American Pharoah's Triple Crown Chances Will Be Hurt by Rested Horses

American Pharoah is the favorite to win the 2015 Preakness Stakes at 10-13 odds, per Odds Shark, but there are some clear obstacles in Bob Baffert's horse's way toward winning at Pimlico and ultimately capturing the Triple Crown.

American Pharoah's starting position is one impediment. He drew the first post position, which is normally a bad sign. Many horses don't run well when they are pinned against the rail.

Secondly, American Pharoah will be running right next to Dortmund, Baffert's second entry in the race. The latter is one of the top contenders as well. The two Baffert horses could hinder one another and wind up slipping to the middle of the pack as they battle for position on the inside.

There's also the presence of Firing Line in the eighth post position. He finished second at the Kentucky Derby, finally besting Dortmund after two close calls in prior races. Firing Line will have the more advantageous post position and could race out to an early lead.

Even with all of those potential issues, American Pharoah is still a good bet to come out on top at Pimlico. He showed a strong desire to win, as he had to run down Firing Line and Dortmund to triumph at Churchill Downs. Starting at the No. 1 position isn't great in any field, but it's not as tough in a race with only eight horses. While American Pharoah is likely to overcome those issues to win at the Preakness, the Belmont Stakes will be another story.

A whole new slew of rested horses are likely to join the fray. Those horses will have a much better chance of finishing strong in the longest of Triple Crown races than American Pharoah. This issue likely cost California Chrome the third jewel in 2014.

After coming out on top at the Derby and Preakness Stakes, California Chrome couldn't beat Tonalist at the Belmont. Tonalist hadn't raced at the Derby or Preakness in 2014. In fact, the horse had raced just one time in three-and-a-half months when he won the Belmont. Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports calls out famed trainer Todd A. Pletcher as one of the likely culprits in what is described as "undermining the Preakness."

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He [Pletcher] doesn't like running in the second leg, and he loves ambushing the third leg. Should American Pharoah win Saturday, Pletcher figures to have multiple rested, capable horses waiting for him at Belmont.

Pletcher has run 43 horses in the Derby and seven in the Preakness, and is far more likely to contest both of the first two legs of the Triple Crown if he's won the Derby (it's happened only once, in 2010, with Super Saver). No single trainer has done more to undermine the Preakness than Pletcher, who should be about as popular in Baltimore as the Pittsburgh Steelers. Without his contingent, just eight horses are in this year's field—the smallest Preakness field in 15 years.

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Garry Jones/Associated Press

We don't know which horses will be installed into the Belmont field, but you can bet there will be a few Tonalist-like contenders for American Pharoah to handle. In the end, the fresh legs of a relative unknown horse will cost American Pharoah the Triple Crown. It might be time to create a rule that says that only horses who have run in the previous Triple Crown race are allowed to run in the subsequent race.

That may never happen, but until or unless it does, we might never see another Triple Crown winner in the sport.