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 The last horse to sweep the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and
Belmont Stakes was Affirmed in 1978 and American Pharoah owner Ahmed
Zayat thinks his colt could end the long drought.
"Look at him," he told reporters. "This will be his fourth race in
eight weeks. That usually takes a toll on a horse but he's coming in
to the race the best he can be.
"We're coming in feeling that he has a real shot to win the Triple
Crown."
American Pharoah is the only Belmont Stakes horse that raced in the
Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, meaning the 2014 2-year-old
champion will be facing some fresh challengers.
Throw in American Pharoah's earlier victories in the Rebel Stakes
and Arkansas Derby and you might have a horse ill-prepared for the
grueling mile-and-a-half Belmont.
But the colt's trainer, Bob Baffert, seeking to saddle his first
Triple Crown winner after having been denied three previous times in
the Belmont Stakes, said this is the best horse he's ever had in his
barn.
"He was the champion last year and this year he has gone on and
shown himself to be a superior horse," said Baffert, a Hall of
Famer. "He has performed brilliantly."
On paper, no horse has the credentials of American Pharoah but the
Belmont Stakes, dubbed "The Test of Champions" because of its
demanding distance, has a way of showcasing emerging stars.
Last year, Tonalist, a colt that skipped both the Derby and the
Preakness, was a surprise champion at Belmont Park and helped deny
California Chrome a Triple Crown.
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Potential spoilers to American Pharoah's party could be Florida
Derby champion Materiality, who had a rough ride in the Kentucky
Derby before finishing sixth, or perhaps Wood Memorial winner
Frosted, who had a poor start at Churchill Downs but closed with a
flurry to finish fourth.
There was rain in New York early Saturday and a wet surface is often
a great equalizer. But American Pharoah's victory in the Rebel
Stakes was on a sloppy track as was his seven-length triumph in the
Preakness.
"I hope it'll be a dry track, because it is ridiculous the way he
runs on an off track," said trainer Nick Zito, who will saddle
Frammento. "It's a little scary."
(Reporting by Steve Ginsburg; editing by Justin Palmer)
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