Preakness Results 2015: Finishing Times and Replay Analysis from Pimlico Race

Kentucky Derby winner American Pharoah is one step closer to becoming the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years after his dominant seven-length victory in the 2015 Preakness Stakes.

While the colt's performance at Churchill Downs was highly impressive, his awe-inspiring showing at Pimlico was nothing short of magnificent. After all, Pharoah may have been the odds-on favorite entering the race, but he was forced to overcome some major obstacles en route to his triumph.

Starting in the No. 1 gate was a daunting task. Only one horse—Tabasco Cat in 1994—had won from the position since 1961. Adding to the difficulty of overcoming that hurdle, Pharoah was forced to generate a near-perfect start and avoid traffic on a muddy, rain-soaked track. He succeeded with flying colors.

Here's a look at the Pharoah's finishing time and the full race results:

Place	No.	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Lengths
1	1	American Pharoah	Victor Espinoza	Bob Baffert	1:58.46
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

You may be wondering how those results came to fruition—or you may just want to see Pharoah's sparkling performance another time (it's certainly worth a second look). Whatever the case may be, here's a glance back at the 140th Preakness Stakes:

The first thing you'll notice when watching the replay is Pharoah's ability to get out of trouble in the onset of the race. Getting pinned against the rail or stuck behind traffic were threats that could have derailed the colt's Triple Crown aspirations immediately, but thanks to plenty of talent and a savvy jockey, Pharoah flourished.

After breaking slightly to the inside, jockey Victor Espinoza was quick to get Pharoah back on course. He then asked the colt to run hard in an effort to hug the rail and cruise past the traffic. The duo succeeded and emerged as the race's leaders heading to the first turn.

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Leading early wasn't a bad position for Pharoah due to the horse's great stamina. However, Espinoza wisely slowed his horse down to a brisk gallop to ensure there would be enough endurance remaining for a necessary late push down the final stretch. Employing that strategy did allow the field to close in on Pharoah, but the horse never relinquished control of the lead.

After setting the race's pace, Espinoza and Pharoah rounded the final turn with several contenders in tow. That's when the jockey asked his colt to run. Pharoah displayed his unrivaled closing ability once again, easily pulling away from the pack to finish by a dominating seven lengths.

Rob Carr/Getty Images

The performance was truly impressive, and Espinoza recapped the run during an interview with Christine Brennan of USA Today:

"

I pushed him to the front. As soon as I took the lead, that was it. He was very comfortable cruising around at a high speed. Each race, I learn something new about him, and it surprised me the way he runs. Today was an amazing race for him, but I couldn't really see how far I was in front because there was so much water in my eyes.

"

Pharoah was in a league of his own, but runner-up finisher Tale of Verve put on an impressive display of his own. The long shot had a rocky start and trailed the leaders by a great margin for the majority of the race. However, he closed beautifully, coming from the rear to narrowly pass Divining Rod for second place down the final stretch.

We could speculate that if Tale of Verve had a slightly better start, and was able to put himself into a better position, he could have been a big factor in the end.

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Speaking of big factors, Dortmund and Firing Line were supposed to be Pharoah's biggest challengers at Pimlico, but that didn't turn out to be the case whatsoever.

Dortmund put together a similar performance to his showing at Churchill Downs. He remained in the mix throughout most of the race, hanging just a few lengths off Pharoah's pace, but he ran out of steam once again down the final stretch to finish 15 ½ lengths back in fourth place.

Rob Carr/Getty Images

It was even worse for Firing Line. After his sparkling showing in the Kentucky Derby, many horse racing enthusiasts thought he'd be a major challenger in the Preakness. Well, after a stumbling start, he lost all momentum and wasn't able to recover, ultimately finishing in a very disappointing seventh place.

Jockey Gary Stevens was very confident about Firing Line's chances before the race, but he left Pimlico with this brief message, via Preakness.com, "We stumbled out of the gate and that was our race today."

Now comes the burning question: Will Pharoah be able to win the Belmont Stakes and become the first horse to win the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978? Well, 13 horses have been in this same position over the years, and they all couldn't find a way to win at Belmont Park.

This situation is nothing new for Pharoah's supporting cast. Trainer Bob Baffert has had three other horses in this position, and Espinoza has jockeyed two other horses that entered Belmont Park with Triple Crown aspirations. In fact, Baffert and Espinoza were both responsible for War Emblem's run in 2002. Unfortunately, the colt finished eighth.

Winning the Triple Crown is no easy feat, but Pharoah is a special horse. His endurance is off the charts and his closing ability is second to none. Those traits will likely come into play during the 1 ½-mile Belmont Stakes, where Pharoah will attempt to overcome the odds one more time.