Over the next few days, leading up to the New Year, we’ll revisit some favorite pictures from the 2015 mid-Atlantic racing year, taking a season-by-season approach, in our Year in Pictures 2015 series.
In the spring, as the weather turned milder, the year’s best story was written as American Pharoah became the first horse since 1978 to win the Triple Crown, ending years of near-misses and heartbreak.
Among the spring stories:
[su_list icon=”icon: check”]- American Pharoah won the Triple Crown with a decisive win in the Belmont Stakes after a similarly dominant score in the driving rain in the Preakness Stakes, which took place amid a backdrop of uncertainty following violent riots in Baltimore.
- Voters for the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame were kind to Maryland, sending Maryland native King Leatherbury and Maryland-based distaff sprinter Xtra Heat to Saratoga as members of the 2015 class of the Hall of Fame. Leatherbury and Xtra Heat co-owner Kenny Taylor got along famously.
- Moreno won the G2 Charles Town Classic in a race marred when favored Shared Belief pulled up.
- Force the Pass won a thrilling renewal of the Penn Mile on a night when some valets and members of the gate crew went on strike.
- Delaware Park and Monmouth Park both opened their 2015 stands, with their brightest moments occurring in the summer.
SPRING IN PICTURES
Gold Hill won the lid-lifter at Pimlico for the ’15 season. Photo by Jim McCue, Maryland Jockey Club.
De Chera. Photo by Douglas Lees, courtesy of GoJumpRacing.org.
Ben’s Cat prior to his first start of the season. Photo by The Racing Biz.
Lady Shipman was super-impressive in the Stormy Blues. Photo by Laurie Asseo.
Jose Corrales and son Pachi after the Tesio. Photo by The Racing Biz.
King Leatherbury (right) and Kenneth Taylor, co-owner of Xtra Heat, hold court on at Pimlico after election to racing’s Hall of Fame. Photo by Jim McCue, Maryland Jockey Club.
Trainer John Mazza gives a kiss to the nose of Stiffed, a 4-year-old New Jersey-bred filly, on April 13. Photo By Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO.
It was one leg down, two to go for American Pharoah after winning the Kentucky Derby. Photo by Skip Dickstein.
Horses train over Monmouth’s main track. Photo By Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO.
Dortmund on the track at Pimlico this morning. Photo by Laurie Asseo.
American Pharoah on the track at Pimlico on May 15. Photo by Laurie Asseo.
The man in the Maryland suit, Michael Heyse. Photo by Nick Hahn.
Photo by The Racing Biz.
American Pharoah wins the 140th Preakness. Photo by the Maryland Jockey Club.
Ben’s Cat and Avon Thorpe: team colors. Photo by Vas.
Ben’s Cat gets a bath. Photo by Laurie Asseo.
American Pharoah and Dortmund. Photo by The Racing Biz.
Preakness 2015 winner American Pharoah. Photo by Laurie Asseo.
Jockey Joe Bravo notched his 5,000th career victory at Monmouth Park aboard Boss Man in sixth race. Photo by Bill Denver, Equi-Photo.
Force the Pass won the Penn Mile. Photo by The Racing Biz.
Moreno won the G2 Charles Town Classic. Photo by Coady Photography.
Strikers outside the entrance to Penn National on Penn Mile night. Photo by The Racing Biz.
More Than A Party coasted to an easy win in the Open Mind Handicap at Monmouth Park. Photo By Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO.
Crowd presses in on American Pharoah after he won the Belmont Stakes and, thus, the Triple Crown. Photo by Nick Hahn.
Mr. Jordan took the measure of Tekton to win the G3 Pegasus on Sunday at Monmouth. Photo By Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO
A.P. Indian won the Donald LeVine Memorial at Parx Racing on Saturday. Photo By Barb Weidl/EQUI-PHOTO
Maryland Horse Breeders Association yearling show. Photo by The Racing Biz.
Maryland Horse Breeders Association yearling show. Photo by The Racing Biz.
Maryland Horse Breeders Association yearling show. Photo by The Racing Biz.
