Saturday afternoon, Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner, American Pharoah, attempts to make history in the infamous Belmont Stakes, which will take place at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. If American Pharoah can win and sweep, it will win Horse Racing’s most coveted prize, the Triple Crown. A prize, so few horses and jockey’s have won. The sturdy, muscular bay colt will try to become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978. Thirteen times since Affirmed won, has a horse entered the Belmont Stakes with a chance to make history, and each time they have failed. The most exiting part of this race will be to see if the colt can surmount all odds.
Ridden by Victor Espinoza, the horse is at 3-5 odds as of today. He’s the favorite, but that means nothing, as the last nine Belmont stakes. All 11 Triple Crown winners had also raced at Belmont before, knowing the 1½-mile Belmont track before taking on the Stakes. In contrast, American Pharoah has never run at Belmont. Does that bode well? Maybe not, but, the 3-year-old champion, has won six-straight races all with Beyer figures over 100, and he’s held a steady weight since his Derby start. When Baffert the owner, entered stablemate Dortmund in the Preakness to rin against him, he made a statement: there isn’t a 3-year-old in training that can beat him – anywhere. Bar none.
Probably the best usurper in the pack would be Frosted, who will be ridden by Joel Rosario, and stands at 5-1 odds. This horse is a half-brother to Tonalist, the infamous horse who foiled California Chrome’s Triple Crown chances last year. After a bleak start in the Kentucky Derby he still managed to finish fourth, and the fact that he’s already raced at Belmont where he finished second as a 2-year-old, this makes him the biggest threat for Pharoah. Frosted’s best race was a win at the Wood at Aqueduct race, but most experts reveal that odds are, he’ll never catch him.
The other outside contender could be Materiality, who will jockeyed by Jorge Velasquez, and holds odds at 6-1. This Pletcher charge is another with a good opportunity to play the role of spoiler. He didn’t get far from the gate in the Derby but then managed an unlikely rally to finish sixth. But don’t be fooled, as he posted the fastest time of all the runners in the final half mile. The Derby loss would count as his first in four starts. This horse breaks well. He wasn’t a threat in the Preakness, but many say he wasn’t ready. He’s now spent two straight weeks training at Belmont for this race and his chances look better with every stride.
Our Pick: Picks: 1. American Pharoah. 2. Materiality. 3. Frosted.
