Belmont Stakes 2015: American Pharoah's Triple Crown Results, Payout and Worth

American Pharoah's thrilling, 5 1/2-length victory at Belmont on Saturday made the bay colt the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years. It was a moment that transcended horse racing and will end up as one of the biggest sports stories of 2015. 

But at the betting window, he wasn't nearly as exciting. By definition, a heavy favorite doesn't pay out a big-time return. At odds of 3-5, a $2 bet on the winner paid out at just $3.20. 

According to the Belmont Stakes' website, $19,855,889 were bet on the race, with $9,444,395 placed on the favorite. 

Runner-up Frosted didn't pay much better for his second-place finish, rewarding a $2 bet to show at just $3.50, according to NJ.Com's horse racing page. With the two favorites finishing in exactly the order the odds placed them prior to the race, a $2 exacta bet paid out at a measly $13.

With long-shot Keen Ice nosing into the place position, the trifecta payout was a bit more lucrative. If you followed my prediction from last Friday and picked American Pharoah to win, followed by Frosted to place and Keen Ice to show, you made a tidy $54.75 for every dollar you bet.

American Pharoah's victory paid out much more handsomely for his owner, Ahmed Zayat. By winning his seventh straight race, American Pharoah added another $800,000 to the $3.7 million he had already earned, according to the New York Times. 

It's a nice chunk of change, and the superstar horse will likely add to it. But ultimately, it's a drop in the bucket compared to what American Pharoah will earn in his lifetime for stud fees. 

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

With his outstanding resume and stellar lineage, American Pharoah would be valued at $35 million or more on the open market, according to Bizjournals.com. Time.com and other outlets are projecting the excitement around American Pharoah could raise the colt's future value to as much as $100 million. 

ESPN's business reporter Darren Rovell has thrown a bit of cold water on the frenzied speculation:

Regardless, American Pharoah remains a very valuable commodity. According to Tim Sullivan of the Courier-Journal, Pharoah could command stud fees of $100,000 and earn between $6 and $7 million a year without ever again racing.

That raises the issue of how much longer American Pharoah will stay active, while risking a catastrophic injury. Rovell, again, weighed in on the matter on Twitter:

So even if American Pharoah finishes the racing season, we are probably seeing the last of him after 2015. But at least the charismatic horse has given sports fans one heck of an exciting ride.