AT LAST! A TRIPLE CROWN WINNER: AMERICAN PHAROAH

HE DID IT!

THE NEW TRIPLE CROWN WINNER: AMERICAN PHAROAH

I posted earlier that I am always hoping for a triple crown winner. Finally, after 37 long, dry years, American Pharoah became only the twelfth horse to earn the title. Twenty-three horses have won the first two races: The Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, but only a dozen have won all three!

Here is the list of the 12 Triple Crown Winners:
1919: Sir Barton
1930: Gallant Fox
1935: Omaha
1937: War Admiral
1941: Whirlaway
1943: Count Fleet
1946: Assault
1948: Citation
1973:Secretariat
1977: Seattle Slew
1978: Affirmed
2015: American Pharoah!!!!!


During the 1970's, as you can see from the above list, there were three triple crown winners and I had come to expect that every few years there would be one. WRONG! Thirty seven years is a LONG time to wait for a new one, especially when, every year, I am hoping for it to happen.

American Pharoah's name, including the misspelling, came from his sire: Pioneerof the Nile, and his Dam's sire: Yankee Gentleman as well as his owner/breeder's Egyptian heritage. He was born on Groundhogs Day, Feb. 2, 2012 at Stockplace Farm near Winchester, Kentucky.  He was bred and is owned by Ahmed Zayat.

American Pharoah is described as a people-lover. He is gentle and calm for a race horse. His two most outstanding characteristics are his long smooth stride, seen in this picture,

 and his short tail! Apparently, a stable mate chewed it off!

He is a beautiful bay with only a tiny hint of a star and no other white markings. You can see the star in this picture. (Jazz, the star of Behind the Mist also has a tiny white star! Perhaps American Pharoah will become a unicorn someday, too!)

Now, I must add my plea to the Thoroughbred Racing business to please stop racing these horses so young and intentionally breeding for legs that are too thin to carry their own weight! My joy at American Pharoah's victory is greatly tempered by my sadness at the loss of yet another beautiful horse on the same day at the same track in a different race. Behind a curtain out on the track, just three hours before American Pharoah raced and won, Helwan ran his last race. On the back stretch, this beautiful thoroughbred "broke down" as they call it. That means, in this case, his left front cannon bone snapped. A curtain went up and he was euthanized where the crown didn't have to see it. "Broke Down?" Really? These aren't just cars or trucks! They are living,feeling creatures. And the racing industry has caused this by its breeding practices and training and racing these horses WAY too young!

Rare? you ask. NO! Since January, 43 horses have died in training or racing...just in the state of New York!

I don't know what to do about this!

So, with a bit of an ache in my heart, I guess I'll go back to writing my latest book.

Need something great to read for the summer?
Get the Gold Medal winning trilogy: Behind the Mist, Mists of Darkness and The Rising Mist:
On the website: www.themisttrilogy.com or wherever books or ebooks are sold. 

MAY 7th IS SEATTLE SLEW DAY!

I am officially declaring May 7th to be Seattle Slew Day! On May 7, 1977, the 16 hand, dark brown colt won the Kentucky Derby. On May 7, 2002, he died.

Seattle Slew was the tenth out of eleven horses to win the Triple Crown.
Every year I hope we will have a new triple crown winner even though it hardly ever happens. This year I am rooting for last Saturday's Kentucky Derby winner, American Pharaoh. In 1977, I was living in Salem, Oregon and pregnant with my first child, Bethany. But you can bet I was rooting for Seattle Slew to win the triple crown.

Seattle Slew was born on February 15, 1974 at White Horse Acres Farm new Lexington, Kentucky. He was rejected from the prestigious Keeneland Yearling Sale based upon his weak pedigree and his appearance. Everyone thought he was ugly. (Does that remind you of Seabiscuit?) He was purchased at another yearling sale by two couples from Washington State, an airline stewardess, Karen Taylor,  her lumberjack husband, Mickey and their friends Jim and Sally Hill. Jim Hill was a veterinarian. His name came from the city of Seattle and the sloughs that loggers in the Pacific Northwest use to transport heavy logs. They float them down canals. Karen changed the spelling to "slew" because she was afraid no one would spell it correctly.

This is a picture of Seattle Slew in the winner's circle at the Flamingo Stakes in Hialeah, FL.
Left to right: Groom, owner Karen Taylor and Jocky Jean Cruguet.

I wanted to include this picture of the cover of Sports Illustrated from June 20, 1977 because I love the headline: "Riding High and Handsome." Not bad for a horse that was considered too ugly to qualify for the Keeneland Auction! 

It is also important to note that Seattle Slew is the only undefeated horse to win the Triple Crown.

So remember: May 7th is SEATTLE SLEW DAY!

In the second book of The Mist Trilogy titled Mists of Darkness, the book opens with the first mist of darkness as it descends on Churchill Downs. No one can see or hear anything...except the horses who hear the evil unicorn Hasbadana trying to talk them into joining his army to conquer the world. As you might guess, only the unhappy horses agree to follow him. 

You can get the Mist Trilogy wherever books are sold. Get autographed copies on the website: www.themisttrilogy.com

WAR ADMIRAL - Famous son of Man O'War

The picture above is of the most famous horse race in American History: the match race between the 1937 Triple Crown winner, War Admiral and the "people's darling" from the west coast: Seabiscuit. As you probably already know, Seabisuit won that race by four lengths.

However, dear readers, do not let that take away from the greatness of War Admiral! This wonderful horse was born in February, 1934 at the Lexington, Kentucky home of his father: Man O'War. The name of the breding facility is Faraway Farm. He was the sixth foal by Man O'War from the mare Brushup. The first five were fillies and didn't do great on the race track. But War Admiral was another story. In all, his owner: Samuel D. Riddle raced him 26 times and he won 21 of them. As I mentioned, he was the triple crown winner in 1937 and was named "Horse of the Year" that year. He was later elected to the National Museum of Racing and the Hall of Fame.

Unlike the movie depiction of him, he was a dark brown and smaller than average. The average race horse is 16 hands. His father, Man O'War was 16.2 but War Admiral was only 15.3 hands.

War Admiral went on to become a great sire. He fathered 40 stakes winners before he died in 1959 at the age of 25.

He is truly one of the noble and great horses and deserves to become a unicorn!


Here is the newsreal clip of War Admiral winning the 1937 Kentucky Derby, the first of the Triple Crown Races.

Send me the story of your noble and great horse. He doesn't have to be famous...just loved:

Email: http://mjevansbtm@gmail.com

or visit the Behind the Mist Facebook Page!