It wasn’t bad enough that Baffert had drawn the NO.1 slot along the rail in the starting gate for American Pharoah and the NO.2 slot for Dortmund. Then the rain started to fall and water was beginning to puddle along the rail. By the time the horses were coming on the track, the rain had turned into a deluge and the wind was starting to be a factor. Out of the gate, American Pharoah took the early lead with Dortmund close by. Firing line, who was expected to be a challenger, stumbled coming out of the gate and was not a factor after that. Divining Rod started to close the gap around the far turn and looked like he had a chance. Dortmund was also hanging in there close. Then American Pharoah started to pull away in the stretch and by the time he reached the finish line he was seven lengths in front. Tale of Verve, at 28-1, came from last to finish second. Divining Rod finished third. American Pharoah went off as the 4-5 favorite and paid $3.80 to win.
There was a record crowd of 131,680 at Pimlico in Baltimore, Maryland to watch this stunning performance last Saturday. It was the sixth Preakness win for Bob Baffert. And now it’s on to the Belmont for a shot at the triple crown!
There has been no Triple Crown winner since affirmed in 1978. Don’t miss this chance to see history repeated after 37 years. Call DerbyTicketsInc.com on 1-844-593-3729 for tickets to the Belmont now. Kentucky Derby tickets and package deals for 2016 are also on sale at this time.