HORSE RACING-BELMONT/TRIPLE CROWN NYC REAX New York City reacts to American Pharoah scooping the Triple Crown

Record ID: 150390

  • Title: HORSE RACING-BELMONT/TRIPLE CROWN NYC REAX New York City reacts to American Pharoah scooping the Triple Crown
  • Date: 7th June 2015
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) ELISA FITZMARTIN, 2015 BELMONT STAKES ATTENDEE, SAYING: "It was very exciting. It's been such a long time since we've had a Triple Crown winner and we brought his mother here because she saw the last one in '78 and she turned 85 this year and so we brought her to see it because she loves horses and the horse race and all of us, the whole family was ch
  • Embargoed: 22nd June 2015 13:00
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  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA7NXRBUBJQUFEIT3M11FPTRZW3
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Visitors and residents in New York City on Sunday (June 07) were ecstatic over the news of American Pharoah's Triple Crown win.
    The mile-and-a-half Belmont Stakes is known as the 'Test of the Champion' and American Pharoah passed it with flying colors to become the first horse in 37 years to claim U.S. thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown on June 6.
    "It's been such a long time since we've had a Triple Crown winner and we brought his mother here because she saw the last one in '78 and she turned 85 this year and so we brought her to see it because she loves horses and the horse race and all of us, the whole family was cheering for American Pharoah," said Elisa Fitzmartin, who was there with her husband at Saturday's race.
    "Yeah, we were all very excited about it and the electricity in the stands," said Michael Fitzmartin.
    "I'm a big sports fan and I've never felt anything like that in the two minutes that American Pharoah was coming around. It was fantastic. It was unbelievable."
    In winning his seventh straight race, American Pharoah became only the 12th horse to sweep the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes, and the first since Affirmed did it in 1978.
    "I think it's such a great honor and the fact that he was able to hold out for all three races," said Lauren Sloan.
    "It was pretty good to see him not give up. What was it, '78 was the last year? That's pretty impressive."
    As he crossed the finish line, jockey Victor Espinoza pumped his fist and the sold-out crowd of 90,000 at Belmont Park cheered wildly.
    The victory secured American Pharoah trainer Bob Baffert's first Triple Crown after being denied three previous times at the Belmont Stakes.
    "I think it's pretty incredible because of the length of time that it's actually been since a horse has done it and then given that they can have loads of different competition that can come in and he won all of the races is pretty amazing so he must be obviously an amazing racing horse," said Jasmine MacFarlane.
    American Pharoah, the son of 2009 Kentucky Derby runner-up Pioneer of the Nile, now has seven victories in eight career starts.
    The winning time of 2:26.65 for a mile-and-a-half over a fast track was well off the record of 2:24 set in 1973 by Triple Crown winner Secretariat.
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