With the 149th running of the Belmont Stakes at hand Saturday, the sport continues what has been a months-long search for a 3-year-old with staying power.
That may be a bit unsettling for fans who will never forget what happened two years ago, when American Pharoah ruled the Belmont from start to finish in giving racing its 12th Triple Crown champion and first in 37 years. When Pharoah went on to add the Breeders’ Cup Classic to his laurels, he became the first to complete the “Grand Slam.”
And no one can forget last season, when Arrogate seemingly came from nowhere to smash the track record in the Travers, the famed Mid-Summer Derby, in a performance for the ages at old Saratoga Race Course.