My 2015 Triple Crown Experience

"The 37 year wait is over!" That announcer's call rang out on a surreal Saturday, June 6, 2015. It had been a 16 year wait for me: 16 first Saturday's of May, 16 new sets of three year old thoroughbreds, 7 disappointing close calls. But finally, the day was here. I watched in a mixture of excitement, shock, and disbelief. In a time when I was hurting, I was blessed to witness a piece of history.

In 1999, the Belmont Stakes became the first horse race I ever watched. Charismatic's tragic near miss, broken ankle or not, captivated me. This Triple Crown was elusive and I was drawn to it. I was 4 years into horseback riding by that time and I was ten years old in 1999. It would be a couple more years until the sport hooked me for good.

In 2002, War Emblem had just won the Derby and Preakness when I made my first trip to Churchill Downs. At thirteen, I was already a better handicapper even as a rookie than most of the people in the crowd that day. Every horse I picked finished in the top three, and I picked my first winner that day. His name was Hot Lover, and I will never forget the excitement of watching that photo finish. The track was buzzing with anxious hope for the possibility of a triple crown win. The Belmont was just around the corner and War Emblem was the talk of the town. Of course, he too would fall short of racing's holy grail and greatest feat.

By 2003 the triple crown had become a bit of an obsession to me. I handicapped the derby every year with 50% success rate of picking the winner to date. In 2003 it was Funny Cide who disappointed me, though the horse he lost to was both more deserving and a more important part of the future of the sport--Empire Maker was just a three year old. He probably should have won the Derby, but he didn't. He became a Belmont winner that day, but far more important, he would later become the grandsire of America's next triple crown winner.

In 2004 my heart was broken badly when the undefeated Smarty Jones lost. His was such a close call. It simultaneously made me believe and begin to lose faith that this crown would ever be won again.

Barbaro (2006), Big Brown (2008), I'll Have Another (2011) and California Chrome (2014) would add themselves to the list of those I thought might do it--though to be fair I was skeptical of Chromes chances.

In 2009 the horse I picked for the derby finished second to major longshot Mine That Bird. I'd picked a well put together bay colt who'd been cleaning up in his prep races. Pioneerofthenile was a son of Empire Maker. It's always a neat thing when you can remember a horse's sire racing. I was about to experience that in a whole new way.

Arrive at 2015. I was living alone and on a budget, so I didn't have internet or cable at the time. So I was sitting in a booth at a Panera in Jacksonville, Florida with two laptops--one for the Internet and the other because it had the statistical derby prediction model I had created on it (yes I'm that much of a nerd). I crunched numbers for a few hours, watched races, studied bloodlines. Of course I'd already had some idea who I liked. And after hours of research, that opinion would not change. It would only become more solid.

Choosing American Pharoah over Dortmund for the Derby was a gamble in my mind--how do you pick against an undefeated son of a Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner (Big Brown)? But there was just something about him. That long, flowing stride. The ease with which he made winning appear. I had this feeling in my gut that Pharoah was more than just the best horse in a very good crop, but he was one of the best horses we'd seen in a while (at least in terms of those who've run the derby). I trusted my gut and boy am I glad I did.

Of course you all know the story. A two length win over two great horses on a "bad day" for Pharoah in the Derby. An easy but muddy coast to victory in the Preakness. And on Belmont day, guarded as I was to another disappointment, I could feel my doubts melting away as I looked at him in the viewing paddock on the TV. He just looked good. Fresh. Strong. He didn't look tired after winning 3 races in just a few short weeks. He just looked ready. Stark contrast to how I'd felt about California Chrome the year before.

I was going through a tough break up at the time, and so I needed that win more than ever. I needed something to cheer for in the midst of total heartbreak. As the came into the stretch I remember saying come on Buddy, do it for me. Win it for me. And as he began to pull away I almost couldn't even believe it was really happening. I was simultaneously excited and numb from my own hurt as I watched the very thing I'd waited most of my life to see. I watched racing history unfold right before my eyes. The son of another horse I'd picked for the derby. The grandson of a horse I'd watched spoil a different triple crown attempt. A horse who's trainer had struck out with three other chances. Who's jockey had just missed aboard two other colts. A team that truly deserved a win. And in front of a country that had been waiting 37 years for it, for him, American Pharoah pulled it off. Just when it was beginning to seem impossible, he became only the twelfth triple crown winner out of 142 Kentucky Derbies. He made history in a big way and I felt blessed to witness it. My aching heart swelled with pride as a mixture of joy and hurt consumed me. American Pharoah was the horse America had been waiting for. He was the horse I'd been waiting for. And he couldn't have come at a better time. He was the distraction I needed and the thing I could feel happy about in a tough time. He was a horse I'd believed in, when I'd nearly lost faith that it would ever happen. He was the hero horse racing needed. He was the hero I needed.