This past weekend brought two pieces of very good news from the world of thoroughbred racing. ADVERTISING This past weekend brought two pieces of very good news from the world of thoroughbred racing. The first was that American Pharoah won
This past weekend brought two pieces of very good news from the world of thoroughbred racing.
The first was that American Pharoah won the Belmont Stakes to become the first Triple Crown winner since 1978.
The second is that he’s not done racing yet.
The millions of people who got goose bumps watching him sprint to victory in these iconic races can look forward to more.
The temptation for the owner of a successful racehorse is to divert him immediately to a less demanding and more lucrative pastime: producing offspring. In 2012, I’ll Have Another, after winning the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, had to be withdrawn from the Belmont because of tendonitis.
Taking no chances with his future stream of stud fees, his owners retired him from competition.
When Smarty Jones just missed a Triple Crown in 2004, finishing second in the Belmont, he too proceeded directly to the serious business of impregnating mares. So, there was no guarantee anyone would ever see American Pharoah gallop triumphantly down the home stretch again.
The rationale behind such decisions is powerful.
As an official of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association said in 2013, “There is so much more money to be made in the stud if you’re successful than you could ever dream of making compared to racing.”
A horse that keeps racing is subject to the fatal physical dangers that go with the sport. A horse that keeps racing but stops winning only can reduce the demand for, and price of, his reproductive services.
One reason the legendary John Henry stayed on the track until he was 9 is that, being a gelding, he couldn’t pass on his exceptional genes.
But owner Ahmed Zayat isn’t quite ready to put American Pharoah out to pasture.
It helps he already sold the superstar’s breeding rights. It also helps that he owns 75 percent of the horse’s sire, Pioneer of the Nile — which according to the peculiar logic of the horse business might be even more valuable.
“I think we owe it to the sport to do the right thing,” Zayat said Sunday.
“We’re not thinking about the money or the value. When the horse is ready, we’re not going to be scared of running him. It’s all about the fans now.”
The more races he runs, the more new spectators and bettors might be created.
Trainer Bob Baffert said American Pharoah might run two or three more times this year, with options that include the Aug. 29 Travers Stakes and the Oct. 31 Breeder’s Cup Classic. Zayat didn’t even rule out the possibility that he would run next year as a 4-year-old.
Let’s hope so.
Anyone who watched this four-legged champion streak to victory would love to see him try to do it again.
When horses such as this one make their competitive exit, they still have an important function. As Baffert has noted, “They get to have sex with 200 mares a year.”
With any luck, American Pharoah has plenty of pleasure ahead of him.
For now, at least, the pleasure of racing fans will take priority.
— Chicago Tribune
