Triple Crown Winner 2015: Examining American Pharoah's Historic Belmont Victory

He may have a stubby tail and a misspelled name, but American Pharoah proved to be North America's greatest horse on Saturday, as his historic Belmont Stakes victory earned him the elusive Triple Crown and consequently ended a 37-year drought.

Now, Pharoah will be etched in the history books alongside greats such as Secretariat, Count Fleet, Citation, Seattle Slew and others. His fame is well-deserved, as his Belmont finishing time of 2:26.65 was the fastest since 1992 and the second fastest (behind Secretariat) among Triple Crown winners. Not only that, but his wire-to-wire victory was just the second in the 1 ½-mile race in 30 years.

Since Affirmed won the Triple Crown in 1978, a total of 13 horses entered the Belmont Stakes with the same aspirations, only to leave empty-handed. Pharoah ensured that number wouldn't reach 14 and instead became the 12th Triple Crown champion.

Trainer Bob Baffert spoke of what the win means to horse racing during a post-race press conference, via Dan Wolken of USA Today: "I think for everybody in the industry, it makes us feel really good about our sport. We need something like that and watching him run today, everybody came to see something great and we witnessed it."

Speaking of seeing something great, here's a look back at the race in its entirety:

Pharoah won the race by a total of 5 ½ lengths over Frosted, who attempted to make a run at the lead in the final stretch. Keen Ice finished third and Mubtaahij rounded out the top four. Todd Pletcher's horses, Madefromlucky and Materiality, didn't quite live up to their pre-race hype, finishing sixth and eighth, respectively.

Here's a glance at the complete finishing order from the 2015 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

Following a bit of a sluggish break, Pharoah kicked it into high gear, showcasing his impressive acceleration to burst through the middle of the pack and settle into the lead position before the first turn. This was important for the colt, as running in the lead allowed him to stick close to the rail and avoid running any additional distance—much like he was forced to do in the Kentucky Derby.

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Jockey Victor Espinoza spoke of the strategy to get out in front during a post-race press conference, via 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.

"

While Espinoza slowed Pharoah from his blazing early pace, the colt still maintained a high speed throughout the race, hitting the three-quarter mile mark in just 1:13.41. The field continued to jockey for position behind him, but the favorite maintained his one-length lead until the top of the stretch.

Elsa/Getty Images

Following the far turn, Pharoah began to turn up the speed again, showcasing his amazing stamina and tremendous closing ability. He increased his lead to two lengths, and while Frosted attempted to challenge from the inside, Pharoah continued to increase his lead over the tiring field, ultimately winning by a 5 ½-length margin—the fourth largest at Belmont by a Triple Crown winner.

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

Owner Ahmed Zayat was elated with the end result and shared his feelings during a press conference, via Wolken: "It's really about defining the greatness of American Pharoah. I've said he's a very good horse, he could be special but in order for you to come and win the Triple Crown you have to define greatness. He does everything so easy. We all wanted it for the sport."

Pharoah certainly defined greatness at Belmont Park on Saturday, and the Zayats will be heavily rewarded. According to a report from CNN Money, Pharoah's owners will be pulling in up to $7.5 million annually in stud fees. That's absolutely something to smile about, but for now, it's simply time to enjoy this amazing horse's historic victory.