Belmont Stakes 2015 Horses: Race-Day Overview for Favorites and Entire Field

The spotlight shines bright on American Pharoah as the 2015 Triple Crown season comes to a close at the Belmont Stakes. The talented colt stands one victory away from becoming the first horse since Affirmed in 1978 to sweep the trio of marquee races.

Among those hoping to extend the Triple Crown drought are Frosted and Materiality, top-six finishers from the Kentucky Derby who skipped the Preakness, as well as Tale of Verve (second in Preakness) and dangerous new shooter Madefromlucky.

Let's check out how the entire field shapes up for the 147th running of the Belmont Stakes. If things fall American Pharoah's way, it will be an extremely memorable edition of the storied race.

2015 Belmont Stakes Field

Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Odds
1	Mubtaahij	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	Mike de Kock	14-1
2	Tale of Verve	Gary Stevens	Dallas Stewart	20-1
3	Madefromlucky	Javier Castellano	Todd Pletcher	14-1
4	Frammento	Mike Smith	Nick Zito	33-1
5	American Pharoah	Victor Espinoza	Bob Baffert	10-13
6	Frosted	Joel Rosario	Kiaran McLaughlin	11-2
7	Keen Ice	Kent Desormeaux	Dale Romans	25-1
8	Materiality	John Velazquez	Todd Pletcher	13-2

Race Preview

American Pharoah is the best horse in the race. He would be an even bigger favorite if this was a standalone race with every horse having an equal amount of time to rest and prepare. Of course, that's not the case, and surviving the busy schedule is part of the Triple Crown's difficulty.

He can go through his preparations without any issue, but the reality is nobody is entirely sure how he'll respond during the stretch run of the Belmont. If he doesn't have the same finish kick he's previously put on display, the dream likely ends the same way so many others have over the years.

Tim Layden of Sports Illustrated passed along comments from Frosted trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, who talked about the tough nature of the schedule.

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Here's what I know. Horses are not machines. You can't keep running them out there every few weeks. Three races in five weeks, which is what American Pharoah is doing, is very demanding at the top level of racing. We're very happy that we've been sitting here in our barn since the day after the Kentucky Derby.

"

The 12-furlong distance makes the race tough to handicap, even when the Triple Crown isn't on the line. ESPN Stats & Info notes favorites haven't fared well:

Pharoah must overcome the fatigue factor to get himself in contention. Even then, he'll still face challenges from a solid field.

Frosted is the second choice and is ridden by Joel Rosario, who won this race one year ago while aboard Tonalist when California Chrome was going for the Triple Crown.

The colt fell too far behind in the Derby and couldn't make up the ground. Jeff Frank of The Sports Network expects him to become more heavily involved this time around:

Then there's Materiality. He finished sixth in the Derby after starting his career with three straight wins. Like Frosted, he should be well rested and ready to handle the added distance. The question is whether he'll have enough pace.

Kevin Modesti of the Los Angeles Daily News likes his chances:

In terms of value, Madefromlucky is probably the top option. He's coming off a victory in the Peter Pan Stakes and finished second to Pharoah in the Rebel Stakes. As the fresher horse, perhaps the edge flips in his favor in this meeting.

Rick Snider of the Washington Post Express believes Madefromlucky is one of the four horses with a chance to win on Saturday:

Ultimately, the biggest deciding factor in this race will come when the field turns for home. Jockey Victor Espinoza is going to ask American Pharoah to step up and finish the journey the same way he started it—with a late kick to win the Derby. Whether the horse will provide it is a mystery.

If Pharoah does showcase the same closing speed, he'll race into the history books and rightfully place his name among the sport's giants. That said, given the schedule, the distance and the strength of the field, it's more likely one of the other contenders will edge him down the stretch.

Prediction: 1. Frosted 2. American Pharoah 3. Madefromlucky