American Pharoah Evoking Memories of Secretariat

American Pharoah thrilled fans in attendance at Monmouth Park with a dominant performance in the Haskell Invitational Stakes but also simply with his presence at the Oceanport, N.J., track. (All photos by Eclipse Sportswire)
There were different levels to last Sunday’s William Hill Haskell Invitational Stakes that powerfully came together to make it an experience that promises to stay in the hearts and minds of some people for many years to come.
It was, of course, an important and lucrative $1.75-million race that only enhanced the stature of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah as one the sport’s greatest racehorses.
Yet it also showed, in vivid images, how American Pharoah has indeed become this generation’s Secretariat.
NO SHORTAGE OF PHOTOS TAKEN OF AMERICAN PHAROAH ON SUNDAY

That’s not to say that the once-beaten Zayat Stables homebred could defeat Secretariat in some mythical matchup on a racetrack. Ideas along those lines are fodder for mind-numbing debates that can never be settled with any certainty.
Rather, to be at Monmouth Park on Sunday and to take in the day and soak in everything that happened before, during and after American Pharoah’s easy 2 1/4-length win was an experience akin to traveling back in time to 1973 – something I didn’t think I’d ever write.
A record-breaking crowd of 60,983 was on hand at Monmouth, and for probably 60,900 of them the day involved much more than watching American Pharoah race against a collection of fellow 3-year-olds. It was about an opportunity to see him and become enthralled with him, whether the view came from up close in the paddock, or from afar as he either walked onto the track or was paraded into the winner’s circle. It was about the tension that gripped you for about a minute as the future Hall of Famer chased the pacesetting Competitive Edge, and then the exultation that followed when he seized control of the race and cruised to yet another easy victory.
RECORD-BREAKING MONMOUTH CROWD

The entire day was a celebration of the talents and magnetism of one majestic horse.
Races were like that whenever Secretariat raced following his majestic 31-length triumph in the Belmont Stakes. Those days at Arlington Park, Saratoga Race Course, Belmont Park or Woodbine belonged to “Big Red” of Meadow Stable and “Big Red” alone – both in victory and defeat. Even on those two occasions  in which Secretariat lost, the glory did not belong to the winner alone. Races like the 1973 Whitney are not remembered strictly as a stakes won by Onion, but rather as the day Secretariat lost to Onion. Nothing, not even a pair of surprising losses, could tarnish the love average, everyday sports fans had for the folk hero who was America’s first Triple Crown winner in 25 years.
Not even Seattle Slew and Affirmed could create the same fervor sparked by Secretariat.
Seattle Slew, as the first Triple Crown winner after Secretariat, pulled off his sweep so close to Secretariat’s that comparisons were inevitable and too overwhelming, especially since “Slew” beat a motley crew of 3-year-olds and a loss in his first race after the Triple Crown and a subsequent illness took him out of the spotlight. It was until Seattle Slew’s final few races, when he beat Affirmed twice and went down to a heroic defeat in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, that he gained a level of respect worthy of a Triple Crown champion.
Affirmed, because of the huge popularity of archrival Alydar, was never a solo superstar along the lines of Secretariat. Whenever he was mentioned, it was often included with the phrase, “Affirmed and Alydar.”  There was a legion of fans that rooted for his protagonist from Calumet Farm, and while they eventually gave Affirmed the respect he was due, they never offered him the same unabashed love and admiration that was bestowed more freely upon Secretariat.
After all, for many fans in the 1970s, Secretariat was like that first love or crush that never leaves your heart. For them, he was the one who provided the first taste of the unmatched euphoria rolled into a Triple Crown sweep of the three famous horse races any sports fan knows.
1973 BELMONT STAKES

