The Sport of Kings, er, Pharoahs

Baffert's Moment (NOT Photoshoped)

On some other day I'll take on the sport of horse racing, but for today this photo says it all. Waiting, and waiting and waiting for the Belmont Stakes to post up there were many cut aways to the horses, the owners, the hats, the crowed and Bob Baffert wearing purple glasses and The Burger King IN THE BOX. The sport of  kings indeed!

The Triple Crown winner was not a king but a pharaoh - American Pharoah (sp) who beat all 7 challengers and left no doubt in anyone's mind who the true champion of the 2015 spring racing season is. NBC Sports was really excited because this was the first Triple Crown winner since the 1970's ensuring a ratings bonanza and lots of revenue selling clips and clops of packaged up video around the world. And I have to say, once AP rounded the last turn and started pulling away from the pack there was a feeling of exhilaration and admiration in the room - impressive!

But Baffert's horse is not the only American Pharaoh galloping down the track in a race to the wire - there is the man who laments the fact he's not a king (but has anyone asked him if he considers himself Pharaoh?) He's trying to open up a multiple furlong lead against his competitors with comments like this:

“Reality has rendered its judgment,” he added. “Trickle-down economics doesn’t work. Middle-class economics does.”

 "Reality" is a merciless judge, to be sure, but words do not measure reality in the same way numbers do so maybe, rhetorically, he's correct - time will tell. American Pharaoh has submitted a $4 trillion budget plan that no one seems to be taking seriously but that's a measure of respect not "reality". On that subject American Pharaoh said this:

"The United States is the most respected country on earth."

Prompting speculaton that American Pharaoh is either "lying, living in a bubble or just delusional" and that he needs "he needs a reality check." Umm, he's already had HIS reality check and "reality has rendered its judgment" - He's pulling away down the home stretch and there ain't gonna be no photo finish.

Normally, truly insane comments coming from the Commander and Chief of the most powerful nation on earth would be deeply troubling - not humorous, but in the case of American Pharaoh I don't think there's a single person of consequence, either domestically or abroad, that takes anything he says seriously. The nation and the world are waiting for next years Triple Crown to see who, if anyone, can pull us out of the mess we find ourselves in - the current "winner" is already yesterdays news.