Last edited Tue Jun 9, 2015, 09:29 AM - Edit history (2)

...unchallenged virtually throughout vs a field of nobodies. Red engaged Sham (a horse who may have won the TC himself IMHO if not for Red) in a speed duel for more than 1/2 & drew off at will under a hand ride.

Pharaoh's splits: 24.06, 48.83, 1:13.41, 1:37.99, 2:02.33, 2:26.65
Secretariat's splits: 23 3/5, 46 1/5, a SUICIDAL 1:09 4/5, 1:34 1/5, 1:59, 2:24 breaking the track record by 13 ticks!

Pharoah ran a great race & is a great horse but Red's Belmont remains the most amazing equine performance I've ever seen.

And I do not think it will ever be equaled or beaten in my lifetime.

i still find it pretty impressive, even with soft fractions on an uncontested lead, that AP was still running at the end. We haven't seen a horse like him in a very long time.

Why do we have to degrade AP's achievements by comparing them to the greatest performance in modern equine history? Considering how many good horses were dying in the stretch even with moderate paces, the fact that he ran that fast at the end should be hailed as an amazing achievement all on its own. Belmont is the "test of champions" and AP proved himself more than worthy

....it was a great achievement and it is hard to say what AP's time would be if he'd had a Sham breathing down his neck in the early stages of the race. Still, it is fun to contrast and compare horses of different eras.

I personally would take Spectacular Bid, 2 outta 3, against any horse you could think of at any distance up to 1 1/2 miles.

Monmouth Park and the $1 million Haskell Invitational is the early leader into the clubhouse turn, with venerable Saratoga and their Jim Dandy stalking close behind, but this race is far from over. It’s more than just any race, it’s a true Sweepstakes, where the winner is given the right to host the very first race back of American Pharoah after captivating the world by racing to glory in Saturday’s Belmont Stakes. Can you imagine the fanfare connected to the return to the races of the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years? Canterbury Park can.


The first shot in the Sweepstakes has been fired, and it is a big one. Canterbury Park and Minnesota Horsemen’s Benevolent & Protective Association officials announced today that the Mystic Lake Derby would offer a $2 million purse should the connections of American Pharoah agree to race at the Shakopee, Minnesota oval.


Originally scheduled for Saturday, August 29, at one mile on the turf, and with a purse of $200,000, the American Pharoah version would take place on Sunday, August 30 and be run at 1 1/8 miles on the main track.


“Our intent is to make the Mystic Lake Derby a major race,” Randy Sampson, Canterbury Park President and CEO said. “Attracting American Pharoah to Canterbury would certainly do that. We and our horsemen owe it to our loyal race fans to at least extend this offer to the connections of the Triple Crown winner.”

http://www.horseracingnation.com/blogs/zatt/Let_the_American_Pharoah_Sweepstakes_Begin_123