Can American Pharoah Win the Triple Crown?
Only 11 Thoroughbreds have won horse racing’s Triple Crown, is American Pharoah number 12?
If Thoroughbred American Pharoah wins Saturday’s Belmont Stakes, he’ll become the 12th Triple Crown winner in horse racing history and the first horse to accomplish that feat since Affirmed in 1978.
But it will not be easy.
The Belmont, at 1.5 miles, is the longest of the Triple Crown races. Since 1978, 13 horses have been in the same position as American Pharoah — winners of The Kentucky Derby and The Preakness — but have failed at the Belmont; succumbing to fatigue.
Could American Pharoah be the horse to end this long Triple Crown drought? And, why hasn’t there been a Triple Crown winner in more than 35 years?
Joining “Detroit Today” host Stephen Henderson is noted trainer and the President of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association Rick Violette. In this sweeping conversation, Henderson and Violette touch on the difficulty of winning the Triple Crown, the way Thoroughbred breeding practices have impacted the sport and if American Pharoah, has a real shot at being the next Triple Crown winner.
To hear the full conversation, click the audio link above.