For a 16-year-old like myself at the time, you can never forget watching the 1973 Belmont Stakes with both joy and yet disbelief.
There was numbness after he lost, but it quickly faded because you knew nothing could take the grand achievement of the Triple Crown away from him.
Decades later, you still smile whenever you recall the immense feeling of vindication stemming from Secretariat’s win in the Marlboro Cup.
You might chuckle on occasion, remembering moments associated with his races. For me, there was the time when I literally escaped from a weekend school function with no televisions on the premises, and then channeled my inner Steve McQueen – sans the motorcycle – while wandering through the woods of Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., until I stumbled upon a bar where the innkeeper provided me with free Coca-Colas because of his amusement over my plea to him that I was there only “to watch Secretariat win the Derby.”
After this past Sunday, I’m supremely confident there exists a growing multitude of fans who will ultimately cherish American Pharoah with the same burning passion that a past generation felt for Secretariat. He was the champion who gave them their first addicting taste of Triple Crown glory, and if American Pharoah loses in the Travers Stakes, Breeders’ Cup Classic or anywhere else, rest assured nothing will ever change that devotion to him.
It was the afternoon of June 6, 2015 that made American Pharoah their lifelong hero, and the love people from my generation still have for Secretariat some 42 years later, even though there were a couple of post-Triple Crown losses, should reassure owner Ahmed Zayat, trainer Bob Baffert and anyone associated with the son of Pioneerof the Nile that a loss will not change anything in regards to the emotions of the loyal fans of the long-awaited first Triple Crown winner in 37 years.
PHAROAH FANS

That point was hammered home after the race, though not just by the cheers from a packed grandstand where people would not leave their seats until American Pharoah left the stage. As Zayat walked along the horse path from the track to the paddock and headed toward a post-race press conference, an amazing scene unfolded. The rails from one end of the path to the other were lined with people. Half cheered and congratulated Zayat and other family members, while other people shouted out grateful words like, “Thank you.”
It was astonishing to hear. In a highly cynical and snarky era, people were actually expressing their thanks to Zayat for bringing American Pharoah to Monmouth and providing them with a moment that was worth $2.20 for their $2 win bets but was priceless for the memories it provided.
Zayat, who has reveled in the experience as much as any fan, showed his appreciation by acknowledging each person who called out to him, shaking  hands, signing  programs and joining in for selfies. On the afternoon of Aug. 2 at the New Jersey Shore, membership in Team American Pharoah was tantamount to being an astronaut in the 1960s.
OWNER AHMED ZAYAT SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS

A while later, after the press conference, the love fest continued. Zayat, Baffert, jockey Victor Espinoza and Justin Zayat, Ahmed’s son and racing manager for Zayat Stables, met the media in an area adjacent to the paddock where people were free to walk in. As Ahmed Zayat left the interview session and headed toward a victory celebration in the clubhouse, he spent the next 20 minutes moving forward at a snail’s pace as he was stopped by one fan after another in search of some sort of personal remembrance. Sure, some items no doubt surfaced on eBay the next day, but the majority seemed to simply want a lasting memento of a special day.
As Zayat finally neared the exit, a young woman approached him and with quick, excited words told him how much she loved American Pharoah and what it meant to her to see the horse on this day. She added that she was the daughter of a former jockey at Monmouth and that horses were a major part of her life. She asked for an autograph and Zayat happily obliged. She then paused for a second and nervously asked if Zayat would please take a picture with her. He quickly agreed and then as her father started to focus their cell phone camera, Zayat motioned for the father to join them in the picture.
I reached out and took the device from the dad who quickly jumped into the picture. After I snapped a few shots, the father thanked Zayat and walked back to me, thanking me as well for being a stand-in photographer. His daughter, though, did not move. After a few seconds, her knees buckled and she began to cry as the emotion of the moment overwhelmed her. Zayat quickly reached over to put his arm around her to help compose her.
For me, that scene will always be linked with the image of American Pharoah crossing the finish line at Monmouth, for it captured the essence of horse racing.
It explained why fans become so passionate about the sport and its equine athletes, and why its detractors will never understand the loyal bond that their rhetoric cannot break.
There are indeed times when special and permanent bonds are formed.
For a horse like Secretariat.
For a horse like American Pharoah.
A DAY TO REMEMBER AT MONMOUTH