Belmont Stakes 2015 Payout: Triple Crown Field Times and Prize Money Earnings
American Pharoah made history on Saturday. He became the first horse since Affirmed in 1978 to win horse racing's Triple Crown when he scored a dominating victory at the Belmont Stakes.
Jockey Victor Espinoza guided the Bob Baffert-trained horse to the early lead. The horse never relinquished the edge en route to a five-lengths win over Frosted, who finished second. Here's a look at the results:
| 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 |
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American Pharoah's win was good for the winner's share of the $1.5 million purse. Per NYRA.com, here are the winnings for all eight horses. Each took home at least $30,000 due to the decreased field.
| 1 | American Pharoah | $800,000 |
| 2 | Frosted | $280,000 |
| 3 | Keen Ice | $150,000 |
| 4 | Mubtaahij | $100,000 |
| 5 | Frammento | $60,000 |
| 6 | Madefromlucky | $45,000 |
| 7 | Tale of Verve | $35,000 |
| 8 | Materiality | $30,000 |
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of American Pharoah's performance was the ease in which he won. He was never seriously challenged and seemed to handle the 11/2-mile track without any issues. His time of 2 minutes, 26.65 seconds, per ESPN.com, was impressive.
To put that into perspective, the great Secretariat—who won the Triple Crown in 1973 and the Belmont Stakes by an amazing 31 lengths—finished the race in 2:24, per ESPN.com. At a pace only two seconds and some change slower than the horse widely viewed as the greatest of all time, American Pharoah's place in history is solidified.
For Espinoza, the third time proved to be the charm. He had guided War Emblem (2002) and California Chrome (2014) to this point only to have his heart broken at the Belmont Stakes. After finally capturing the elusive jewel, Espinoza seemed amazed at his horse's performance.
Per the NBC broadcast, Espinoza said:
“The way he hit the ground, you couldn’t even feel how fast he was moving.”
After his own share of disappointment, Baffert was reflective and admittedly emotional as he reflected on his deceased parents.
“I’m very emotional,” said Baffert. “I’m thinking about my parents. I wish they were alive to see this.”
Congratulations came in from all over the sports world, but perhaps ESPN's Jemele Hill best captured what we saw on Saturday.
Even if you don't love horse racing, if you love sports, you can appreciate seeing something truly special and rare. American Pharoah's Triple Crown easily qualifies as the biggest moment in sports of the year so far.
Now we must wait to see if the magical run will increase the overall interest in the sport, or if the chase was more compelling than the accomplishment. For now, it's best to just enjoy the moment.
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