Belmont Stakes 2015: Video Highlights, Times, Payouts, Triple Crown Race Results
As the No. 5 horse was showered with water after his race in Elmont, New York, a 37-year drought was washed away with it. American Pharoah won the 2015 Belmont Stakes on Saturday, and with that, he is the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978.
His trainer, Bob Baffert, has finally achieved the Triple Crown after three previous attempts came up empty. At 62 years old, he is the second-oldest trainer to accomplish the feat. Max Hirsch was 65 when Assault took the Triple Crown in 1946.
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Pharoah's jockey, 43-year-old Victor Espinoza, is the oldest jockey to ever win the Triple Crown and steered his horse to victory in 2:26.56.
| Place | No. | Horse | Jockey | Trainer |
| 1 | 5 | American Pharoah | Victor Espinoza | Bob Baffert |
| 2 | 6 | Frosted | Joel Rosario | Kiaran McLaughlin |
| 3 | 7 | Keen Ice | Kent Desormeaux | Dale Romans |
| 4 | 1 | Mubtaahij | Irad Ortiz, Jr. | Mike de Kock |
| 5 | 4 | Frammento | Mike Smith | Nick Zito |
| 6 | 3 | Madefromlucky | Javier Castellano | Todd Pletcher |
| 7 | 2 | Tale of Verve | Gary Stevens | Dallas Stewart |
| 8 | 8 | Materiality | John Velazquez | Todd Pletcher |
While he was not a huge winner, Keen Ice's third-place finish provided the biggest returns.
| Horse | Win | Place | Show |
| American Pharoah | $3.50 | $2.80 | $2.50 |
| Frosted | $3.50 | $2.90 | |
| Keen Ice | $4.60 |
The odds-on favorite at 5-3, Pharoah had never run a race as far or as grueling as Belmont's mile-and-a-half, but he shot out of the gates and into the lead.
Leaving from the fifth gate, he quickly gained access to the inside rail and never looked back.
One mile into the race, he had a two-length lead before turning on the afterburners. The race was all but over at the top of the stretch as American Pharoah began his approach into the history books. While Materiality was hot on his heels about three-quarters of a length behind, in the blink of an eye, Pharoah built a two-length lead at the top of the stretch and won by 5 ½ lengths.
At times, Pharoah made his Triple Crown triumph look effortless, and it is something TVG analyst Simon Bray has never seen.
Finishing second was Frosted, whom many believed was the favorite to derail Baffert's Triple Crown dream. For the first three-quarters of a mile, Frosted stayed within a length of the leader, dropping back to as far as fifth.
But he fought back to second as the pack entered the homestretch, but by that time, American Pharoah was gone.
Materiality faded and finished in last.
The No. 7 Keen Ice finished third. With 16-1 odds, he finished seventh in the Kentucky Derby but skipped the Preakness.
With the win, American Pharoah silenced the doubters, and NYRA handicapper Andy Serling made it known that there are no flaws in the Triple Crown.
As the man who rode Pharoah to Triple Crown glory, Espinoza already has a plan for his winnings, according to Claire Novak of Blood-Horse.
Owner Ahmed Zayat told Novak he plans on racing American Pharoah until the end of the season.
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