American Pharoah will stand in stud. Lucky horse. Doing his blue-blood-bluegrass stallion thing and eating all the oats and hay he wants has to beat getting up with the chickens, lugging a jockey and getting mud in your eye.
But where will he stand in history? Off the podium.
The 3-year-old just completed the Pharoah Slam, winning the Triple Crown and the Breeders' Cup Classic. He's the only one to do it. Why? He's the only horse that's had a chance. The Cup wasn't around in 1978, when Affirmed was last to win the Triple.
I love the great thoroughbreds, as I do the great running backs, because they're all different. Pharaoh must be considered great, but there are many. I'm nothing close to a horse whisperer, but I've seen most every big shot since Swaps, and if asked where I would place AP among the best I've seen, he can't be near the top.
Longtime Del Mar publicist Dan Smith has been around the game most of his life. He can go back to Citation, and what he has to say about Pharoah is the way I feel. Terrific horse, all right, but as my dad always said, "He has to eat a few beans yet," and AP isn't eating any more beans.
"The shame of it is that Pharoah isn't running as a 4-year-old," Smith said. "There's still upside to that horse; I don't think we got a chance to see him reach his peak. Very few horses reach their physical peak at 3.
"So it's hard to place him. How can you compare him with an Affirmed, Seattle Slew or Spectacular Bid? They ran at 4, ran great at 4. Pharoah's accomplishments are terrific, but I'd like to see more."
Comparing horse eras is impossible. Thoroughbreds aren't bred the same now, which is for speed and making owners money. For example, in 1948, the year he won the Triple Crown, Citation won a race between the Preakness and Belmont.
And the top horses carried far, far more weight.
"Pharoah hasn't carried more than 126," Smith said. "They don't make them like they used to."
I can remember Forego carrying 136 pounds. A trainer no-no today. And you can't compare the 2000s to the 1960s, when Buckpasser, Dr. Fager and Damascus all ran against one another. My favorite horse is Buckpasser, but you can argue Dr. Fager was better than all of them.
You say Secretariat never ran at 4, but please, do not compare Pharoah to that horse. Healthy, I make Shared Belief the best now.
"I would have loved to see Pharoah run against Shared Belief, Beholder and California Chrome, but it didn't happen," Smith said. "I don't think the Classic was Pharoah's best race; I thought the Derby was. But he sure wasn't Dr. Fager, Affirmed or Spectacular Bid-fast."
