Horse racing fans were not the only ones who joyously celebrated the sport's first Triple Crown winner in 37 years.
Memorabilia collectors were cheering just as enthusiastically as the most avid improvers of the breed when American Pharoah pulled away in the stretch and added the Belmont Stakes to his previous Triple Crown wins in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness.
After more than three decades of near misses and buying enough pictures and $2 win tickets to fill up the Grand Canyon on Triple Crown hopefuls like Big Brown and Smarty Jones, collectors had the real deal. Jockey Victor Espinoza and Zayat Stables' superstar colt teamed to finally create a historic moment that any sports fan could embrace and one compelling enough to convince people that they needed to own at least a small reminder of it.
In a collectibles industry driven by the star power of a Michael Jordan or Derek Jeter, horse racing now has its own heroes to celebrate and has become a significantly bigger player in the collectibles market - all because of the magical horse who brought an end to a 37-year Triple Crown drought.
"The interest people are showing has been great," says Brandon Steiner, Founder and CEO of Steiner Sports, an industry leader in sports collectibles. "Sometimes you forget about the passion, enthusiasm and commitment fans have for the sport. And now, thanks to American Pharoah, people are getting excited about horse racing again."
That rejuvenated interest is best illustrated by the more than 60 collectibles -- most of them photos -- displayed at Steiner Sports' website associated with American Pharoah's Triple Crown sweep. They range from autograph pictures from all three races, to $2 win tickets from the Belmont Stakes, to dirt from Belmont Park's main track, to autographed track programs and magazines, to a framed collage of photos signed by the last four Triple Crown-winning jockeys.
Personalization is a key component in the collectibles marketplace, and since writing is one skill American Pharoah does not possess, Steiner reached out to the next best choice and inked a deal with Espinoza. The 43-year-old jockey is now under contract as a Steiner Sports Exclusive Athlete for at least the next year, joining such superstars from professional sports as Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning and Mark Messier in appearing at company events and providing their "John Hancock" for Steiner Sports' autographed memorabilia.
"Victor has become a rock star and it's definitely brought interest in racing to a new level for us," says Steiner, whose prosperous company has a business relationship with more than 2,000 athletes. "He's a humble, humble guy who's very committed to the sport and it's nice to be able to shine a light on him. I love him and he's been a lot of fun to work with. He's one of those guys who makes a great partner."
Steiner has already set up one showcase event for Espinoza as the charismatic three-time Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner will be featured during an evening program at Steiner Sports' offices in New Rochelle, New York, on Aug. 3 -- the day after Espinoza is scheduled to ride American Pharoah in the William Hill Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park in New Jersey. Billed as a "Triple Crown Celebration With Victor Espinoza," the $199 package for two tickets includes one photo opportunity with Espinoza and one signed photograph.
"People want to meet Victor and talk with him and find out what he thought before the race and what happened during and after the race," Steiner says. "We've had these event nights in our offices with many famous athletes and I'm proud to put Victor up there with the others like the Mannings. It's a good relationship and hopefully we can do more with him at some of the sport's venues."
Steiner said he's hopeful of putting together an event for Espinoza at Saratoga, especially if American Pharoah runs in the Travers on Aug. 29 at the Spa. He is also working on releasing a series of collectibles in the fall that will feature Zayat Stables' turquoise and gold silks.
Another item high on Steiner's wish list would be getting trainer Bob Baffert and owner Ahmed Zayat to join Espinoza in his stable of stars.
"Hopefully it will come together," Steiner said about working with Baffert and Zayat, "but we're not there yet."
So for now, Steiner is quite content to ride along with Espinoza at a time when a wide variety of people have both a heightened awareness of horse racing and growing fondness for a 3-year-old colt and the people behind him who achieved something unseen since the long ago days of 1978.
"I think American Pharoah opened up the floodgates," Steiner says, "and when you have a class act like Victor as part of it, it only helps."
It certainly can't hurt, especially at a time when racing finally has a moment worthy of being framed in a museum, not to mention a Man Cave.