Belmont Stakes Results 2015: Video Replay, Times Chart and Triple Crown Review

A Triple Crown party 37 years in the making finally got celebrated Saturday afternoon at the 2015 Belmont Stakes. American Pharoah made history with his win, becoming the first horse since Affirmed in 1978 to claim horse racing's most elusive and exclusive prize.

The rigors of a 1 1/2-mile Belmont Park track and the impossible nature of facing a fresher field of horses has dethroned 13 Triple Crown hopefuls in nearly four decades of time, but it never seriously threatened American Pharoah. He laughed off the extra distance, leading from start to finish and only extending his lead over the final furlong in another brilliant display of dominance.

American Pharoah's run into the history books is worth watching and re-watching, even if you witnessed the historic moment live on NBC. Catch the action again below:

Although the Triple Crown outshone everything else at Belmont, Saturday wasn't without its challenges. Frosted and Keen Ice both finished strong to give an inkling of doubt for American Pharoah's chances, but neither got within two lengths on the final stretch, and each finished at least five lengths behind. Mubtaahij challenged AP early in the stretch but faded to finish fourth to complete the superfecta.

While those horses can rest easy knowing they were second-best, trainer Todd Pletcher had a forgettable day at his hometown Belmont. His two horses—Materiality and Madefromlucky—finished eighth and sixth, respectively, even with Materiality the race's third favorite on the outside post.

Rounded out by Tale of Verve and Frammento, here's how all eight horses finished:

Place	No.	Horse	Jockey	Time/Lengths	Winnings
1	5	American Pharoah	Victor Espinoza	2:26.65	$800,000
2	6	Frosted	Joel Rosario	5 1/2	$280,000
3	7	Keen Ice	Kent Desormeaux	7 1/2	$150,000
4	1	Mubtaahij	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	7 3/4	$100,000
5	4	Frammento	Mike Smith	16 1/4	$60,000
6	3	Madefromlucky	Javier Castellano	18 3/4	$45,000
7	2	Tale of Verve	Gary Stevens	21 1/2	$35,000
8	8	Materiality	John Velazquez	23 1/4	$30,000

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

After seeing how American Pharoah responded to a wire-to-wire run at the Preakness in an eight-horse field three weeks prior, it didn't surprise many that jockey Victor Espinoza attempted to push AP early at the Belmont for a similar result. But when the gates opened and he wasn't the quickest out of them, doubt crept in immediately.

Needless to say, that was short-lived.

Within a few strides, Pharoah emerged into the front authoritatively as the other seven horses settled in behind him. He left no opportunity for another pace-setter to usurp him, running the opening quarter mile in 24.06 seconds—a brisk pace, but steady enough to save energy for what was to come.

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

As the race wore along and AP remained in front, contenders positioned themselves to remain dangerous for the stretch. Mubtaahij impressed to give him some pressure, and Frosted never slipped from the rear-view mirror of Pharoah, each staying within a length of him around the third turn.

But when the final turn came, the leader had reasserted himself. And that conserved energy from earlier in the race seemed to pay off, as he galloped into a commanding lead stride by stride to leave no doubt of his victory.

Challenges from the opposition wavered as American Pharoah's victory became apparent, and it resulted in one of the most lopsided Triple Crown victories in history, as told by ESPN Stats & Info:

The Triple Crown win was a breakthrough for obvious reasons, but it also was a long time coming for the jockey and trainer. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert won his first Triple Crown after three failed bids, and Espinoza won his first Belmont Stakes after two failed Triple Crown bids himself.

Espinoza even said his horse asked to take off earlier than he did, but he smartly resisted AP until the right moment—preventing him from tiring out, as he told New York Times' Billy Witz:

"

“American Pharoah was grabbing the bridle at the five-eighths, and he want to take off,” Espinoza said. “I said not yet, but in the meantime I didn’t want to take too much hold. I had to manage it and time it just right. No way I was going to let him run. I had to be patient.”

"

Espinoza was indeed patient, but he let his horse go at the right time. The rest is history.

The euphoria at Belmont Park in the wake of American Pharoah's win could be felt through the television. Year after year of wasted Triple Crown hype and inevitable disappointment cast a shadow over both the Belmont Stakes and the sport itself—a dark cloud that parted to sunshine once AP ran across the finish line.

The Triple Crown has proven so elusive over the last generation, with top-notch horses skipping legs for rest and more competition among three-year-olds than ever before. The shortcomings of so many great horses before him—California Chrome, Big Brown and Smarty Jones, just to name a few—led conventional wisdom to believe American Pharoah would disappoint and join the growing list of near-misses.

Instead, he joins one of the most exclusive clubs of any sport. It's a complete dozen now at the Triple Crown table, after American Pharoah booked his rightful spot Saturday.

There's no telling what happens from here. A Triple Crown being won could inject more prosperity into the horse racing industry as many have suggested and push it further into the forefront. Finally breaking through could generate more fanfare knowing it can be done, or it could turn off casual fans solely watching for history.

One thing remains clear—another Triple Crown won't be won until a horse of American Pharoah's—and Secretariat's and Affirmed's—caliber comes along. And that doesn't happen very often, as the last 37 years can vouch for.