How Horse Racing and the Triple Crown Brought a Father and Son Together

You're listening to an iHeart Podcast. Mikey, Adidas and more at DSW. Mega 3 is safe to use as often as needed. Find refresh online or in the iDrop aisle at all major retailers. Kickoff summer with Memorial Day savings at Lowe's. Right now, get five Scotts Naturescapes one and a half cubic foot mulch bags for just $10. Plus get up to 40% off select major appliances and save an extra $50 on every $500 you spend on select major appliances, $396 or more. Lowe's. We help. You save. Valid to $528. Mulch Shopper excludes Alaska and Hawaii. Selection varies by location while supplies last.

See Lowe's.com for more details. Did you know that parents rank financial literacy as the number one most difficult life skill to teach? Meet Greenlight, the debit card and money app for families. With Greenlight, you can send money to kids quickly, set up chores, automate allowance and keep an eye on what your kids are spending with real time notifications.

Kids learn to earn, save and spend wisely and parents can rest easy knowing their kids are learning about money with guardrails in place. Try Greenlight risk-free today at Greenlight.com slash I heart. This is Matt Rogers from Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang. Have you ever felt that uneasy anxiety when the 4 p.m. hour strikes, the creeping meal related distress that happens when you don't quite feel prepared, you know, dinner dread? Let's get rid of that unpleasant feeling forever with one word, Stouffer's. No matter what happens, you'll have a dinner plan that everyone loves with Stouffer's. Some chicken enchiladas are a cheesy chicken and broccoli pasta bake is always welcome whether it is plan A or plan D. Delicious. Not gonna lie, I eat the lasagna once a week and that's a fact. When the clock strikes dinner, think Stouffer's.

Shop now for family favorites. This is Lee Habib and this is Our American Stories, a show where America is the star and the American people. Up next, a story from Gary Ginsburg, a retired executive who worked at such companies as Time Warner and News Corp, a big guy in the media business. He's here to share how the 37-year-old triple crown drought that was broken in 2015 brought with it a flood of memories of Sundays at the racetrack with his father.

Here's Gary Ginsburg. When American Pharaoh crossed the finish line in Belmont Stakes on June 6, 2015, becoming the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years, I cried. After talking with friends who also watched the race, most of us men in our 50s and 60s, I discovered I was not alone. Many of us were overcome by emotion and, as it turns out, mostly for the same reason. We were thinking about our dads.

For a generation of American men born during the Great Depression, racing was much more than a five-week diversion from the first Saturday in May to the first Saturday in June. It was an obsession. And the obsession was shared with us, their children, so that in many cases horse racing came to define the relationship we had with our fathers in the little free time they had to share with us. For me and for so many of my friends Saturday, the one person with whom we all wanted to share this historic moment was no longer by our side.

The joy and thrill of the race was tempered by a profound sadness. My dad, Irwin Ginsburg, has had four great passions in life. The law, tennis, his family, and thoroughbred racing, though not necessarily in that order. He developed his fascination with horses as a kid in Buffalo during what was arguably the sport's heyday, following the exploits of horses like War Admiral and Citation. Between the ages of 7 and 18, he had already witnessed an astonishing five Triple Crown winners, and he was hooked.

He wanted to make sure I got hooked too. Sunday, the one day of the week he didn't go into his law office, was race day. We'd pile into our Chrysler New Yorker and head from our home in Buffalo to the Fort Erie racetrack in Ontario. Once there, dad would walk me through the intricacies of the racing form, speed ratings, past performances, class levels, before placing a series of exotic bets on the fillies and mares traveling the hard bit in Southern Ontario race circuit.

When he lost, which was more times than not, he'd angrily crumple the betting slips, ending up with a small mountain under his seat by the end of the day. That horse named Secretariat is the reason why one of the greatest crowds in horse racing history has turned out here at Belmont Park in New York. But we were in front of our Zenith TV for the best race of all, the 1973 Belmont States. Secretariat had already run the fastest Kentucky Derby and Prigness in history and came to the race of champions as the prohibitive favorite. For my dad, it represented the best chance to end a 25-year Triple Crown drought.

My 11-year- old self sensed the moment's historic significance, so I brought my tape recorder. Listening to that cassette today, I can hear the tension in my father's voice as the horses make their way to the starting gate. He yells at me to move away from the screen, though the race is still a minute from post.

