belmont stakes

Missed the Preakness this year? Too busy reveling in the infield to really notice what was going on? Here's a breakdown of the day's biggest storylines,

If American Pharoah made us believe again, Nyquist reminded us Saturday that nothing really changed when that interminable Triple Crown drought ended last June.

American Pharoah answered the question that had hung over every Preakness and Belmont Stakes for 37 years. Which horse would finally end the Triple Crown drought?

With one last workout on the track for Nyquist at Pimlico Race Course on Friday, trainer Doug O'Neill had a final chance to identify a hiccup with the 3-5

In his return to Pimlico Race Course, jockey Mario Gutierrez has been asked to compare his mount Saturday, the undefeated Nyquist, to I'll Have Another.

Paul Reddam seemed almost too relaxed. The owner of Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist had arrived in Baltimore on Wednesday just an hour or so before they pulled the post positions for Saturday's Preakness, but he seemed no worse for a long ride, which gave him something in common with horse racing's newest Triple Crown candidate.

The blind draw will determine where each of the 11 contenders in the second leg of the Triple Crown will start in Saturday's race.

As the crowds fill the infield and the stands at Pimlico Race Course for the 141st running of the Preakness on Saturday, consultants working for the state will be fanning out to assess what's needed to keep the Triple Crown race there on future May Saturdays.

Towson resident George S. Nyquist Jr. hadn¿t encountered his unusual last name often in his 62 years. Until a colt named Nyquist won the Kentucky Derby.

As the director of horsemen's relations for the Maryland Jockey Club, Phoebe Hayes, 55, is a crucial figure behind the scenes of Preakness weekend. Whether her office is coordinating rides for owners, overseeing admittance to the winner's circle after the Preakness Stakes or arranging a White House tour, Hayes juggles it all, ensuring smooth visits for the VIPs.

The state of horse racing today is much like the spindly legged 1,200-pound thoroughbreds themselves — majestic but fragile. Some in the industry worry that if an unscrupulous trainer's drug practices contributed to a thoroughbred's fatal misstep, it could devastate a once mighty sport that now only gains prominence for the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes.

Kentucky Derby champion Nyquist jogged twice around a muddy track at Pimlico Race Course on Thursday morning, and recently arrived trainer Doug O'Neill said his

LOUISVILLE,KY. -- The revelry after Nyquist's Kentucky Derby victory was joyous but subdued, the team behind him all too aware they had completed just one of

Cathryn Sophia went off as a 5-1 co-second choice in the Kentucky Oaks and broke cleanly, sitting in fourth place for much of the race as jockey Javier Castellano patiently waited to make his move. When he called on her to strike from the outside, she took the lead decisively and won by an easy three lengths in front of a record Oaks crowd of 124,589.

It was the biggest race before the Kentucky Derby, and undefeated colt Nyquist was leading as he headed into the homestretch at Gulfstream Park in the Florida Derby.

Grinding Speed didn't disappoint. In 22 sanctioned races over hill and dale, he has eight victories, six seconds and one third. Last year, after wins in the prestigious $100,000 Virginia Gold Cup and $75,000 International Gold Cup, the National Steeplechase Association named him its 2015 timber champion. At 10, the thoroughbred Wharton bought on the cheap for $2,000 has earned $295,200 — and he's still in his prime.

Spectacular Bid owner Harry Meyerhoff dies at 86

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame has cleared the way for retired jockey Ramon Dominguez, who won 1,010 races in Maryland, to be eligible for the Hall of Fame this year.

American Pharoah was made the overwhelming 1-5 favorite in a 10-horse field and drew the No. 2 post on Tuesday night.

Bob Baffert said American Pharoah "looks great" two days before the Triple Crown winner is scheduled to leave California for Saratoga Race Course and run in Saturday's Travers Stakes.

The Preakness Stakes will remain on NBC after a seven-year contract extension was reached for the second leg of the Triple Crown.

Superstardom did nothing to dull American Pharoah's competitive form. He won the $1.75-million Haskell almost casually, with jockey Victor Espinoza easing him to the finish line as a record crowd of 60,983 roared approval.

Triple Crown winner American Pharoah had an enthusiastic rooting section as he galloped Friday morning in preparation for the $1.75 million Haskell Invitational.

