Pharoah at Belmont

[Dana666]

http://www.belmontstakes.com/#&panel1-1

Check out the video of Pharoah\'s grand appearance at Belmont.

How is possible that he looks as though he is thriving, rather than worn down by the triple crown trail?

So he\'s 3-5 in the morning line,and he\'s more likely to go off 1-5.

And I don\'t think I\'ve ever run into so much enthusiasm for a possible triple crown among non-racing types, who will betting with both fists on this occasion by the way.

Isn\'t that strange, betting on a 1-5 proposition with so much excitement?

I know some of your mouths are watering like Pavlov\'s pooch at that prospect, but for them it\'s all about the excitement of backing the triple crown winner and nothing to do what what most of us on this board concern ourselves with day to day.

Be careful about planning your retirement on the score you intend to make with Pharaoh\'s inevitable (and history tells us it is inevitable, right?) defeat!

Unlike many, I once looked at this year\'s crop of 3 year-olds as superior, but my enthusiasm for their greatness has waned pretty quickly.

In fact, I think Pharoah\'s competition is very very weak. They were a lot of fast 2 year-olds, but as far as greatness or staying power, not so much. It feels like the year Rachel Alexander dominated the Mine That Bird types.

Maybe winning the crown in this day and age is truly impossible, but I have a hard time imagining a scenario in which he gets beat, especially with a small field. To the contrary, I see a spectacular performance looming, something they\'ll be talking about for many years after Saturday.

He looks like he\'s ready to explode with energy if that video above is any indication.

I have no great stake in the matter, and I even think the triple crown is an anachronism at this point in time with way too much hype. The Derby is complete joke with the added gate, I mean one-third of the field basically has no shot on post position alone, I mean the inside third, so I put very little stake in the derby\'s ultimate meaning. I mean how ridiculous is the derby? All these wannabees who have no shot stuffed into 20 gates making the randomness usually rule supreme. Ever watch English racing? 20 horses are no big deal over there but here, it\'s a traffic jam of epic proportions. The Preakness and Belmont are a much better gauge of greatness in my opinion.

It\'ll be fun to read all this discussion here and esp. the thorograph team\'s analysis. I mean you can\'t pick Pharaoh--you have to beat him to maintain they mystical status of using sheets for big scores, so I don\'t envy Jerry or whomever does the analysis. I know he \"bounced\" in the Preakness and now the \"X\" is coming like so many times before in the history of the Belmont.

Only fly in that ointment is the Preakness was like a workout; he ran for about the first 1/8 of a mile then laughed at the competition way back in the rear view mirror. I think a similar experience is in store Saturday. Don\'t hate me, I know this post is about as depressing as some pre-derby posts. How do you get stoked about a 1-5 shot???

Do you feel like Baffert (or even Espinoza) deserves this in some sick racing gods karmic way??? I guess we\'ll know soon enough.

[sekrah]

JMO, but the non-racing public\'s enthusiasm for Pharaoh pales in comparison to some previous years.

The story behind Pharaoh really isn\'t all that interesting and captivating.  You have a trainer who has been here a billion times, a jockey who has been here a billion times, and a billionare owner who has bought a billion bullets to win these TC races.

There\'s no unbelievable blue-collar breeding story (Chrome)
There\'s no journeyman jockey/trainer story (Smarty)
There\'s no $50,000 claimer with a feel-good jockey story (Charismatic)
There\'s no six high school buddies who plopped down shares (Funny Cide)

Awesome horse, but the human interest element in American Pharaoh is not very deep at all. I don\'t know any non-racing fan who is that interested in him, and I heard many people all jacked up and rooting for Chrome last year.  I think the TV ratings will come in below last year\'s.

[Beginner]

Not much of a story, but I read that AP failed to get the minimum $300,000 bid at the Fasig-Tipton sale in Saratoga.  Zayat is quoted as saying he would not have let him go for less than $1mm, anyway.  Still, there\'s probably quite a few people out there singing the \"shoulda, woulda, coulda\" song.

[Dana666]

Maybe it\'s just my experience.Do you live in the NYC area? I\'ve never had so many people  talking to me about him, telling me they\'re going to the track. Maybe people are searching for something exciting in NY since our sports teams haven\'t won anything lately.