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American Pharoah vs. Beholder! People are already buzzing. Showdowns between males and females have come in many forms over the years, including battles between top 2-year-olds, 3-year-olds, and older horses. Some have decided championships, some were hyped in the press going into the race, some came in Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup races, ...

There are freak racehorses and there are freak pedigrees. They don’t come around very often, and on those rare occasions when they do, they normally defy explanation. Now, when you have a freak of a racehorse who just happens to have a freaky pedigree, then you have found something extra special. And that appears to be the case with ...

Before the Keeneland September yearling sale became the mother of all sales, there was the Keeneland July yearling sale, which featured the crème de la crème of yearlings in a small but select sale. This was the sale that during the mid-80s boom saw Northern Dancers and Nijinskys going for high seven figures and eight figures, as Sheikh ...

Call me a worry wart. I’ve been known to see the glass half empty; just my nature. So don’t take my concerns about American Pharoah in the Travers Stakes too seriously. It’s just me being me. All I can say, from past experience, is that this race scares the heck out of me, even though American Pharoah looks as if he could have everything his ...

Although we are well aware of Saratoga’s reputation, this in no way is meant to suggest or influence what American Pharoah’s connections should do regarding running in the Travers Stakes. Bob Baffert and Ahmed Zayat have handled the colt perfectly so far, from his injury suffered before the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and subsequent layoff over the ...

Former British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli once said, “You can tell the strength of a nation by the women behind its men.” The nation that is American Pharoah currently rules the racing world and perhaps even the sports world and beyond. It has grown from strength to strength into a cultural phenomenon with loyal subjects from coast to ...

This column is about Titans of the Turf, both equine and human. It is about Dr. Fager and Damascus and John Nerud and Frank Whiteley, a portion of which I ran several years ago, with a great deal more added. I have never seen a trainer take more satisfaction in winning a race than John Nerud did after Dr. Fager defeated his arch rival Damascus ...

When a 102-year-old person dies it shouldn’t come as a shock. But John Nerud was no ordinary person, and it is still difficult to believe he is gone. Although his body steadily deteriorated over the past couple of years, his mind refused to follow and he still was looking for ways to improve the sport, NYRA, and the Breeders’ Cup right up ...

It has been an amazing and magical journey for American Pharoah, as well as for racing fans across America, sports fans, horse lovers, and anyone who appreciates true greatness. We are now into August and the American Pharoah legend keeps growing, as does his aura of invincibility. But invincibility exists moment to moment. Whether it defines ...

As I said before the Preakness, you really don’t think I’m going against American Pharoah now after having him ranked No. 1 since February and stating then he had superstar potential and looked to be something special. This is the race that no doubt will determine his place in the history books. There are Triple Crown winners and then there ...