmy Barnes, joined them for the show. Throughout the shoot, American Pharoah would put his head in Victor and Bob’s hands, begging for scratches and pets. It’s obvious this horse has a close relationship to the humans around him, and I hope that affection was transmitted to the viewers at home.

 
After the interview was done, it was time for American Pharoah and his entourage to get on a van, head to the airport and hop on a plane to Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Smokey, American Pharoah’s famous pony, led the way:

And then the big horse followed. I got choked up as he made his way onto the van; it was such a privilege to watch him gallop into the history books at my home racetrack of Belmont Park, and he’s given me and countless others memories that we will relive for the rest of our days.

Once settled into the van, American Pharoah was plied with a huge hay net, and he munched away comfortably as the final preparations for departure were made.

Moments later, the van doors were secured, the truck’s engine rumbled to life, and American Pharoah departed Belmont Park as the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years. 

I cannot tell you how much all of this has meant to me: experiencing the magic of watching American Pharoah win the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes; and also sharing my adventures with you. Thank you so much for joining me through this remarkable Triple Crown season, and I for one cannot wait to see what the future holds.