Page 6 June 11, 2015 EL SEGUNDO HERALD The Horse That Made History By Adam Serrao There he stood, kicking the dirt around him as adrenaline still pumped through his veins from a job well done. With nostrils flaring and hot breath funneling out from his snout, it almost seemed as if American Pharoah could sprint another full mile-and-ahalf with ease as long as it meant a bouquet of roses at the end of it. American Pharoah got his roses. He also made history by doing something that hadn’t been done since Affirmed did it in 1978. Last Saturday afternoon in just 2 minutes, 26.65 seconds, American Pharoah became the 12th horse ever to win the Triple Crown. The short-tailed colt led wire-to-wire in a Belmont Stakes race in which he defeated seven rivals on his way to the sixth fastest time in race history and the horses third win in a row. Before the race had even started, it was clear that trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Victor Espinoza had a special horse on their hands. But this race wasn’t about the trainer or the jockey, it was about the athlete. It was about the horse. “That little horse, he deserved it,” Baffert said. “He’s the one that did it. We were basically just passengers.” Indeed, passengers on a journey that no one had completed in 37 years. Alas, history had been made and American Pharaoh was the one to do it. Espinoza said it best after he crossed the finish line on American Pharaoh’s back. “Wow! Wow!” he exclaimed. There was almost never any doubt. American Pharaoh left all of America shocked in pure amazement. As the anticipation built, all eyes were on American Pharaoh as he entered his block and burst out into a full sprint like a bullet from a gun at the sound of the race’s start. Espinoza quickly maneuvered his way to the inside and had the position that he wanted next to the rail. By just the second turn, the rest of the competition began fading away. This was American Pharaoh’s race to win and he was going to do exactly that. As the horses muscles rippled in the sun and dirt flung out from underneath his hooves, American Pharoah seemed to float on air as he only widened the gap between him and all those who looked to prevent history from happening. “It’s just an amazing feeling that you have when you’re 20 yards from the wire,” Espinoza explained. “And then at the wire I was like, ‘I cannot believe I did it.’” Espinoza didn’t do it; American Pharoah did it. As Baffert said, everyone else was just along for the ride. Hopefully the horse got as much satisfaction, invigoration and sense of accomplishment as all those who participated and looked on. Now it’s time for some perspective. American Pharoah won the race by 5 1/2 lengths. That’s the fourth-largest margin of victory by a horse that has completed the Triple Crown bid. The final quarter-mile of the race is the stretch that usually dashes the dreams of trainers, owners, jockey’s and horses alike. The mile-and-a-half track is the longest track of the three Peter S. Borden, MD SHOULDER, KNEE AND ANKLE SPORTS MEDICINE SPECIALIST Chris F. Wolf, MD CERVICAL, THORACIC AND LUMBAR SPINE SPECIALIST Allyson A. Estess, MD SHOULDER, KNEE, AND HIP SPORTS MEDICINE SPECIALIST sportsandspineortho.com 2361 Rosecrans Ave., Suite #165, El Segundo | 310-775-2331 23456 Hawthorne Blvd., Suite #200, Torrance | 310-375-8700 See The Horse, page 8 There’s No Horsing Around During this Tournament An official Athletes vs. Cancer youth advocacy partner. www.AthletesVersusCancer.org Fri. August 7th - Sun., August 9th Palisades Charter High School 15777 Bowdoin Street Pacific Palisades, CA 90272 Ages 6-14 (Boys and Girls) Early Registration: $250/camper Registration Is Now Available! www.MattBarnesBasketballCamp.com ES Lacrosse Team Wins All-Ocean League Awards Photos courtesy of Alissa Lund First Team: John Lang, senior, El Segundo (attack); Daniel Ball, sophomore, El Segundo (midfield); and Jake Barone, senior, El Segundo (goalie; awarded scholarship and playing lacrosse at Marymount in fall). Second Team: Rory Cochrane, sophomore, El Segundo (attack); Nick Palley, senior, El Segundo (defense); Cayman Barber, sophomore, El Segundo; and Austin Thompson, senior, El Segundo. Coach of the Year: Brooks Roscoe, El Segundo. Most Valuable Player: Nolan Roles, senior, El Segundo (62 points for the season, 48 goals, 15 assists, 2 overtime goals for the win, awarded a scholarship and playing for Marymount college in fall). Offensive Player of the Year: Cory Lund, sophomore, El Segundo ( 124 points for the season, ranked 7th nationally on maxprep. com point leaders, 56 goals, 68 assists... assists 3rd ranked nationally on maxpreps ). By Gregg McMullin Photos by Gregg McMullin The Saturday before Memorial Day for the past 18 years has been a special one for Terry Landreth and a few of his close friends. That’s because he’s held a horseshoe tournament at his home for some good times and good food. The tournament is called The Clarabelle where 32 players compete for the right to say they won it, be toasted or roasted by the rest and be named the unofficial best El Segundo horseshoe player. The tournament name came from a fictitious mascot the U.S. Forest Service used while Landreth was a fire fighter for the service years ago. “It only seemed appropriate to name our tournament after her,” said Landreth. There is a photo of Clarabelle in the center of the tournament bracket board for players to swoon over and for good luck. Now there’s a waiting list for players wanting to play but anyone is welcome to come and watch. “We started this tournament as a fun way to gather people together,” says Landreth a life-long horseshoe player. Then he says that the group needed more of a reason and a cause than to just pitch horseshoes on a holiday weekend. Ten years ago the group of players came up with the idea to give back to the community. So they decided 100% of the money raised would be donated to C.A.S.E. where Landreth’s wife works as a volunteer. “Really this is all about giving back to the people in our community who need it the most,” says Landreth. See Tournament, page 8
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