Miller's Top Ten American Pharoah Moments, Part Three

October 31’s Breeders’ Cup Classic is almost here, and it’s going to be the last race of American Pharoah’s career with the beloved colt retiring after the race. I’ve been thinking a lot about how many amazing memories our Triple Crown winner has given his fans, and I’m sharing my ten favorite Pharoah moments with you this week - you can check out Part 1 here and Part 2 here - and below are my two most cherished memories.
2. The morning before the Travers Stakes
I may get some flack for this one, but stick with me here because I have a good reason that this takes the No. 2 spot in my favorite Pharoah memories.
The Friday morning before the Travers Stakes took me by surprise in the best possible way. I was expecting the New York Racing Association to put on a show for fans who came out to see American Pharoah gallop on the morning before the Travers; what I didn’t expect was the size of the crowd that came out to the Spa to see the Triple Crown winner.
I got up extra early that Friday morning because, to me, there’s nothing more beautiful than the sun rising over Saratoga in the summer. It was a quiet morning at the Spa, as most are; peaceful and perfect, with the morning light punctuated by the shadows of the Thoroughbreds galloping by in the pink glow of the dawn.

I was in the barn area for a little while trying to find my colleague Greg to hand off his press pass when he called me to let me know that he was in the grandstand. I immediately headed in that direction, and when I arrived I was completely bowled over by what awaited me. The place was packed. The entire grandstand and clubhouse – and it’s humongous – was filled, and it was barely 7:30 a.m.

I found Greg, handed him his press pass, and then thoroughly annoyed him by spending the next 15 minutes only saying two things: “This is so weird!” and “This is so cool!”

In the time leading up to American Pharoah’s appearance, the New York Racing Association played videos of his Triple Crown races as fans cheered as though they were run live. But when American Pharoah and Smokey emerged, the crowd went wild.

The pair set off on their gallop, and fans lined the racetrack down the homestretch and around the turns to the barn area to catch a glimpse: it was a full house at Saratoga that morning.

I was in the winner’s circle for the event, and that’s where Pharoah’s trainer Bob Baffert watched his charge gallop. He was clearly tickled by the entire scene, grinning at the crowd’s reaction to the colt.

And when American Pharoah finally passed by during his morning exercise, the assembled crowd cheered as though the Travers was in full flight instead of a pre-race training session. It was exhilarating to be a part of something that was so much more than a routine gallop.

It’s hard to convey exactly how I felt that morning, but here it goes: since I was a child I have loved this sport and the Thoroughbreds at its center. My dream – now my vocation – is to try to tell as many people about horse racing as possible so they can fall in love with the sport just like I have. That Friday, on a clear Saratoga summer morning, it felt like it had happened. I was surrounded by tens of thousands of strangers who weren’t there to gamble or party or anything else; they were there to appreciate the simple and unparalleled beauty of a Thoroughbred moving effortlessly around a racetrack. It moved me then and it moves me now as I think of it months later, and I can only thank American Pharoah and his human connections for that memory.
1. The Belmont Stakes
The Triple Crown. The thought of another horse winning this, the most elusive title in sports, was starting to seem laughable. Thirty-seven years had passed since the Affirmed had earned the honor and it seemed that something in racing’s rules would have to be adjusted if we were ever to see another Thoroughbred win the crown. 
All that changed on the afternoon of June 6, 2015, when American Pharoah romped home to win the Belmont Stakes in front of 90,000 screaming fans in an unforgettable performance. 
The moments before the race were so tense: Belmont Park was packed to the rafters, and all eyes were on American Pharoah and the seven other 3-year-old Thoroughbreds who stood between him and history.

As Victor Espinoza rode American Pharoah to the starting gate, he seemed to be the least nervous person at Belmont Park, going so far as to blow bubbles with his gum in the post parade before the race. 

I remember the warm up for the Belmont taking so, so long. I’m sure, in retrospect, that it took the normal amount of time, but I was so nervous and so focused on not messing my photos up that time stretched into eternity. Finally, the horses approached the starting gate and every photographer in the place raised their lenses in the hope of finally capturing the first digital images of a Triple Crown win. 

Seconds later, the bell sounded, the crowd roared, the gates sprung open, and the Belmont Stakes began.

I remember watching most of the race through my telephoto lens on the infield screen. I remember seeing the horses coming into the turn for home with American Pharoah leading the pack. I remember breathing in, breathing out, once, twice, and telling myself to stay calm and shoot the hell out of the finish no matter what happened.

I remember dead silence as he crossed the finish line in first.

This is nonsense, of course, and complete revisionism in my mind. Everyone tells me that it was deafening, that the crowd was going nuts; but I was so focused on American Pharoah and the fact that he had won the Triple Crown that my brain must have blocked out sound for that moment. But when I put my camera down and let myself believe what I’d just seen, I heard the cacophony surrounding me. My hands started shaking and I started crying. It was real, American Pharoah had achieved what was starting to seem impossible, and it was beautiful. All around me, people were on their feet, screaming and stomping and celebrating.

I somehow made my way out to the racetrack to try to get photos of our newly minted Triple Crown winner, and as I stepped out onto the hallowed dirt of the Belmont track I stopped to hug fellow photographers. It was the happiest chaos I’ve ever seen, and at the center of it all was this miraculous plain brown racehorse who had just outrun history to give his followers the memory of a lifetime.

Will American Pharoah win the Breeders’ Cup Classic on October 31? It would be a feat that’s never before even been attempted, since the Breeders’ Cup wasn’t around for the last Triple Crown winner. A victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic would truly designate American Pharoah as unique among all Thoroughbreds; but win, lose, or draw at the World Championships, American Pharoah has earned a place in the history of the sport and in the memories of all who watched him run.

Let me know what your favorite American Pharoah memories are in the comments and thank you for reliving my favorite moments with me!