All told, some 600,000 green acres are preserved in Maryland by the horse industry. The more interest and excitement generated by thoroughbred stars such an American Pharoah, the easier it is to save this open space from development.

In his first exercise since winning the Triple Crown, American Pharoah takes a leisurely jog around the track at Churchill Downs.

Watch "Saving Private Ryan" and tell me The Sun shouldn't include some mention of the D-Day anniversary.

American Pharoah's historic Triple Crown win drew the third-best preliminary TV rating for the Belmont Stakes since it started being measured in 1988.

Questions quickly turned to American Pharoah's future schedule and his potential impact on a struggling sport, but Baffert and owner Ahmed Zayat mostly wanted to soak in the moment after the horse won the 2015 Belmont Stakes and horse racing's Triple Crown.

By going wire-to-wire to win the Belmont Saturday, American Pharoah ended one of the most-famous dry spells in sports.

American Pharoah won the second leg of the Triple Crown in the Preakness at Pimlico Race Course. On Saturday, racing fans in Maryland cheered him on from afar.

Even with record crowds at the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, New York racing officials didn't want to deal with logistical problems that plagued them last year.

The Triple Crown trail ends with the Belmont Stakes, and it's finished in heartbreak for 13 horses whose Triple tries were foiled since 1979.

The Preakness meet at Pimlico Race Course ends today with a bonus — a mandatory payout of its 10-cent Rainbow 6 with a carryover of $275,321.

Two questions have hovered over American Pharoah's preparations for the Belmont Stakes: Can he triumph where 13 others have failed and become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978? If he does it, would his achievement lift a sport that has lost much of its stature over the last four decades?

When American Pharoah breaks from the gate at Belmont Park on Saturday, he'll be carrying more than jockey Victor Espinoza on his broad shoulders. He'll also have to lug 37 years worth of baggage around the track on his 1 ½-mile run for horse racing's elusive Triple Crown.

American Pharoah is going to break the 37-year drought of Triple Crown winners, but money can still be made in the exotic bets.

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert continues to see all the right signs from his Triple Crown contender American Pharoah, who took his first gallop over the track at Belmont Park on Thursday morning. "When he finally came down the stretch, he was moving so fluidly, like he usually does," Baffert said. "So it was a very positive gallop. It looks like he's moving along just like he always moves along. It was very comforting to see that. You can tell he still has his energy."

Secretariat, Seattle Slew and Affirmed helped dominate horse racing in the 1970s; after 37 years, "it's time for another Triple Crown winner."

What mainstream attention horse racing garners is overwhelmingly focused on the Triple Crown. Is it all too much? Are we obsessed with the Triple Crown to the detriment of a sport desperate to attract attention the rest of the year?

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert nodded in approval as he heard American Pharoah will start from the No. 5 hole when he attempts to become the 12th Triple Crown winner in history in Saturday¿s Belmont Stakes.

Maryland incoming freshman Diamond Stone has been named one of 24 players invited to participate in the USA Basketball men's under-19 world championship team training camp.

American Pharoah arrived in New York on Tuesday with four days remaining until the Belmont Stakes. American Pharoah is vying to become horse racing's 12th Triple Crown winner and first since 1978.

As with most debates involving sports, there are varying reasons for the absence of a Triple Crown champion racehorse over the past 37 years. It has as much to do with bank accounts as bloodlines, yet trying to pinpoint the main reason is as elusive as the achievement itself.

For the past 37 years, Belmont Park has been where horse racing¿s grandest dreams have gone to die.

Belmont Stakes hopeful Tale of Verve took to the Belmont Park main track early Saturday morning in Elmont, N.Y., to log his final breeze in advance of the $1.5 million race Saturday.

Trainer Kenny McPeek will more than likely point The Truth or Else toward the Belmont Stakes on June 6.

Maryland baseball coach John Szefc will serve a two-game suspension because of his ejection from Sunday's Big Ten championship game and will miss the first two games of the NCAA tournament.

Trainer Bob Baffert was pleased with Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner American Pharoah's workout on Tuesday as he prepares for the Belmont Stakes.

Godolphin Racing's Frosted, who was fourth in the Kentucky Derby on May 2, will run in the Belmont Stakes on June 6, the colt's trainer, Kiaran McLaughlin, said Thursday.