Belmont Stakes 2015 Video: Replay Highlights, Race Results, Triple Crown Review

Historic, inspiring, breathtaking, moving, euphoric.

All of those words describe American Pharoah's sparkling run in the 2015 Belmont Stakes, as the colt finally ended the 37-year Triple Crown drought in dominating fashion.

Pharoah's victory was brilliant on several levels. Not only did the colt defeat a fresh field of contenders by 5 ½ lengths, but his finishing time of 2:26.65 was the fastest since 1992 and second-fastest among Triple Crown winners—behind only the legendary Secretariat. Adding to Pharoah's accolades is the fact that he was just the second horse in the last 30 years to notch a wire-to-wire victory in the Belmont Stakes.

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

Trainer Bob Baffert shared his pre-race feelings about his fourth attempt at completing the Triple Crown at Belmont Park during a press conference, per Dan Wolken of USA Today: "There's something about this horse, he just brought it every time. He's just an enjoyment to be around. I wasn't as nervous as I usually am because I really felt I had the horse."

This time, he most certainly had the horse.

Here's a look back at Pharoah's historic run—go ahead and relive the moment as many times as you'd like:

Pharoah's official margin of victory over Frosted was 5 ½ lengths. Finishing in the money in third place was Keen Ice—a colt who was a long shot but does have a solid distance pedigree. Rounding out the top four was Mubtaahij.

It wasn't to be for trainer Todd Pletcher, as he felt his two contenders—Madefromlucky and Materiality—would have a shot at taking down the favorite. Well, it didn't quite go according to plan, as the colts finished sixth and eighth, respectively.

Take a glance at the official finishing order from the Belmont Stakes:

Place	No.	Horse	Jockey	Time/Lengths
1	5	American Pharoah	Victor Espinoza	2:26.65
2	6	Frosted	Joel Rosario	5 1/2
3	7	Keen Ice	Kent Desormeaux	7 1/2
4	1	Mubtaahij	Irad Ortiz Jr.	7 3/4
5	4	Frammento	Mike Smith	16 1/4
6	3	Madefromlucky	Javier Castellano	18 3/4
7	2	Tale of Verve	Gary Stevens	21 1/2
8	8	Materiality	John Velazquez	23 1/4

It was all American Pharoah from the onset of the race. While the colt didn't have the best break, he quickly flashed his phenomenal acceleration to cruise through the middle of the pack and settle into the lead well before the first turn.

This was a great strategic move by jockey Victor Espinoza, as gaining the early lead allowed Pharoah to run close to the rail and avoid adding unnecessary distance to the 1 ½-mile race. Espinoza shared his thoughts about this moment after the race, per Wolken:

"

I noticed as soon as I sat in the saddle there was so much power, so much energy. My plan was to open up a length out of the gate and hit the turn one or two lengths (ahead) and from there I can slow him down and let him be happy. It's so nice to be on a horse like American Pharoah. That was the best feeling I ever had in the first turn.

"

Pharoah's smooth gallop and great stamina were evident throughout the race. Espinoza may have slowed the colt slightly, but the pace remained brisk, as Pharoah hit the race's halfway mark with a time of just 1:13.41 while maintaining a one-length lead.

He increased his lead over the pack by two lengths entering the top of the stretch, and that's when Frosted attempted to make a run from the inside. The race's second favorite passed Materiality and firmly put himself into second place, but Pharoah just wouldn't be denied, continuing to pull away from his challenger to win by a decisive 5 ½ lengths.

The crowd at Belmont Park erupted with elation as Pharoah pulled away down the final stretch, and the 90,000 in attendance continued their cheers of joy and gratitude for several minutes after the race was completed.

It was a sight to behold.

Next on Pharoah's agenda is attempting to create more Triple Crown winners. According to a report from CNN Money, the colt could collect as much as $7.5 million annually in stud fees. That's a pretty penny for owner Ahmed Zayat.

For now, though, Pharoah has earned some well-deserved rest, while we bask in his historic achievement.