American Pharoah Preakness Race Recap, Examining Triple Crown Chances in Belmont

American Pharoah was unfazed by a rainstorm that decided to move across Pimlico Race Course just in time for the Preakness Stakes. The Kentucky Derby winner pulled away from the field to win the second leg of the Triple Crown, and now he heads to Belmont Park with a chance at history.

Any questions about how he would handle the quick turnaround were answered in emphatic fashion. In fact, as Firing Line and Dortmund—second and third in the Derby, respectively—struggled, Pharoah once again showed a finishing kick no counterpart could match.

Here's a look at the complete Preakness results:

Finish	No.	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Lengths
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

The only possible flaw in the performance is the final time. The Downey Profile pointed out it was the slowest Preakness in nearly six decades:

It's less of a concern when you consider the weather conditions, though. A torrential downpour occurred just as the horses took the track, and there's no doubt that had an massive impact on the surface.

American Pharoah still managed to win by seven lengths. So it's not like he needed the slow pace in order to steal a victory. He was undoubtedly the best horse on Saturday, and jockey Victor Espinoza was able to put the horse into cruise control after building an insurmountable lead.

America's Best Racing noted even trainer Bob Baffert was impressed with the showing:

Now the focus shifts to the Belmont. As ESPN Stats & Info highlighted, this is a situation Baffert has found himself in before:

The third leg of the Triple Crown is the toughest challenge of all.

It's the longest race of the group at 12 furlongs. While Pharoah hasn't shown any issues with distance so far, the cumulative effect of the extra ground to cover and the compact schedule (three races in five weeks) often proves too much.

Combine that with having to go up against fresher foes, including some Derby horses that decided to skip the Preakness, and the difficulty level skyrockets. That's a major reason no horse has won the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978.

Ed Zieralski of U-T San Diego provided an early look at potential members of the field:

Jeff Moss of Detroit Sports Rag pinpointed the most dangerous returnees:

"

Frosted (if he runs) and Materiality are the only two with enough talent to stop American Pharoah. And they will be well rested.

— Jeff Moss (@JeffMossDSR) May 16, 2015"

Ultimately, there's no doubting American Pharoah's talent. That's especially true following his romp in the Preakness. Many Triple Crown hopefuls, including California Chrome just one year ago, could make the same exact claim, though.

The Belmont is about more than a horse's top-end speed. American Pharoah wasn't forced to overextend himself in order to win the second leg, which helps his chances. Alas, it's still a mystery as to whether he'll have enough energy to complete the journey.

His Triple Crown performance through two races suggests he's got a tremendous shot to end the 37-year drought. Recent history suggests otherwise. It's hard to bet against the latter unless the field isn't as strong as projected.