No, I didn’t misspell the Triple Crown winner’s name. The correct spelling is pharaoh in Egyptian.  The above typo happened  when the horse was registered and now is his  forever in the record books as the 12 Triple Crown winner with a misspelled name.   He is the first winner in a 37 year drought.  There has been talk lately of changing  some rules so that a horse could successfully run and win. I, for one, am glad this moment in sports every spring with remain for the very special “rock star” horse, like American Pharoah.

There is a very American back story that comes  with American Pharoah.  It is a salad bowl of stories.   His owner is Ahmed Zayat who is  an Orthodox Jewish Egyptian entrepreneur and very successful  with his stable of horses, and the business of producing and selling non-alcoholic malt drinks in  Egypt. Mr. Zayat hired a trainer by the name of Bob Baffert for that all important  job in preparation for these races.  Bob had been a substitute teacher in Arizona before becoming a trainer.

The jockey , too , has a story.   His name is Victor Espionza.  He began his career in his native Mexico.  Yesterday was his third chance at the Triple Crown , an opportunity  no other jockey  else had had this.  He made the most of it with his winning ride.

After the race, American Pharoah, was lead out of his stall and  quickly surrounded by the press and cameramen. This magnificent  horse stood quietly and patiently as he was photographed and actually petted by the the press. Stallions are usually  extremely high spirited, just the opposite of  the new Triple Crown winner. It was noted that there was not a dry eye from these seasoned sports reporters. The horse with the big heart and the misspelled name will be remembered with a special place in history!

This Is Incredible American Pharoah !

images from google, public domain