2015 Preakness: Video Replay, Purse Earnings and Belmont Stakes Odds
Another race, another dominant victory for Bob Baffert's American Pharoah, who is now one race away from breaking a 37-year drought after a smooth 2015 Preakness Stakes triumph in sloppy conditions.
Severe underdog Tale of Verve finished second, while Divining Rod, who sat out the Kentucky Derby and hoped to shock the field in Baltimore, wound up third. Mr. Z, who pushed the leader on his own around the first bend, fizzled and finished fifth.
| 1 | 1 | American Pharoah | Victor Espinoza | Bob Baffert | ---- |
| 2 | 5 | Tale of Verve | Joel Rosario | Dallas Stewart | 7 |
| 3 | 7 | Divining Rod | Javier Castellano | Arnaud Delacour | 8 |
| 4 | 2 | Dortmund | Martin Garcia | Bob Baffert | 15 1/2 |
| 5 | 3 | Mr. Z | Corey Nakatani | D. Wayne Lukas | 17 1/4 |
| 6 | 4 | Danzig Moon | Julien Leparoux | Mark Casse | 18 1/4 |
| 7 | 8 | Firing Line | Gary Stevens | Simon Callaghan | 45 |
| 8 | 6 | Bodhisattva | Trevor McCarthy | Jose Corrales | 48 1/4 |
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Expectations were never much of a hurdle for any of the eventual winners. Baffert's a legend, American Pharoah already trumped one of the best fields in modern history at the Kentucky Derby, and jockey Victor Espinoza almost won the Triple Crown last year atop California Chrome.
The only concern going into the race? The weather, which poured and engulfed the track, but as the replay shows, wasn't close to helping the field keep pace:
Granted, it looked coming around the far turn that names such as Dortmund could make a strong push, but Espinoza once again got a strong finish from racing's top horse.
Here's a look at the purse info and payouts:
| First | American Pharoah | $900,000 (60%) |
| Second | Tale of Verve | $300,000 (20%) |
| Third | Divining Rod | $165,000 (11%) |
| American Pharoah | $3.80 | $3.40 | $2.80 |
| Tale of Verve | ---- | $19.00 | $8.80 |
| Divining Rod | ---- | ---- | $5.20 |
In hindsight, the second-place finish for Tale of Verve might not be such a surprise considering standout jockey Joel Rosario was up top directing the action. Still, for a horse that just won its maiden in April, there's no doubt Rosario remains one of the hottest commodities in the sport.
Divining Rod came in with higher expectations, but like many in the field outside of the big three, he didn't have loads of big-race experience, his most recent triumph before the Preakness a win at the Grade 3 Coolmore Lexington Stakes.
About the big three.
Simon Callaghan's Firing Line entered Pimlico with major expectations after running close with Dortmund in two races before the Kentucky Derby, then holding the lead down the stretch at Churchill Downs.
The presence of 52-year-old legend Gary Stevens only amplified expectations, but as the video shows, Firing Line didn't come out of the gates with any intensity and didn't put up a fight late down the stretch, either.
Callaghan offered an explanation after the race, per Alicia Wincze Hughes of the Lexington Herald-Leader:
The same performance and probable explanation applies to American Pharoah's stablemate, Dortmund, a wire-to-wire juggernaut who attempted the feat at Churchill Downs and just came up short late.
Saturday, with Martin Garcia up top, Dortmund's usual speed faltered in the slop of the track. He showed a charge at one point but never came close enough to serious contention.
As expected, it was American Pharoah leading the big three and the pack despite starting on the rail in the first post position. As SportsCenter captures, Baffert's crown jewel made a little history in the process:
Now the attention shifts to the Belmont Stakes in three weeks.
Let's take a stab at initial odds:
| American Pharoah | 9-2 |
| Dortmund | 35-1 |
| Firing Line | 20-1 |
| Frosted | 14-1 |
| Materiality | 17-4 |
| Carpe Diem | 20-1 |
| Mubtaahij | 25-1 |
It's hard to ignore American Pharoah right now, but a lot can happen in the time leading up to the spectacle in New York.
Part of the reason Saturday was such a walk in the park for the eventual winner was because so many contenders elected to skip the event and give their horses more time off, perhaps to prep for the Belmont Stakes.
There, Todd Pletcher-trained horses figure to attend. Materiality, Frosted, Carpe Diem and Mubtaahij are just some of the names who figure to compete, with some of them such as Frosted already touting wins at the Belmont dirt track on their resume.
For Baffert, it's all about the now, not the Belmont Stakes.
"I don't even want to think about it right now," he said, per USA Today's Dan Wolken. "It's tough up there. I just want to enjoy this and thank everyone who has been so nice to us. It's been a great ride for us so far."
While Baffert and Co. may want to soak up the good vibes for now, the globe already has its mind on the Triple Crown, which is what happens when one of the sporting world's best achievements doesn't happen for 37 years.
At first glance after a dominant Preakness victory, American Pharoah looks like just as good of a contender as California Chrome did this time last year, if not better.
Perhaps the toughest challenge of all rests ahead for American Pharoah, but if the first two legs of the Triple Crown are any sign, he's more than ready.
Stats and information via Preakness.com unless otherwise specified.
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