Belmont Stakes 2015 Payout: Prize Money Purse, Final Triple Crown Race Results

Horse racing fans had to wait 37 years for another Triple Crown winner, but on Saturday, American Pharoah managed to win the 2015 Belmont Stakes―and a nice purse along with it―to grab the third and final race of the sport's toughest feat.

Trainer Bob Baffert's prized colt had a reasonable start to the race and never looked back, leading the pack around the Belmont track before pulling away in the final turn. Here are the full race results, along with the prize money payout, courtesy of NBC Sports' broadcast:

Place	No.	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Earnings*
1	5	American Pharoah	Victor Espinoza	Bob Baffert	$800,000
2	6	Frosted	Joel Rosario	Kiaran McLaughlin	$280,000
3	7	Keen Ice	Kent Desormeaux	Dale Romans	$150,000
4	1	Mubtaahij	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	Mike de Kock	$100,000
5	4	Frammento	Mike Smith	Nick Zito	$60,000
6	3	Madefromlucky	Javier Castellano	Todd Pletcher	$45,000
7	2	Tale of Verve	Gary Stevens	Dallas Stewart	$35,000
8	8	Materiality	John Velazquez	Todd Pletcher	$30,000

The full race highlights:

Saturday's race was about more than just making history, or ending a Triple Crown drought of 37 years that had fans wondering whether we would ever see another three-year-old achieve ultimate glory.

For Baffert and jockey Espinoza, American Pharoah's dash represented redemption. As shared by ESPN Stats & Info, Baffert finally managed to win the Triple Crown after coming up just short on three occasions:

Meanwhile, Espinoza was the man who rode California Chrome to fourth place last year, after winning both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in dominant fashion.

The jockey had no reason to be nervous throughout Saturday's race, as American Pharoah easily held off the field in the final straight. Mubtaahij did well to keep pace into the turn, but no one was able to keep up with the colt or bridge the gap in the final furlongs.

Espinoza told AP Sports he never doubted the outcome of the race:

It's difficult to put American Pharoah's win in perspective. Horses these days are bred to thrive on the shorter distances, one of the main reasons we had to wait for 37 years to watch another Triple Crown winner.

Secretariat remains the ultimate benchmark, a horse remembered by racing fans and even casual viewers alike as something special. ESPN ranked the colt among the greatest North American athletes of all time, and it's easy to see why:

American Pharoah's biggest calling card was supposed to be his raw pace, highlighted when he went wide of the pack in the Kentucky Derby, and yet somehow he managed to produce arguably his most dominant performance at the Belmont Stakes.

His win in the Preakness Stakes was dominant, but that was in rainy conditions, something he was known to handle well. His stamina was a huge question mark heading to Belmont, but Espinoza hardly had to push him on Saturday. The pack simply couldn't keep up and crossed the line several lengths behind the eventual winner.

So, what's next for American Pharoah? Unfortunately, it will likely be breeding, as reported by Forbes (h/t ESPN's Adam Schefter):

In this day and age, top horses do very little racing beyond the age of three, and most of their value lies in their bloodlines and ability to produce offspring capable of matching their feats on the track.

ESPN's Darren Rovell has already been discussing his stud fees, which could be lower than some are expecting:

It's a shame, really, as the sport of horse racing could benefit from having a Triple Crown winner racing around the United States and perhaps even abroad. People have had to wait for 37 years to witness such a feat, and a colt like American Pharoah could do wonders for the sport's popularity.

Instead, fans will have to turn to the next crop of two-year-olds preparing for next year's Triple Crown, in the hopes they won't have to wait another 37 years to witness history.

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