The Kentucky Derby is tomorrow! Who else is looking forward to it?
(I decided it was better to have a new thread for the new year's races rather than discussing every year in one thread like we had in the past. This way people can see what parts of the discussion are current and such.)
Horse Racing 2015
Yeah American Pharoah!
I was really excited about this after seeing Bob Baffert had not only the favorite - but the two top favorites! And he finally got it!
I decided to drop by the Chatroom for a viewing party. I was the only one watching but it was still fun.
I was really excited about this after seeing Bob Baffert had not only the favorite - but the two top favorites! And he finally got it!
I decided to drop by the Chatroom for a viewing party. I was the only one watching but it was still fun.
Just a few hours until Preakness post time! Come on American Pharoah! I am so exited!
I plan to be live chatting the race again; come on by the Chatroom whether you're watching or not to share the experience! It's too brief an event to warrant its own channel I think so it will probably just be in #aio
-- 16 May 2015 04:04 pm --
AMERICAN PHAROAH AAAHH!!! *dies*
For the second year in a row the Triple Crown can be claimed at the Belmont!
Chat Transcript:
I plan to be live chatting the race again; come on by the Chatroom whether you're watching or not to share the experience! It's too brief an event to warrant its own channel I think so it will probably just be in #aio
-- 16 May 2015 04:04 pm --
AMERICAN PHAROAH AAAHH!!! *dies*
For the second year in a row the Triple Crown can be claimed at the Belmont!
Chat Transcript:
Last edited by bookworm on Sat May 16, 2015 5:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Woody
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I'm super excited to see if we finally get a new Triple Crown Winner tomorrow! Affirmed has held that title for far too long 
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Everyone should be watching this tomorrow, even if they don't care about horse racing itself! This is a chance to see history made!
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Knight Fisher
- I fish in the darkness
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Welp there's the Triple Crown.
To LGBT ToOers: The world is so much wider than your family and church. There are accepting people out there.
IT HAS FINALLY HAPPENED! 
I am so happy about this I can't even describe it! It's one thing to have finally seen this historic achievement, regardless of the horse, but having it be this horse, one from the trainer I have always rooted for, it makes it personal to me. Everyone is excited about this in general because history has been made, but I am excited in an even deeper way because of who made it.
Bob Baffert is a legendary trainer (he already was before this, but now he indisputably is!) and a good guy. I am truly thrilled for him. And he actually almost got here before but lost it on a photo finish, the narrowest Triple Crown loss ever. So he deserved this.
Chat transcript:
People that don't get why this is a big deal just don't understand what happened. Even if you don't care about the sport, it should be clear why this event is significant.
There is nothing you can compare the Triple Crown to for an analogy. You would want to equate it to the Super Bowl or World Series because it's the top achievement of the sport, but it's not like those at all because those happen every year. Someone is going to win it, it's a big deal, but it's not on the same historic scale at all.
This isn't something that is attempted every year, you have to have great success just to get the ability to try for this. There have only been a handful of horses that have ever even had a chance to attempt winning a Triple Crown, nevermind managing to succeed!
The number that people keep throwing around is how it hadn't been won in 37 years, and yes that shows how hard it is, but what shows how astoundingly rare it is are the all inclusive numbers.
Racing for a Triple Crown has been possibile since 1875, exactly 140 years ago, except two years where two of the races were run the same day. That means 138 horses have won the first race and had the potential to continue pursuing a Triple Crown. Of those only 34 managed to win the second race and be in position to attempt it and 31 of them ran in the final race to actually have a chance of winning. And of those only 12 have ever succeeded.
So only 8% of potential Triple Crown bids have been successful. That's pretty rare.
But there's another way to look at it that perhaps makes it even more remarkable. You don't have to get into the math, just look at the context.
These races are held once a year. So if we've only had this few since 1875, that means there have only been 12 winners in 140 years!
Let those numbers sink in, then tell me you don't understand why this is a big deal.
I am so happy about this I can't even describe it! It's one thing to have finally seen this historic achievement, regardless of the horse, but having it be this horse, one from the trainer I have always rooted for, it makes it personal to me. Everyone is excited about this in general because history has been made, but I am excited in an even deeper way because of who made it.
Bob Baffert is a legendary trainer (he already was before this, but now he indisputably is!) and a good guy. I am truly thrilled for him. And he actually almost got here before but lost it on a photo finish, the narrowest Triple Crown loss ever. So he deserved this.
Chat transcript:
There is nothing you can compare the Triple Crown to for an analogy. You would want to equate it to the Super Bowl or World Series because it's the top achievement of the sport, but it's not like those at all because those happen every year. Someone is going to win it, it's a big deal, but it's not on the same historic scale at all.
