Triple triumph
Multiple Oaklawn winner captures historic crown
American Pharoah became an Arkansas idol Saturday, his cheering section based locally at Oaklawn Park.
Winning the 147th Belmont Stakes at New York’s Belmont Park, American Pharoah brought welcome publicity to the track that horse racing’s 12th Triple Crown winner made his first two starts of the year.
“History was made today,” said Oaklawn general manager Eric Jackson. “He did it with an exclamation point.”
When American Pharoah crossed the finish line at Belmont Park 5 1/ 2 lengths ahead of second- place Frosted, racegoers in the Oaklawn grandstand reacted like Arkansas had beaten Texas in football.
It was American Pharoah Day both
in Hot Springs and statewide, honoring the winner of Oaklawn’s Grade 2 Rebel in March and Grade 1 Arkansas Derby in April. Courtesy of Visit Hot Springs, commemorative trading cards were distributed at the track, their potential value on eBay and other sites increasing dramatically in late afternoon.
American Pharoah’s onelength victory in the Kentucky Derby May 2 and seven- length romp in the Preakness two weeks later made him the 14th prospective Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978. American Pharoah, acing the mile- and- a- half Test of the Champion, brought joy on a June Saturday after Alysheba, Silver Charm, Smarty Jones and California Chrome among others could not.
Jackson, a Hot Springs native whose late father distributed Daily Racing Form, admitted nervousness before the eight Belmont starters went to the post shortly before 6 p. m. local time.
“If you don’t get butterflies on a day like this, it’s time to do something else, take it down the road,” said Jackson, Oaklawn’s newly named operations director when Affirmed beat Alydar in Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes thrillers of 1978.
“I was 6 months old then,” said Karie Hobby, Oaklawn’s food and beverage director of operations and daughter of trainer Steve Hobby.
Jackson, pointing to a sports writer, said, “You’ve got ties in your closet older than she is.”
For the record, American Pharoah is the 10th Oaklawn winner of a Triple Crown event since 1976. The 2015 Belmont is the 14th Triple Crown victory for those 10 horses, Smarty Jones ( 2004) and Afleet Alex ( 2005) also winning two legs of the Triple Crown. Nine other Oaklawn starters have a Triple Crown victory, three Arkansas Derby runners- up capturing the Kentucky Derby.
Oaklawn is a favorite track of California- based Bob Baffert, Hall of Fame trainer of American Pharoah, whose horses have won the Rebel five times and the Arkansas Derby twice in this decade. Baffert has said he likes Oaklawn’s track surface, reminding him of Kentucky Derby site Churchill Downs.
American Pharoah’s Oaklawn success came in a season that, despite often inclement weather, horsemen campaigned for record purses. Winning the Rebel ($ 750,000) and Arkansas Derby ($ 1 million) gave American Pharoah 150 points toward a possible Kentucky Derby start under Churchill Downs’ qualifying system.
Some Oaklawn fans Saturday watched inside the track’s gaming center, which underwent expansion this year. In a crucial 2005 election, Hot Springs voters allowed Oaklawn to add electronic games of skill to existing pari- mutuel machines, pledging to pour revenues from that and simulcast wagering into live racing.
“That was our promise to the state legislature and Gov. ( Mike) Huckabee,” Jackson said, “that we would keep good horses coming through here. We have fulfilled that promise.”