<span id="midArticle_start"/><span id="midArticle_0"/>American Pharoah is closing in on his chance to end a record drought of Triple Crown winners at the Belmont Stakes on Saturday and guarantee his place in the pantheon of racing greats.
<span id="midArticle_1"/>Regally bred and just a little bit skittish, American Pharoah will face seven challengers in the 147th running of the 1-1/2 mile race, aptly dubbed "The Graveyard of Champions."
<span id="midArticle_2"/>Since Affirmed won the last Triple Crown in 1977, 13 horses have won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes but failed to win the Belmont, most of them fading in the stretch.
<span id="midArticle_3"/>"I sort of feel like I have an edge, but coming in here and going one-and-a-half miles, it's a completely different story," said Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who will make his fourth attempt to saddle a Triple Crown winner.
<span id="midArticle_4"/>"We don't know how any of them are going to handle it because none of them have been that far. We just hope and dream from here on out."
<span id="midArticle_5"/>The distance is grueling, especially for a horse that raced in the May 2 Derby and the Preakness two weeks later. Horses these days are bred for speed and not stamina, and three races in five weeks is often too much to ask of a 3-year-old horse.
<span id="midArticle_6"/> <span class="first-article-divide"/>Of the eight Belmont starters, American Pharoah is the only horse that raced in the Derby and Preakness, so the Kentucky-bred colt will be facing some fresh opposition, which often is a death knell for Triple Crown hopefuls.
<span id="midArticle_7"/>American Pharoah, ridden by Victor Espinoza, is the morning line 3-5 favorite, followed by Wood Memorial winner Frosted (5-1), who finished fourth in the Derby, and Kiaran McLaughlin-trained Materiality (6-1), who ran fourth at Churchill Downs.
<span id="midArticle_8"/>But the Belmont Stakes often makes stars out of relatively unknown horses, like last year, when Tonalist, who had skipped both the Derby and the Preakness, won the race and helped deny California Chrome a Triple Crown.
<span id="midArticle_9"/> <span class="second-article-divide"/>Surprise Preakness runner-up Tale of Verve, a 15-1 longshot on Saturday, could be one of those horses.
<span id="midArticle_10"/>"He's a horse that's really bred for the distance. He can take it. He's got the stamina, he's got the pedigree," said trainer Dallas Stewart.
<span id="midArticle_11"/>A sell-out crowd of 90,000 will be on hand at Belmont Park for a chance to witness a piece of history. While Baffert is hoping the fourth time is the charm, Espinoza's ride will be his third try at a Triple Crown.
<span id="midArticle_12"/> <span class="third-article-divide"/>In Baffert's first two Triple Crown attempts, Silver Charm, in 1997, lost the Belmont Stakes lead in the final 100 yards and finished second, while a year later, Real Quiet was edged at the wire by Victory Gallop in a photo finish.
<span id="midArticle_13"/>"I'm reminded every year of Real Quiet and Silver Charm," said Baffert. "(American Pharoah) is a different horse than they were. You really don't know until the whole series is over how good the horses are.
<span id="midArticle_14"/>"I'm just hoping I brought the right horse here, but we won't know until halfway into the race."
<span id="midArticle_15"/>
<span id="midArticle_0"/>
<span id="midArticle_1"/> (Reporting by Steve Ginsburg in Washington; Editing by Frank Pingue)
<span id="midArticle_2"/>
<span id="midArticle_1"/>Regally bred and just a little bit skittish, American Pharoah will face seven challengers in the 147th running of the 1-1/2 mile race, aptly dubbed "The Graveyard of Champions."
<span id="midArticle_2"/>Since Affirmed won the last Triple Crown in 1977, 13 horses have won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes but failed to win the Belmont, most of them fading in the stretch.
<span id="midArticle_3"/>"I sort of feel like I have an edge, but coming in here and going one-and-a-half miles, it's a completely different story," said Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who will make his fourth attempt to saddle a Triple Crown winner.
<span id="midArticle_4"/>"We don't know how any of them are going to handle it because none of them have been that far. We just hope and dream from here on out."
<span id="midArticle_5"/>The distance is grueling, especially for a horse that raced in the May 2 Derby and the Preakness two weeks later. Horses these days are bred for speed and not stamina, and three races in five weeks is often too much to ask of a 3-year-old horse.
<span id="midArticle_6"/> <span class="first-article-divide"/>Of the eight Belmont starters, American Pharoah is the only horse that raced in the Derby and Preakness, so the Kentucky-bred colt will be facing some fresh opposition, which often is a death knell for Triple Crown hopefuls.
<span id="midArticle_7"/>American Pharoah, ridden by Victor Espinoza, is the morning line 3-5 favorite, followed by Wood Memorial winner Frosted (5-1), who finished fourth in the Derby, and Kiaran McLaughlin-trained Materiality (6-1), who ran fourth at Churchill Downs.
<span id="midArticle_8"/>But the Belmont Stakes often makes stars out of relatively unknown horses, like last year, when Tonalist, who had skipped both the Derby and the Preakness, won the race and helped deny California Chrome a Triple Crown.
<span id="midArticle_9"/> <span class="second-article-divide"/>Surprise Preakness runner-up Tale of Verve, a 15-1 longshot on Saturday, could be one of those horses.
<span id="midArticle_10"/>"He's a horse that's really bred for the distance. He can take it. He's got the stamina, he's got the pedigree," said trainer Dallas Stewart.
<span id="midArticle_11"/>A sell-out crowd of 90,000 will be on hand at Belmont Park for a chance to witness a piece of history. While Baffert is hoping the fourth time is the charm, Espinoza's ride will be his third try at a Triple Crown.
<span id="midArticle_12"/> <span class="third-article-divide"/>In Baffert's first two Triple Crown attempts, Silver Charm, in 1997, lost the Belmont Stakes lead in the final 100 yards and finished second, while a year later, Real Quiet was edged at the wire by Victory Gallop in a photo finish.
<span id="midArticle_13"/>"I'm reminded every year of Real Quiet and Silver Charm," said Baffert. "(American Pharoah) is a different horse than they were. You really don't know until the whole series is over how good the horses are.
<span id="midArticle_14"/>"I'm just hoping I brought the right horse here, but we won't know until halfway into the race."
<span id="midArticle_15"/>
<span id="midArticle_0"/>
<span id="midArticle_1"/> (Reporting by Steve Ginsburg in Washington; Editing by Frank Pingue)
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