American Pharoah's Dream Team Providing Important Edge in Triple Crown Quest

Nobody is saying American Pharoah will outright win the Triple Crown. But like the Great Pyramids of Giza, three things line up in cosmic order that could push American Pharoah to the limit of our greatest expectations: the trainer, the jockey and the owner.

On this level, horse racing is truly a team sport. Nowhere is that more apparent than with this combination of people with this special horse.

What is it about this group of people with this horse that makes this Triple Crown run the most likely since 1998?

The Trainer

Bob Baffert has a fourth opportunity to win the Triple Crown in his esteemed, Hall of Fame career. That's four times over a span of 18 years to give you some context on how skilled, not to mention fortunate, Baffert has been.

In 1998, Baffert's Real Quiet lost to Victory Gallop by a nose at the Belmont Stakes, the closest loss we've had in 36 years.

"It's another letdown," Baffert said after the race, per Tom Keyser of the Baltimore Sun. "But we got to cheer all the way to the wire. Last year I knew we were beat 50 yards out."

He was referring, of course, to Silver Charm in the 1997 Belmont Stakes. Baffert had two shots at the Triple Crown in back-to-back years and learned the hard way just how painful these races can be. 

And things didn't get better with Baffert's third try. In 2002, War Emblem stumbled out of the gate and never had a chance.

Three efforts, three losses. And now 13 years later, Baffert acknowledged that he has the best horse of them all and he's got experience on his side.

"[American Pharoah's] the horse," Baffert said in a release. "He's the best horse so far. He just has to dig it out one more time. I've never had a horse win the Preakness like that. My other horses that won were battling pretty good. This horse here, he's something special. He's fast; he can get out of trouble.

"For me, New York, I've already been through all that. I know what to expect going in there. I know it's a little hectic. I don't want to take him up there unless he's really doing well. I can tell. If I put him on that plane, that means he's doing really, really well. …I look forward to the Belmont. I know how difficult it is."

The Jockey

Victor Espinoza had his first crack at the Triple Crown in 2002 aboard War Emblem. War Emblem, a one-dimensional, front-running colt, famously stumbled out of the gate.

"It was lost at the start," Baffert said in Joe Drape's New York Times story. "If I was on the walkie-talkie, I would have told Victor to pull him up. I didn't want him to go a mile and a half like that."

Espinoza earned another try at the Triple Crown in 2014 with California Chrome. At least he got a fair shot that time. His colt simply lost power, fading to fourth place in the final 16th of a mile.

Espinoza has shouldered six weeks' worth of Triple Crown pressure. By the time the gate unlocks on June 6, he'll have nine weeks of thinking and planning about this race.

What will he take away from 2002? He needs to have a good break.

What will he take away from 2014? New shooters are dangerous, especially those who had already run at Belmont Park.

The trainer and the jockey have already tried this once. Now it's time to bring it home.

The Owner

Rob Carr/Getty Images

Ahmed Zayat, from all accounts, is a sweet, soft-spoken man. He's faced his fair share of Triple Crown anguish over the years in all legs. He famously finished second in the Derby three times with Pioneerof the Nile, Nehro and Bodemeister.

In 2012, Zayat also finished second in the Belmont Stakes with Paynter, a nifty horse who won a battle with the terrible hoof condition laminitis and also colitis.

The Zayats suffer for their horses and it appears they're being rewarded now.

"Sport without a star is not a sport," Zayat said in Christine Brennan's USA Today article following the Preakness. "The sign of a good horse is whatever is thrown in his face, he'll find a way to win. Now, God willing, he comes out of this race well, and we could be talking about history."

Zayat will always do right by the horse. He's been the bridesmaid in so many of these races, but it looks like American Pharoah may be the one to redeem them all.

"He's been giving me these horses and he's had some pretty good horses," Baffert said of Zayat in a release. "He's a smart guy. He was funny to watch. After the race, he was jumping up and down. They were like kids. It shows you the passion they have. That's what I love when you win for somebody who really appreciates it and has the passion for it because it's so hard to get here."

The Horse, of Course

It's all predicated on how well American Pharoah trains and how well he exits the Preakness. Baffert said Pharoah's tired, but that's expected. Two races in two weeks is a lot of running. He was all-out in the Derby, and the Preakness was a different kind of effort as he split rain drops.

"You have to earn it," Baffert said in a Pimlico release. "Pharoah, if he's going to do it, you have to earn it. Just like he had to earn it in that weather. If he's a great horse, he's got to do it. All the greats that won the Triple Crown, they would have done the same thing. But I've seen a lot of great horses go down."

Pharoah can be on the lead or sit off the pace. That versatility can allow him to summon the power of his grandsire, Empire Maker, the winner of this race in 2003.

The trainer, jockey and owner couldn't be a better combination. Every time a horse comes to Belmont with a chance, we rationalize every reason why this horse is the one to finally snap that losing streak. We did it with Smarty Jones and especially Big Brown.

None of the other 11 Triple Crown winners in horsey heaven pop champagne like the 1972 Dolphins when a horse loses. They want an even dozen.

The sporting landscape deserves a living Triple Crown winner, and this combination of people and their collected experience atop a world-class talent makes American Pharoah the best chance in a long, long time.

All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

I hang out on Twitter @BrendanOMeara.