it beginning with Sir Barton in 1919 The most recent winner Affirmed beat his rival Alydar in each race to capture the crown in 1978 American Pharoah certainly looked like a winner The big muscular bay strutted through the paddock with his long swinging stride and a confident gaze He had already achieved more than his sire or father Pioneer of the Nile who placed second in the Kentucky Derby in 2009 American Pharoah had an impressive team of humans working with him too His owner Ahmed Zayat was an Egyptian American entrepreneur who ran the multimillion dollar Zayat Stables Ahmed Zayat gives American Pharoah a kiss the day before the Belmont Stakes
The horses in the Belmont Stakes took off from the gate American Pharoah was number five His trainer was Bob Baffert who in 2015 won his fourth Eclipse Award as the top trainer in the country His jockey was Victor Espinoza He won the first two races of the Triple Crown a year earlier on a chestnut colt named California Chrome
But American Pharoah's victory in the Belmont was far from certain The last jewel in the Triple Crown is the hardest to capture Many horses that can keep up their speed over the 1 25 mile Derby and the 1 2 mile Preakness don't have the stamina to win over the Belmont's longer
