Belmont Stakes, Triple Crown Winners of the Past & Perhaps the Future?

Contributed By Dave "Daily Double" Wildermuth
Posted on 5/31/15 7:08 PM

Belmont Stakes is the last of the three legs of horse racing's, "Triple Crown," the Holy Grail of accomplishments in this wonderful sport! This epic track which creates legends & smashes dreams is located in Elmont, New York, a tad bit east from Queens. The track consists of dirt and measures out at a 1 1/2 miles, the longest of the three Triple Crown races. On June 6th, 2015, the 147th running of the 1.5 Million Dollar Belmont Stakes will take place with a Triple Crown Contender looking to capture this elite award for the first time in 37 years by the name of American Pharoah. Here's a look at the past 11 Triple Crown Champions:

Triple Crown Winners

Year	Winner	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Breeder
1919	Sir Barton	Johnny Loftus	H. Guy Bedwell	J.K.L. Ross	John E. Madden
1930	Gallant Fox	Earl Sande	Jim Fitzsimmons	Belair Stud	Belair Stud
1935	Omaha	Willie Saunders	Jim Fitzsimmons	Belair Stud	Belair Stud
1937	War Admiral	Charley Kurtsinger	George H. Conway	Samuel D. Riddle	Samuel D. Riddle
1941	Whirlaway	Eddie Arcaro	Ben A. Jones	Calumet Farm	Calumet Farm
1943	Count Fleet	Johnny Longden	Don Cameron	Fannie Hertz	Fannie Hertz
1946	Assault	Warren Mehrtens	Max Hirsch	King Ranch	King Ranch
1948	Citation	Eddie Arcaro	Horace A. Jones	Calumet Farm	Calumet Farm
1973	Secretariat	Ron Turcotte	Lucien Laurin	Meadow Stable	Meadow Stable
1977	Seattle Slew	Jean Cruget	William H. Turner, Jr.	Karen L. Taylor	Ben S. Castleman
1978	Affirmed	Steve Cauthen	Laz Barrera	Harbor View Farm	Harber View Farm

Many are wondering if American Pharoah can pull off this amazing feat. In the modern day of horse racing, new strategies are making it increasingly difficult to pull off this terrific trifecta. One such strategy is when horses are rested in the 2nd leg of the coveted Triple Crown, Preakness Stakes, so they are running on fresh legs at Belmont. Just last year, California Chrome lost to a rested Tonalist utilizing this controversial strategy. The Co-Owner of California Chrome called the winners, "cowards." And to some extend, I agree with him. If a horse is healthy, properly rested, and of sound mind, why should that horse not race? An athlete in any other sport always wants to compete and should to so when capable.

In an odd turn of events in 2012, I'll Have Another breezed through the Derby and Preakness only to be scratched from the Belmont at the last moment. To this day its not 100% clear why this transpired though it only goes to show how great of a feat this actually is.

Fast forward to 2015 with American Pharoah on the brink of horse racing immortality. The odds are constantly updated with the current horses & lines looking as follows:

Frosted is a horse looking to upset the odds on favorite American Pharoah. He is rested up for 5 weeks after the decision was made to skip Pimlico Race Course. He is by far the most experienced horses in the field and has been totally retooled after a disappointing 4th place finish at the Fountain of Youth at Gulf Stream Park. Frosted's new Jockey, Rosario, won the race last year so experience and confidence is on their side.

Track conditions will play a huge role in this years winner. As we learned in the 140th running of the Preakness, American Pharoah isn't spooked or lacking performance in sub-par weather and track conditions. Lightening flashed, thunder boomed, and rain soaked the track. American Pharoah still splashed to a dominating seven length victory! My prediction, if its nice weather and the conditions are optimal, look for Frosted and his experienced Jockey to upset the #1 contender. However, if the weather turns sour and there are sloppy track conditions, look for American Pharoah to win the first Triple Crown in 37 years!

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