Preakness Results 2015: Finishing Order, Replay Video and Payouts
For the third time in four years, a Triple Crown hopeful is knocking on the door of immortality. American Pharoah will have his shot after delivering a jaw-dropping performance that crushed the field and won the 2015 Preakness Stakes.
The Kentucky Derby winner wasn't challenged after emerging from the rail to take an early lead, and he turned on the afterburners down the stretch to leave everyone in his tracks. Tale of Verve surprised with a second-place finish, and Divining Rod followed him up, but no horse finished within seven lengths of the winner.
Take a look below for Preakness results and a replay of the action.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
2015 Preakness Stakes Results
| 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 |
Payouts
| American Pharoah | $3.80 | $3.40 | $2.80 |
| Tale of Verve | ---- | $19.00 | $8.80 |
| Divining Rod | ---- | ---- | $5.20 |
At Churchill Downs two weeks ago, questions were asked of American Pharoah, as he never faced any real adversity and spent a lot of energy taking an outside route. How would he hold up in the dreaded No. 1 post with a sudden downpour of rain soaking the track?
Just fine, apparently. Jockey Victor Espinoza pushed his horse considerably out of the gates, easily surpassing Dortmund and the rest of the field to set the pace. Mr. Z challenged him in the opening furlong, but Pharoah settled into the lead entering the first turn and didn't look back.
The rest is history, as he won in wire-to-wire fashion and pulled away down the stretch. And unsurprisingly, the incredible performance was followed by the undeniable hype that he just might be the horse to end the drought.
Eric Mitchell of the Blood-Horse warned the horse racing world that the next three weeks should be a wild ride:
As for ESPN's Mike Greenberg, he believes this is the year:
American Pharoah's lightning-fast start proved to be the difference, but the quick pace didn't continue. Espinoza slowed the colt down while leading, giving him the rest needed to muster up his dominant late run.
The numbers show a sharp contrast from the early pace and the final time, as Doug Salvatore of TwinSpires.com reported:
American Pharoah threatened to allow Derby contenders Dortmund and Firing Line the opportunity to catch up, but neither put up a fight. Firing Line stumbled out of the gates and finished in seventh, while Dortmund couldn't emerge from the secondary pack down the stretch.
The biggest threat late in the race proved to be Divining Rod, but it was only because American Pharoah was saving the best for last, as track announcer Travis Stone noted:
Up next on American Pharoah's plate is the impossible task of following up two wins in a two-week span with a triumph at the Belmont. While it provides a bit longer of a break at three weeks, it's the longest race of the Triple Crown slate at 1 ½ miles.
Trainer Bob Baffert will try his hand again at improving his horse racing legend by securing the lone blemish on his resume—a Triple Crown. He's failed in three previous instances, but no trainer has had more tries at it, as ESPN's Chris Fallica noted:
To say the chips are stacked against American Pharoah would be putting it lightly. Belmont Park always offers the ultimate challenge for any great horse, who has to overcome a fresh stable of contenders while also racing for the third time in five weeks.
The impeccable challenge has chewed up and spit out so many great horses, including California Chrome last year. He was also ridden by Espinoza, who will have his third shot at completing the trifecta.
But it's hard to argue that any horse since Affirmed in 1978 has won in such convincing fashion throughout two Triple Crown legs. American Pharoah has emerged from a loaded field and a jam-packed stretch and has done so in wire-to-wire fashion.
Needless to say, the style of victory three weeks from now won't matter. If he enters the winner's circle first, a 37-year drought will end.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
