The horse racing world needed a hero. Thirty-seven years passed since 18-year-old Steve Cauthen rode Affirmed to the Triple Crown. Trainer Bob Baffert, who had come so close, winning the first two legs with Silver Charm in 1997 and Real Quiet in 1998, saddled American Pharoah in 2015 and the colt became the hero the sport needed, winning the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes in dominating fashion.

Horse racing saw a resurgence, including another Triple Crown winner, Justify, also trained by Baffert, in 2018. American sports fans are learning once again that there are many reasons to watch thoroughbred racing and just as many ways to appreciate the three jewels in the Triple Crown, each one a greater distance than the last.