Jerardi: An August to remember

This August explosion has been as unexpected as it has been glorious. Who saw this coming?

Remember back to January and how thankful we all were that the best 3-year-olds of 2014, California Chrome, Shared Belief, and Bayern, were all coming back to run and were all based on the West Coast, perfect for multiple confrontations on the track. How did that work out?

The racing gods chose not to give us what was expected, so they went for a surprise present that is still not totally unpackaged.

The American Pharoah Triple Crown would have been sufficient. Really, who needed more than that? Well, we are getting far more than anybody could have imagined.

On the first Sunday in August, we got the return of American Pharoah. A Triple Crown winner is not supposed to run his best race after the series. As good as Pharoah was in May and June, he was even better in the Haskell Invitational. It was the best race of his career, visually and by the clock.

On the second Saturday of August, we got the very best of Honor Code in the Whitney when he overcame what looked like an impossible deficit to run down Liam’s Map at the wire. The Met Mile was Honor Code’s best race – until the Whitney. Suddenly, we were all wondering what a Breeders’ Cup Classic with American Pharoah and Honor Code might look like.

And then, on the fourth Saturday of August, Beholder appeared in view and just as quickly disappeared from view on the far turn of the Pacific Classic. Really, what was that? Often when you see a horse blow by collapsing dueling front-runners, it’s a bit of an optical illusion. This was different as the great mare was running away from the horses behind her at the same time that her breeze hit Bayern. That was the best performance I have seen in 2015.

Well, we have one more Saturday left this month, and all we get is American Pharoah in the Travers at Saratoga. Can this get better still? Each performance seems to top the one we just saw.

Judging by his turn move and cruise to the Haskell finish line, American Pharoah still does not appear to have hit his peak. The workout at Del Mar last Sunday was just another indicator that Pharoah has even more dimensions to show. I can’t wait to see what else is there.

I can’t remember a time when the game seemed more alive. The glow from the Triple Crown has lasted all summer. And just imagine if American Pharoah, Honor Code, and Beholder all get to Keeneland on Halloween.

Far be it from me to even suggest what Richard Mandella should do with the great mare – Classic or Distaff? Beholder is heading to the Hall of Fame regardless, and Mandella is one of the great big-race trainers of his generation. Still, if Beholder wins the Classic, she goes straight to legend.

Admittedly, I am getting way ahead of myself here. The summer has left me a little light-headed. What if Beholder does win the Classic? Would it be possible for a horse other than a Triple Crown winner to be named Horse of the Year?

Like everybody else, I conceded that title to American Pharoah with about a hundred yards to go in the Belmont Stakes. I could not imagine a scenario that might change that – until I saw Beholder in the stretch at Del Mar.

Whatever will happen, we all need to savor what is happening. If you are in the game or have been around the game, you are fatalistic because so much can go wrong. These are, after all, high-strung animals at the core of it.

This month, everything has gone right. The best horses have given their best performances. The most important races have been won by the horses who were supposed to win.

And there is the promise of one more August weekend, a great card at Saratoga framed by the horse who knocked out the Triple Crown and runs on into late summer, neither retired nor sheltered, the perfect bookend to a month unparalleled in recent horse-racing history.