This isn't something that is attempted every year, you have to have great success just to get the ability to try for this. There have only been a handful of horses that have ever even had a chance to attempt winning a Triple Crown, nevermind managing to succeed!
The number that people keep throwing around is how it hadn't been won in 37 years, and yes that shows how hard it is, but what shows how astoundingly rare it is are the all inclusive numbers.
Racing for a Triple Crown has been possibile since 1875, exactly 140 years ago, except two years where two of the races were run the same day. That means 138 horses have won the first race and had the potential to continue pursuing a Triple Crown. Of those only 34 managed to win the second race and be in position to attempt it and 31 of them ran in the final race to actually have a chance of winning. And of those only 12 have ever succeeded.
So only 8% of potential Triple Crown bids have been successful. That's pretty rare.
But there's another way to look at it that perhaps makes it even more remarkable. You don't have to get into the math, just look at the context.
These races are held once a year. So if we've only had this few since 1875, that means there have only been 12 winners in 140 years!
Let those numbers sink in, then tell me you don't understand why this is a big deal.
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Woody
- Set blasters to rapid-fire
- Posts: 5153
- Joined: January 2012
- Location: Whenever and wherever I want to be
I don't follow horse racing, but I do understand just how monumental this is. I, unfortunately, was unable to watch as I had committed to helping out at a church event during the race, but I just watched the replay. WOW. That was exciting, even knowing the outcome. And yes, I did scream when I found out American Pharoah won.
I have been robbed of my rightful secret moderator powers! Vote here to help me get them back!
oh here it is *ducks*
I was wondering when I would see Bookies post about the race!
I guess triple crown is a big deal! 
-- 09 Jun 2015, 03:15 --
Naw, really man! I am happy for you and your horse! I guess this would be for me if FreeJam, Tiger Style, and Camoflaugi got together to make a firstperson VR ninja robot MMORPG with music by Imagine Dragons, Linkin Park, Toby Mac, TwoStepsFromHell, and News Boys...
Golly Gee Whilikers!, I WANT THAT SO BAD NOW!!!!!!!!
But yeah, I AM SUPER HAPPY FOR YOU SUPER SUPER NOW Golly Gee Whilikers! PLEASE DO^THAT YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was wondering when I would see Bookies post about the race!
I guess triple crown is a big deal! -- 09 Jun 2015, 03:15 --
Naw, really man! I am happy for you and your horse!
I guess this would be for me if FreeJam, Tiger Style, and Camoflaugi got together to make a firstperson VR ninja robot MMORPG with music by Imagine Dragons, Linkin Park, Toby Mac, TwoStepsFromHell, and News Boys...Golly Gee Whilikers!, I WANT THAT SO BAD NOW!!!!!!!!
But yeah, I AM SUPER HAPPY FOR YOU SUPER SUPER NOW Golly Gee Whilikers! PLEASE DO^THAT YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
American Pharoah wins the Haskell Invitational and earns a run in the Breeder's Cup Classic for an attempt to raise his legacy from historic to legendary by winning the Grand Slam!
When is the Breeders Cup again?
On the Soda Shoppe I am HomeschoolCowgirl. On the Chat I am TheStepHat. Does that help ya?
It's not until October; there are a series of "Win and You're In" races to earn runs in it first.
Tomorrow, American Pharoah will run to secure a legacy as the unquestioned single greatest racehorse in history in his final race, the Breeder's Cup Classic. If he wins he will be the only horse ever to win this prestigious race in addition to a Triple Crown.
If you are a horse racing fan this event is a must watch as the opportunity to possibly see even more history made, and to bittersweetly say farewell to this remarkable horse. If you aren't you should still watch anyway, simply because it is the end of a truly historical time in sports history. Whether you really understand why it's significant or not, it is, and you should be a part of it, if only to be able to look back on it later and know you were.
Coverage on NBC looks to start at 4:00 PM ET, Post time is 5:35 ET
I will be live chatting the race in #aio
-- 31 Oct 03:05 pm --
It's official. We have witnessed the greatest ever.
If you are a horse racing fan this event is a must watch as the opportunity to possibly see even more history made, and to bittersweetly say farewell to this remarkable horse. If you aren't you should still watch anyway, simply because it is the end of a truly historical time in sports history. Whether you really understand why it's significant or not, it is, and you should be a part of it, if only to be able to look back on it later and know you were.
Coverage on NBC looks to start at 4:00 PM ET, Post time is 5:35 ET
I will be live chatting the race in #aio
-- 31 Oct 03:05 pm --
It's official. We have witnessed the greatest ever.