Ten will try to spoil American Pharoah Triple Crown hopes

American Pharoah beat 17 rivals in the Kentucky Derby, just seven showed up to futilely challenge him last Saturday in the Preakness, and it looks as if he’ll have about 10 opponents in the June 6 Belmont Stakes when he attempts to become the first horse to sweep the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978.

That 37-year drought is the longest in the Triple Crown since Sir Barton became the first of 11 horses to sweep the series in 1919. American Pharoah is the 14th horse since Affirmed to win the Derby and Preakness. Of the 13 prior to him, 12 made it to the Belmont – I’ll Have Another didn’t – and all failed. It has become increasingly harder to sweep the series over the years, in no small part due to the way horses are managed in modern times. American Pharoah will be the only horse amongst this crop of 3-year-olds to run in all three legs.

Those who ran in the Derby and tried anew in the Preakness – like Dortmund and Firing Line – exited the Triple Crown trail in Baltimore and will not run in the Belmont. Awaiting American Pharoah in New York will be several horses who ran in the Derby and bypassed the Preakness to point for the Belmont – most notably Frosted and Materiality – as well as Madefromlucky, who skipped both the Derby and Preakness but tuned up for the Belmont with a win over the track in the Peter Pan. Tonalist won last year’s Belmont, denying California Chrome the Triple Crown, after winning the Peter Pan and skipping the first two legs of the Triple Crown.

Conquest Curlinate, second in the Peter Pan, also will run, trainer Mark Casse said Monday, and that will be costly, for he was not an original (for $600) nor late (for $6,000) nominee to the Triple Crown and thus must be supplemented to the Belmont for $75,000. Others who ran in the Derby, skipped the Preakness, and will run in the Belmont are Carpe Diem, Frammento, Keen Ice, Mubtaahij, and War Story, bringing to seven horses taking that route, which was used successfully most recently by Palace Malice in 2013. Todd Pletcher, the trainer of Palace Malice, trains both Carpe Diem and Materiality, as well as Madefromlucky.

Tale of Verve, who was second in the Preakness after failing to scratch into the Derby, also will run. He was sent by van to Belmont Park on Monday. If that field of 11 holds together, it would mean American Pharoah would have defeated a record 34 rivals – obviously counting horses who ran in two legs – in the Triple Crown series. War Admiral holds the record, having vanquished 32 rivals in 1937. By comparison, Affirmed beat 20 runners in his Triple Crown sweep, Seattle Slew faced 29 rivals in 1977, and Secretariat 21 in 1973. Count Fleet faced the fewest, 14 rivals total in the three races in 1943.

American Pharoah on Monday flew to Churchill Downs, where he will do all his serious training prior to heading to New York. His trainer, Bob Baffert, said American Pharoah would go to New York the Wednesday of Belmont Week, June 3, mirroring the itinerary he used prior to the Preakness. American Pharoah has been based at Churchill Downs since immediately after his win in the Arkansas Derby on April 11. “I’m going to take him back there, give him a light week this week. It’ll be like going to a spa for a week – relax, eat, get the weight back on him,” said Baffert, who said American Pharoah would have his final work for the Belmont at Churchill Downs before heading to New York. American Pharoah has never raced at Belmont Park, but he already has won his last six starts at five different racetracks in four different states.

American Pharoah represents the fourth Triple Crown bid for Baffert, who previously won both the Derby and Preakness with Silver Charm in 1997, Real Quiet in 1998, and War Emblem in 2002. “I can’t believe I’ve done this four times, how lucky I’ve been,” Baffert said. Those three horses all failed to win the Triple Crown, though Silver Charm and especially Real Quiet had very close beats in the Belmont. Baffert is 1 for 9 in the Belmont, his lone win in 2001 with Point Given, who lost the Derby but then won both the Preakness and Belmont. Victor Espinoza, who rides American Pharoah, made Triple Crown bids previously with both War Emblem – in tandem with Baffert – and then last year with California Chrome. He has never won the Belmont. “It’s not easy, but it’s fun,” Espinoza said. “It’s always good to be in this situation.”