I am shocked that someone from Maryland would be so naive as to raise the question that Kathleen Roso posed in her letter ("What's the big deal with a Triple Crown winner?" June 10).
The big deal was its only been done 12 times in all of history. Although I have been fortunate enough that this was the fourth time I've seen this phenomenon, there are many who came after me left wondering if they would ever get the chance. To them, this was a very big deal. Just last year, the boob whose horse failed was crying about how the rules should be changed so that a not-quite-perfect horse like his could win. Time magazine declared Secretariat the "Person of the Year" when he accomplished the feat in 1973.
As to never seeing American Pharoah again, it will only be because you won't have looked. The two-year-olds that rise to the top are considered the main contenders for the Triple Crown series, the three-year-olds battle it out and a super horse sometimes rises above the pack. The final test of a champion comes when he beats older horses, and thanks to the Breeders Cup, we get a definitive race where the flavor of the day gets to compete against past flavors of the day that happen to be older, and we have the answer. Is American Pharoah going to be that champion? The Ziyads are racing people and as such have indicated they would like to see their horse through the Breeders Cup.
In reference to the implication that this has done little for racing other than three days a year, the writer should look at how racing has grown and these events have expanded to multiple days. If you want to assess American Pharoah's worth to the big picture, then you need only look at the record handles on all three races. I'll even go on to predict that if he competes in the Breeders Cup this year, it will also establish new records. Perhaps some child who got the chance to attend one of these events and felt the intense rush as the horses turned for home will enjoy racing as much as I have beginning when I got to see Tom Rolfe win the Preakness 50 years ago and become hooked for life as I did.
Steven Davidson, New Windsor