American Pharoah's Spa Gallop May Never be Matched

Travers Stakes (G1) weekend 2015 was an experience that anyone fortunate enough to be at Saratoga Race Course will never forget. History will tell you the big moment was when Donegal Racing's Keen Ice registered a 16-1 upset at the expense of Zayat Stables' Triple Crown winner, American Pharoah, in the Midsummer Derby. Yet for 15,000, perhaps 20,000, maybe even 25,000 people there was another moment that will always be frozen in time. It happened on the morning of Aug. 28, 2015, the eve of the Travers. Under blue skies and glorious sunshine, the Bob Baffert-trained American Pharoah stepped onto Saratoga Race Course for what was supposed to be a routine gallop. But there was nothing routine about it. It was about 10 minutes of time that none of the onlookers had ever seen before and likely never will again. That was the day when American Pharoah circled the Spa's main track twice under the watchful eyes of a crowd that was conservatively estimated at 15,000 since there was not paid attendance, but was most likely bigger. Every seat in the clubhouse and grandstand was filled. Behind them, people stood four or five deep to catch a glimpse of the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years. The backstretch rail was lined with people as were the turns. It was as if the Travers itself was about to be contested. But it was just a gallop. A bit of exercise normally viewed by a handful of people but on this day attracted an amazing and unprecedented crowd that was a tribute to the 3-year-old's immense popularity and the city's intense love of horse racing. "I had never seen anything like it in my 30 years of racing," said Martin Panza, who was the New York Racing Association's senior vice president of racing operations at the time. "It was such a special morning. It says a lot about the town and the neighborhood and the support the people have for racing that they came out to see him early on a Friday morning. "I don't think we will ever see it again." Baffert, standing in the winner's circle, was astonished as he looked around and saw people jammed into every inch of viewing space at the historic racetrack. "I'll never forget how overwhelmed I was to see all the people. I couldn't believe there were THAT many people there to see him," the two-time Triple Crown winner said. "Getting that many people to see a horse gallop, it will never happen again." The story of how this once-in-a-lifetime event came to be was not as simple as it might seem. After winning the Belmont Stakes (G1) to become the 12th American Triple Crown champion, American Pharoah ran in the Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1) before a record crowd at Monmouth Park and posted a 2 1/4-length victory over Keen Ice as a 1-5 favorite. Afterwards, at the postrace press conference, owner Ahmed Zayat and Baffert said American Pharoah would race next in either the Travers the next month or the Pennsylvania Derby (G2) at Parx Racing in September. At the time, Zayat and Baffert were divided on the matter, but Zayat was firmly in favor of the Travers. Having finalized a stallion deal with Ashford Stud when the son of Pioneerof the Nile was 2, it contained a "kicker," an added payment of $2 million for a victory in the Travers. In addition, Zayat wanted the prestige of running American Pharoah in the Travers. In a private conversation shortly after the Haskell, Zayat said, "Don't listen to what you heard. Listen to what I am saying. A Triple Crown winner does not go to Parx. He goes to Saratoga." Knowing the Travers was in play, Panza and then NYRA CEO and president Chris Kay put full-court pressure on the connections and eventually Baffert yielded. "I wanted to go to Parx. Zayat wanted to go to Saratoga. To me Parx would have been perfect, timing wise. Finally, I said, 'I'll give in. You're right.'" Baffert said. "But if I ever get another Triple Crown champ, he's going to Parx. I like Parx." Finally, after a speedy 1:23 1/5 seven-furlong work Aug. 23 at Del Mar, the final OK came from Baffert and that afternoon at the Spa, Kay announced from the track's winner's circle that American Pharoah was coming to a town he renamed "Pharoahtoga." At the same time, Tonya Terranova began preparing for American Pharoah's arrival. A former assistant for Baffert, Terranova and her husband, trainer John Terranova II, still house and care for Baffert's shippers at their New York barns. On the day the Triple Crown arrived at the Spa it was like the world's most popular rock star had come to the backstretch. "Around the barn, we had things barricaded off but the amount of people who would come just to see him get a bath or catch a glimpse of him was incredible," Tonya Terranova said. "It was such an honor and privilege for our barn and staff to be a part of it with such a magnificent horse." While American Pharoah had logged his last prerace work on the West Coast, Panza discussed with Baffert the possibility of having American Pharoah do a solo gallop the day before the race at a set time of 8:45 a.m. so the public could see him. "American Pharoah enjoyed training early in the morning but we did a favor for NYRA," Baffert said. "I didn't want to do it but Martin Panza was always good to me." Panza, who knew Baffert well from decades of work on the West Coast, was highly appreciative of Baffert's gesture. "Bob was great about it," Panza said. Panza thought a "huge" crowd for a gallop of maybe 3,000-4,000 people might show up. But as it turned out there was a crowd five times larger than "huge." Driving to the track that morning at 7:15 a.m., Panza had his first inkling of what was to come. "When I was driving into the track that morning, it was amazing. So much of the town was walking toward the track and I had never seen that early in the morning," he said. Larry Collmus, then the NYRA track announcer, was flabbergasted at what he saw en route to the track. "That was the only time I was worried about getting to the track