Big Sport of Turfdom Award to 'Pharoah Team

Trainer Bob Baffert accepted the Big Sport of Turfdom Award on behalf of the American Pharoah   team Tuesday, Dec. 8 during a lunch presentation at the Global Symposium on Racing and Gaming in Tucson, Ariz.

The award is presented by the Turf Publicists of America and recognizes a person or group of people who enhanced coverage of Thoroughbred racing through cooperation with media and racing publicists.

Baffert, a University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program graduate who grew up less than an hour from Tucson, accepted the award on behalf of owner Ahmed Zayat, jockey Victor Espinoza, and Zayat Stables racing manager Justin Zayat. The Zayats and Espinoza were out of the country and unable to attend.

The "Team American Pharoah" designation would officially extend to everyone associated with the horse who helped to raise the profile of Thoroughbred racing this year via their interactions with media and publicists, especially the Zayat, Baffert, and Espinoza families; assistant trainer Jimmy Barnes; groom Eduardo Luna; exercise riders Jorge Alvarez, Dana Barnes, and Martin Garcia; and jockey agent Brian Beach. 

"Every trainer, we wish every trainer, would be able to work with a horse like this one," Baffert said. "He was so different from than any other horse I've had."

American Pharoah swept the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes (all grade I) to become racing's first Triple Crown winner in 37 years. Subsequent victories in the William Haskell Invitational Stakes (gr. I) and against top older horses in the Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) further enhanced his stature as an all-time great.

Baffert said the media coverage of American Pharoah's story this year was terrific, from writers, to video, to photographers.

"This horse helped racing get back to where it should be, the level of attention is deserves," Baffert said.