Then the race starts and it quickly becomes a two-horse contest, with Secretariat pulling away after the half-mile pole. We're quiet at first, but the silence breaks when I shout, he's gonna win! My father shushes me, and we both go quiet again until Secretariat rounds the final turn. My father starts repeating, oh my god, oh my god.

While I'm unable to control my prepubescent excitement and begin screaming again at the screen. In the years that followed, we watched Seattle slew an affirmed win their Triple Crowns and continued our Sunday traditions at the track, eventually with me adding to the mountain under our seats thanks to my paper route earnings. Then I left Buffalo for college, law school, and life in New York, and another Triple Crown drought set in. A decade ago, my father found out he had Alzheimer's. His mom, dad, and brother had all had the disease.

He had feared it his entire adult life, and now he was to suffer the same fate. He was forced into a retirement he never wanted, but his love of horses endured. Three summers running, I took him to the Saratoga racecourse until the betting became too complicated for him. But the Belmonts still held a special place. Even as his brilliant mind declined, twice he managed to travel by himself from Buffalo to New York with hopes of witnessing one more Triple Crown alongside his son, and twice we were denied. Standing side-by-side watching first Smarty Jones and then Big Brown lose in heartbreaking fashion were among the happiest moments of my dad's retirement and of my adult life. My face still flushed from crying, I called my mom in Buffalo to see if dad had watched. No, they hadn't watched the race.

He wouldn't know a horse from a rabbit, she said. Instead, they were sitting at the table having dinner. My father oblivious that his 37-year wait for another Triple Crown winner was over. I started to cry all over again. And a great job on the production by Greg Hengler and a terrific father-son's story, and we love those stories. You're in our American stories. My father Irving had four loves of his life, the law, tennis, his family, and thoroughbred racing.

I'm not sure what order that was in. The story of Gary Ginsburg, his father, and the Triple Crown his father missed, here on Our American Stories. Here at Our American Stories, we bring you inspiring stories of history, sports, business, faith, and love. Stories from a great and beautiful country that need to be told.

But we can't do it without you. Our stories are free to listen to, but they're not free to make. If you love our stories in America like we do, please go to OurAmericanStories.com and click the donate button. Give a little.

Give a lot. Help us keep the great American stories coming. That's OurAmericanStories.com. You don't want vacation to end, but with Amex Platinum, you earn five times membership rewards points on prepaid hotels and more booked through AmexTravel.com. So you're already planning the next one. Book your room with fine hotels and resorts through Amex Travel and get an upgrade when available, plus guarantee 4 p.m. checkout.

So you have time to check out the pool before flying off to what's next. That's the powerful backing of American Express. Terms apply. Learn more at American Express.com slash with Amex CST 1022318. We finally switched to T-Mobile because with them, we can be connected here and there. Dad, the cousins in Mexico have a surprise for you. And enjoy the gift of staying connected. Switch and start saving today. Get four Samsung Galaxy S25 phones with Galaxy AI on us and four lines for just 25 bucks per line.

Plus non-stop talk, text and data between US and Mexico. Visit a store T-Mobile.com or call 1-800-T-Mobile. 1-800-T-Mobile.

See details at T-Mobile.com. Behind every successful business is a vision. Bringing it to life takes more than effort. It takes the right financial foundation and support. That's where Chase for Business comes in.

With convenient digital tools, helpful resources and personalized guidance, we can help your business forge ahead confidently. Learn more at Chase.com backslash business. Chase for Business.

Make more of what's yours. The Chase mobile app is available for select mobile devices. Message and data rates may apply. JPMorgan Chase Bank NA. Member FDIC.

Copyright 2025. JPMorgan Chase & Company. Did you know women are more likely than men to develop dry eyes, which may be due to hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle or after menopause and the use of oral contraceptives? Give your dry, burning or irritated eyes a daily refresh with Refresh Optive Mega 3 Lubricant Eyed Drops, a preservative free formula that provides fast acting, lasting relief.

Refresh Optive Mega 3 is safe to use as often as needed. Find Refresh online or in the Eyed Drop aisle at all major retailers here at the Almond Joy factory where tropical vibes abound. We use soft, fresh tasting coconut, the crunchiest almonds and delicious chocolate candy. Ah, but do you know what our most important ingredient is? Sometimes you feel like a nut. Sometimes you don't. Almond Joy's got nuts and something even way better than that. Yes, Almond Joy is made with almonds and you're listening to an I heart podcast.