Belmont Stakes 2015: Odds and Threats to American Pharoah's Triple Crown Hopes

American Pharoah is the clear favorite to win the Belmont Stakes and complete the Triple Crown.

According to Odds Shark, American Pharoah's odds to win the Belmont Stakes are at 5-6, which is significantly higher than the next closest contenders. Here's a look at the most recent odds:

• American Pharaoh: 5-6
• Frosted: 5-1
• Materiality: 15-2
• Carpe Diem: 12-1
• Mubtaahij: 16-1
• Madefromlucky: 22-1
• Tale of Verve: 22-1
• Divining Rod: 25-1
• Keen Ice: 28-1
• Frammento: 40-1

Garry Jones/Associated Press

The Todd Pletcher-trained Materiality and the highly regarded Frosted might be among the freshest horses in the field. Neither ran at the Preakness Stakes after disappointing performances at the Kentucky Derby. Frosted was fourth, and Materiality finished sixth at Churchill Downs.

Having not run at the Preakness Stakes, both horses have been spared the stress and physical grind of the complete Triple Crown season.

It has been customary for Pletcher to hold out some of his strongest horses from the Preakness Stakes if they don't win the Derby. The extra rest gives them a bit of an advantage at the Belmont considering it is the longest of the Triple Crown races.

This dynamic also stacks the odds against a Triple Crown threat such as American Pharaoh, who has to run all three races.

Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde takes exception with this practice. Just before the Preakness, he wrote:

"No single trainer has done more to undermine the Preakness than Pletcher, who should be about as popular in Baltimore as the Pittsburgh Steelers. Without his contingent, just eight horses are in this year's field – the smallest Preakness field in 15 years."

The American Pharoah team seem above all the worries about rested horses. Per a press release made available on PaulickReport.com, assistant trainer Jimmy Barnes said his horse's preparation has been business as usual—aside from some anticipatory anxiety.

“We’re back to our normal training routine and he looked good again,” Barnes said. “We feel no nerves; we’re just doing our job. We get more anxious the closer to the race, but there’s a difference between anxious and nervous.”

If Frosted or Materiality beat American Pharoah in the Belmont Stakes, you'll undoubtedly hear grumbles from purists who believe that only horses who ran in the Preakness and Derby should be allowed to run in the Belmont. If that were the case, there would be a really small field headed to Elmont, New York—like one horse.

American Pharoah is the only horse in the Belmont Stakes who will have run in all three races. If he wins, it will make his accomplishment all the more impressive. If he falls, officials may need to examine whether the rules need to be re-examined.

If not, we may never see another Triple Crown winner.