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The American Pharaoh

A horse is single hoofed, herbivorous, and domesticated animal with a flowing mane and tail. Generally, a horse is used for leisure riding, racing, and sometimes to carry and pull loads. Horse racing is a favorite sport and especially for the wealthy in society given, the high cost of buying and maintain an animal. While horseracing is purely for sport, a major part of horse racing lies in the economic importance of gambling. Primarily, this essay describes the American Pharoah is an American bred racehorse.

I chose to write about the American Pharoah because of the horse’s remarkable performance. Primarily, the American Pharoah is a bay colt with no white marks born on February 2, 2012 and easily recognized by its very short tail. Its Egyptian owner Ahmed Zayat bred the American Pharoah in Kentucky, which is a second crop of horses sired from the Stallion Pioneer of the Nile. As far as the racing style is concerned, the American Pharoah prefers the front running style that denotes a horse that is always in or near the lead in almost all its races. Because of its performance, the American Pharoah boasts a remarkable track history.

During the American Pharoah’s maiden race in August 2014, the horse started well but faded towards the end and finished fifth, more than nine lengths behind the winner. Despite the dismal performance in the maiden race, in September of the same year, the horse took the lead from the beginning and went ahead to win the race by four and three-quarter lengths. Further, the horse continued to perform remarkably in the 2015 season where it started with a win on March 14 in the Rebel race at Oaklawn Park where he won by six and a quarter lengths. Meanwhile, a few weeks later in the Arkansas Derby, the American Pharoah took the lead a quarter a mile to the finish to win the race by eight lengths. Apart from the remarkable performance, the horse was in 2014 voted American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse. Admittedly, for a horse to perform this well, it needs a good trainer.

Bob Baffert, who has numerous awards to his name, including winning the Kentucky Derby back to back in 1997 and 1998, trains the American Pharoah. Interestingly, when the American Pharoah lost in its maiden race, Bob Baffert is quoted as having said that the horse was just misbehaving, apparently reflecting his prowess in identifying and training good racehorses. After the dismal maiden performance, Baffert trained the horse harder, and now he refers to it as a professional and more mature horse. While a trainer may teach a horse to the best of his ability, the jockey also determines how the horse performs in a race. Jockey Victor Espinoza, who has ridden the American Pharoah since the horse’s second race, is a Mexican native who has won numerous titles. He gained fame when he rode the War Emblem to victory in 2002 after having been a jockey in America since 1993. Apart from this, he has also won the 2000 Breeders’ Cup in Spain and ridden numerous other great horses.

In summary, the American Pharoah is a remarkable horse brood from a family of great racing horses. Notably, the horse has performed well despite his young age. Coupled with the fact that it has one of the best trainers and jockeys in America presents a bright future for the horse. Indeed, the American Pharoah is a great horse.