PROFILE
Hammerle with American Pharoah’s trainer Bob Baffert (left)
Steve Byk Friday mornings on Sirius/XM Radio. “It’s a show that gives me a unique opportunity to talk about racing in an open forum,” Hammerle said, “and we get a lot of positive response.” As to the future, “Hammer,” as he is called by friends and associates, sees the glass as half full, thanks to a major boost from American Pharoah, the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years. “I was at my former stomping grounds at Monmouth Park to see American Pharoah win the Haskell Invitational in August and I met old friends, acquaintances, and horsemen,” Hammerle said. “It was a great homecoming. I took Gina and my daughter, who was born near Monmouth in Long Branch. “I’m glad to have the support of my wife and daughter, because we’ve moved around the country many times, and they’ve been with me. We’ve lived in pretty good locations: San Francisco, the Jersey shore, South Florida, Del Mar, and now L.A. I couldn’t do it without them. “It was exciting to be at Monmouth for the Haskell as a fan, because that’s how I started and that’s what I am now. There’s a picture of me in the 1993 Oak Tree media guide with the headline ‘FAN’ when I was at the 1986 Breeders’ Cup. And there’s picture in the Santa Anita media guide 25 years later showing me in the HBO series ‘Luck’ with Dustin Hoffman, so racing’s taken me a long way. “I went from being a fan in shorts and a 84
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It was exciting to be at Monmouth for the Haskell as a fan, because that’s how I started and that’s what I am now
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T shirt to becoming a racing official wearing a shirt and a tie standing next to Dustin Hoffman. It’s been a good journey.” On the Friday morning before American Pharoah’s deflating defeat in the Travers by Keen Ice at Saratoga on August 29, some 15,000 people were on hand to watch the colt gallop. That’s a bigger crowd than some major tracks have on weekends. “Anyone who says that this horse hasn’t helped horse racing is crazy,” Hammerle said. “In my travels, when people found out I was in horseracing, they’d ask, ‘Have you seen American Pharoah? Have you seen American Pharoah?’ If you ask who won the Triple Crown, they’ll tell you: American Pharoah. “So I think racing is on the way up. There’s no doubt about it, we may have hit bottom three or four years ago. We had to adjust to the foal crop that’s gone down tremendously in the last 25 years, and in California, we had to adjust our race days (with the closing of Hollywood Park in December of 2013 and later the end of racing at Fairplex Park in Pomona) and we settled on a four-day race
week, except for Del Mar, which runs five. “But at Santa Anita, we race six months with a true four-day week. That’s where we are. We can put out good cards consistently four days a week. It took us a while to realize that, but I think we’ve put out a good product the last few years. “I’ve worked at several outstanding tracks in my career, but on a day-to-day basis, Santa Anita is the best there is. “The horsemen in California realized we’re all on the same side and needed to get together and do what’s right for racing, not just for one facet, but overall. That’s one reason I think we’re headed in the right direction. “It has been said California is an island when it comes to racing, as opposed to the East Coast, and we are. We are geographically restricted. When you think about it, the next major race track to us is Churchill Downs, so in California, we need to work together to get things done. “Racing has at least settled, and I’m very positive. I’m generally a positive person anyway, but you have to keep your head up in my job and avoid negative thinking. We all go through bad streaks, but I think racing is doing just fine thank you, I really do.” That said, Hammerle manages to keep his priorities in order. He is at once a fan, a proponent of the sport, and a significant cog in its massive wheel, all the while keeping in perspective that in the end, everything comes down to health, family, friends, and career. The rest is mere minutiae. n