Belmont Stakes 2015 Results: Video Replay and Payouts from Spectacle in New York
The narrative suggesting the Triple Crown trek needs modernization evaporated this past weekend as Bob Baffert's American Pharoah ended the 37-year drought.
Nothing needs to be changed—the sport just needs a special horse.
American Pharoah defines the description and made this year's three legs perhaps one of the most important in history, a beacon of light on the shore for future horses hoping to compete but doubting the odds due to the rigors of the three races.
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One wouldn't know it was difficult at all based on the way jockey Victor Espinoza breezed through the event:
| 1 | 5 | American Pharoah | Victor Espinoza | Bob Baffert |
| 2 | 6 | Frosted | Joel Rosario | Kiaran McLaughlin |
| 3 | 7 | Keen Ice | Kent Desormeaux | Dale Romans |
| 4 | 1 | Mubtaahij | Irad Ortiz, Jr. | Mike de Kock |
| 5 | 4 | Frammento | Mike Smith | Nick Zito |
| 6 | 3 | Madefromlucky | Javier Castellano | Todd Pletcher |
| 7 | 2 | Tale of Verve | Gary Stevens | Dallas Stewart |
| 8 | 8 | Materiality | John Velazquez | Todd Pletcher |
Many figured Espinoza would play it safe in the Triple Crown's longest race, play a bit off the leaders and then turn on the afterburners down the stretch.
Instead, the legendary jockey employed the same approach as the one he utilized in the Preakness Stakes—the shortest of the three legs with competitors slowed in muddy conditions.
The wire-to-wire approach worked, so Espinoza looks like a genius:
Bettors in particular must be happy with the gamble's payoff, as gunning any horse in a third race in a little more than a month against fresh competition at a long event defines the word "risk."
Here's how folks made out in the payouts department:
| American Pharoah | $3.50 | $2.80 | $2.50 |
| Frosted | --- | $3.50 | $2.90 |
| Keen Ice | --- | --- | $4.60 |
Now for the funny part—more than 90,000 payout tickets are missing in action.
According to ESPN.com's Darren Rovell, 90,237 uncashed tickets remain, totaling more than $315,000 in earnings. He suggests it's a mixture of folks wanting a bit of history or to make even more money.
"Some undoubtedly put the betting slip back in their pocket. Others posted it on eBay, where uncashed tickets have been selling mostly in the $20 to $30 range. On the auction site, one seller is selling a lot of 500 uncashed tickets, while another is selling 150," Rovell wrote.
As for the actual race payouts going to the winners, Steve Myrick of the Courier-Journal reports the Bafferts will donate to multiple organizations, and Espinoza's winnings will go to a cancer treatment center.
"At the wire I was like, 'I cannot believe I did it,'" Espinoza said, per Myrick. "I [won] the Triple Crown race now, but I didn't make any money, because I donated my money to the City of Hope."
Everybody seems to win when a historic competitor pulls in such a prestigious award. Even bettors who played it smart behind American Pharoah look smart.
Kiaran McLaughlin's Frosted put on an epic showing, one in most years great enough to pull off the victory in New York. TimeFormUS.com offers the details:
Dale Romans's Keen Ice wasn't the biggest name of all but a strong competitor nonetheless after a seventh-place finish at the Kentucky Derby. For a moment, the ride by jockey Kent Desormeaux planted a shred of doubt about the odds of a Triple Crown winner.
The above makes American Pharoah's triumph all the more impressive. It will be interesting to see where Baffert heads next with one of the most prestigious names in the sport's history, but breeding and possible future races can wait.
Right now, it's all about the triumph.
There's no way to understate the impressiveness. Espinoza and the Triple Crown winner overcame a poor post position at Churchill Downs, even flirting with winless No. 17. Then they avoided getting pinned on the rail out of the post position in Pimlico.
In the finisher, the duo thumped fresher horses, contestants bred to excel at the distance and some of the best horses the sport has had to offer in recent years.
A Triple Crown winner only comes around so often for a reason. American Pharoah's here, and it's hard to blame the sporting world for slowing down and enjoying the moment—Baffert, Espinoza and the horse himself sure are.
Stats and information via BelmontStakes.com unless otherwise specified.
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