chapter 386

6/6/2015

Triple Crown

jumping for joy

Lucas is a triple threat with his hop, skip, and jump routines. He has also been a lucky omen for me as a horse racing handicapper. The first time was a couple years ago when I bet the winning namesake trainer in the Travers Ch 326.

The bouncy house was a BIG hit with everyone at his 2 year birthday party.

On the way to Lucas birthday party I stopped at Saratoga Racino to log a couple bets on the Belmont Stakes for the triple crown. Won both for my biggest payoff ever, many bettors were jumping for joy.

Just believed in the Triple Crown winner, American Pharaoh. My connection is that I was there in 1978 for the Saratoga Travers when the last Triple Crown Thoroughbred named Affirmed came to race. Won on that bet also but the drama was that Alydar had matched up closely with Affirmed in each leg of the triple, although losing. At the Travers, Affirmed won again in a close race but was set down to second due to a last turn blocking foul by Affirmed with 18 year old jockey sensation Steve Cauthen committing the infraction.

There have only been 12 triple winners in the hundred years of it's existence. Before yesterday, there have been more men to have walked on the Moon than there have been triple crown winners. Sure the great Secretariat won it's Belmont by 30 some lengths but Pharaoh was just two seconds behind her time there.

My pre-digital portfolio of the olden days is pretty limited. Love my shot of the above beautiful chestnut horse from a 2004 breakfast at Saratoga morning. Will attempt to update this page with photo of Pharaoh if he comes to Toga.

It was interesting that the Pharoah's owners, Zayat Racing, put up their horse at Saratoga's  Fastig Tifton 2012 auction but bidders were afraid of a blemish so Zayat Racing bought back the horse for $300,000. I shot this ? horse in 2009. Open to the public, you can walk around the back barns where interested parties inspect the offerings.

The public is not supposed to sit in the seats reserved for the millionaires, but I did sneak in there for a while, then to the upper gallery where I'd be more able to photograph without drawing attention. No flashes. Viewed the multiple thousand dollar art work for sale. Didn't appeal to me. Let this hip #22 slide also, at $675,000 I was looking for something a little better.

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