Belmont Stakes Drawn

American Pharoah has drawn Post 5 and has been installed as the 3-5 early favourite to win Saturday’s 147th edition of the Belmont Stakes.

Victor Espinoza will be up in the irons at Belmont Park as American Pharoah looks to become the first Thoroughbred to win the Triple Crown since Affirmed did it back in 1978.

A field of eight will load for the Belmont, the historic one and a half-mile test for three-year-olds.

The Belmont oddsmaker has pegged the Pioneerof The Nile colt as the 3-5 odds-on choice on the morning line.

American Pharoah’s trainer, Bob Baffert, stated that he doesn’t mind that his protégé will leave from the five slot. The Courier-Journal has quoted him as saying, "I always like the five. It's a number I do well with. More importantly, the horse is doing well...So far, it looks like he's doing great. We've still got to get around there."

The Triple Crown aspirations of no less than 13 bidders have gone up in smoke in the Belmont since Affirmed last turned the trick in the late ‘70s.

Baffert commented on the challenge that the Belmont presents, adding that at the end of the day it is all up to the horse. "A mile and a half is a very rare race for most of those three-year-olds and for me," he said. "We're just going to get him ready, and if he's great, he'll get it done."

Madefromlucky, who is owned in part by Ontario-based Standardbred owner Mac Nicol, will start from Post 3 in the Belmont and has been assessed at early odds of 12-1. The son of Lookin At Lucky is part of ‘The Stable of Horses That God Loves,’ which is a major fundraising program for the Standardbred Racetrack Chaplaincy of Canada.

(With files from The Courier-Journal)