American Pharoah secures 2nd jewel of Triple Crown with dominating win at Preakness
Not even torrential downpour could stop American Pharoah from the most convincing Preakness win in more than 10 years.
American Pharoah became the 35th Kentucky Derby winner to capture the second leg of the Triple Crown after overcoming challenging weather conditions to secure a dominating victory at the 140th running of the Preakness Stakes on Saturday in Baltimore, Md.
Entering the race as a 4-5 favorite, American Pharoah hustled through a muddied track in 1:58:46 to beat the smallest Preakness field of competitors since 2000. He'll now focus his efforts on the third and final jewel of the Triple Crown when he attempts to become the first horse since Affirmed in 1978 to win all three marquee races.
The seven-length win was the largest margin of victory at the Preakness since Smarty Jones won by 11 1/2 lengths in 2004.
| POS | HORSE | WIN | PLACE | SHOW |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | American Pharoah | $3.80 | $3.40 | $2.80 |
| 5 | Tale of Verve | - | $19.00 | $8.80 |
| 7 | Divining Rod | - | - | $5.20 |
$2.00 Exacta: 1-5 ($124.40)
$1.00 Trifecta: 1-5-7 ($492.50)
$1.00 Superfecta: 1-5-7-2 ($1,906.90)
The victory paves the way for American Pharoah's jockey, Victor Espinoza, to make horse-racing history in Elmont, New York next month. He'll saddle up for an unprecedented third attempt at the Triple Crown when he and American Pharoh compete in the Belmont Stakes on June 6.
"It seems like hopefully the third time is the lucky charm," Espinoza said after previously winning with War Emblem and last year's victor California Chrome.
It also marks trainer Bob Baffert's sixth career Preakness win, which places him in a tie for second on the all-time list behind R.W. Walden.
"Just an incredible horse," Baffert said after the race. "What he does is amazing."
Equally impressive was the ease in which American Pharoah won, despite wading through sloppy conditions after a massive thunderstorm wreaked havoc on the track moments before the race began. American Pharoah, who was challenged heading into the final turn by Dortmund, pulled away on the final stretch and crossed the finish line well in front of second-place finisher Tale of Verve.
The final results, including Saturday's morning line:
| Place | Horse | Pos | Morning Line |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | American Pharoah | 1 | 4-5 |
| 2 | Tale of Verve | 5 | 30-1 |
| 3 | Divining Rod | 7 | 14-1 |
| 4 | Dortmund | 2 | 7-2 |
| 5 | Mr. Z | 3 | 20-1 |
| 6 | Danzig Moon | 4 | 15-1 |
| 7 | Firing Line | 8 | 4-1 |
| 8 | Bodhisattva | 6 | 20-1 |