After a 37 year Triple Crown drought, a remarkable race horse has come out on top. On Saturday, June 6, Baffert-trained American Pharoah won the Belmont Stakes, making him the 12th Triple Crown winner in history. Oddsmakers were right to peg this colt as the strongest contender; he was the 5/2 favourite for the Kentucky Derby, the 4/5 favourite for the Preakness and the 3/5 favourite for the Belmont.
In the Kentucky Derby, American Pharoah started from post No. 18 and let Dortmund (the third-place finisher) set the pace. At the far turn, American Pharoah pushed ahead of Dortmund from the outside, leading the pack in the final stretch and ending with a tight finish in front of Frosted.
The Preakness Stakes saw American Pharoah break away from post No. 1 on a wet and muddy track, only to be challenged by Mr. Z right away. Dortmund also encroached on American Pharoah from the outside, but American Pharoah pulled away, finishing seven lengths in front of second place finisher Tale of Verve.
After winning the first two jewels of the Triple Crown, pressure mounted for the star colt to claim the Belmont too. After a slight misstep while getting out of the gates, jockey Victor Espinoza urged American Pharoah to the front of the pack for an impressive wire-to-wire win. In the stretch, American Pharoah put on a show for his roaring fans, finishing 5 ½ lengths ahead of second-place finisher Frosted.
Owner Ahmed Zayat said the prized colt will likely retire from the race track at the end of the year and be used for studding. Three quarters of the breeding rights have already been sold to Ashford Stud. However before then, we’re hoping to see American Pharoah compete in the Haskell, the Jim Dandy and the Pacific Classic, as mentioned by a hopeful Bob Baffert.