on time. The traffic was awful at 7 in the morning," he said. "My goal was to be in the booth at 7:30 and I said to myself, 'What was going on here?' On East Avenue it was totally congested. People were abandoning their cars and walking to the track." As the time approached for the gallop, Terranova watched from the backstretch rail. "The amount of people that came out to see him, it still gives me chills. It was unreal. Along the entire frontside and backside, there wasn't a standing spot available," she said. "It was so magical." Even the members of Glen Kozak's track maintenance crew stopped working to watch. "My guys in the harrow yard were watching. It was like a Saturday afternoon at the track, there was that kind of crowd and excitement," said Kozak, NYRA's senior vice president of operations and capital projects. "I give Bob a ton of credit for making the horse so accessible to the public and press. You never forget those kind of memories." The Coolmore/Ashford team watched from afar as the fans' turnout signaled a world of love for the prized stallion. "It was astounding, not only the way he worked that day, but the amount of people who came out to show support for him," said Adrian Wallace of Ashford's sales office. "It showed how he captured the public's imagination and what he meant to American racing. People turned out like they would for the Travers." When the magic moment arrived and American Pharoah entered the track, Collmus welcomed him as if the colt was heading to the winner's circle after his Triple Crown sweep. "When he left the barn and was on the clubhouse turn, I said, 'American Pharoah, welcome to the greatest racetrack in the world.' And the place went bonkers. I thought I shouldn't have done that. I hope I didn't stir him up but it was deafening loud," he said. "It was incredible. It was crazy." What happened next was even crazier. On the day before the mile-and-a-quarter Travers, American Pharoah zipped around the track twice in a time clockers had as 2:24 for a mile and a quarter, a relatively quick time for a mere gallop in which he was about four paths wide. "I told my rider, go easy but with all the cameras and excitement, 'Pharoah' thought he was going to breeze and went fast," Baffert said. "Looking back, I should have done things differently. If I had sent him out without the pony he would have been fine. Even (assistant trainer Jim Barnes) asked if I was sure that I wanted the pony. But I wanted it because of all the people. He really looked incredible that day. If the race was Friday, he would have galloped." Unfortunately, the race was Saturday. Sent off as an overwhelming 3-10 favorite in front of a capped crowd of 50,000, American Pharoah was chased from the start by Belmont Stakes runner-up Frosted. He finally shook him off in midstretch but could not fend off Keen Ice, who won by three-quarters of a length. All of a sudden, the party-like atmosphere at the Spa turned into an eerie library-like silence. Zayat was ashen as he walked to what was supposed to be a victorious postrace media session. Once he got there, he said his gut reaction was that he should retire the beloved champion. Ten years later, Baffert still remembers the disappointment everyone associated with the colt felt. "He bounced off the gallop but it was still one of his better races," he said. "He was completely empty at the quarter pole and he fought Frosted off, but then Keen Ice got him. It was great for the Keen Ice team, but it was devastating for us. When you have a horse like that and he loses, it takes the wind out of your sails. I felt I let the fans down." But did he? While there was indeed widespread dejection over the loss, there was an even deeper appreciation that Zayat and Baffert were sporting enough to give fans a weekend they will never forget. Baffert saw that at dinner after the race. In the days before the race, Panza made a reservation for Baffert and some friends at The Wishing Well, a popular Saratoga restaurant. After the loss, Panza wondered if the trainer would scrap those plans. But Baffert went to The Wishing Well and another sensational moment unfolded. As the white-haired trainer walked in, the patrons gave him a standing ovation. "That was incredible," Baffert said. Panza said that response reflected how the experience meant more to fans than the race. "How awesome is it that people would support racing that strongly and understand the importance and relevance of what happened that weekend with them running him there," he said. "They were so happy he came and that was their way of saying 'Thank you for coming. We got to see something awesome.'" As devastated as Zayat was about the loss, on the plane ride back to California Baffert convinced him the gallop that turned into a workout was to blame. The owner agreed to let him monitor the horse and a few weeks later, after he showed no ill effects from the Travers, it was announced that American Pharoah would conclude his career in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Keeneland. It was there that American Pharoah became the sport's only Grand Slam winner by adding the Classic to his Triple Crown. He rode into the sunset at Keeneland with a dazzling 6 1/2-length victory with Keen Ice a little more than 12 lengths back in fourth. As a footnote to that finale, prior to the Classic Baffert agreed to have another solo gallop for the public two days before the race. The day before it, a member of the track's publicity staff commented to a media member that there would be a "huge" crowd "so get there early." When it was pointed out that at least 15,000 people turned out at Saratoga, she said, "Oh, we'll get more people than that. This is Kentucky. It's horse country." She was right. It was a "huge" crowd. Maybe 500 people, an incredible number for virtually every other gallop around a racetrack... except one. To paraphrase Joe Hirsch, there once was a horse who drew 15,000-20,000 people to a gallop, but only once and probably never again.