belmont stakes

Two more horses have been added to the mix, raising to 10 the number of rivals American Pharoah winner could face in the Belmont Stakes on June 6.

Even though neither offspring of his stallion Malibu Moon took a top spot in the 140th running of the Preakness Saturday, Josh Pons, of Bel Air, is glad to see the sport of horse racing come into the national spotlight following American Pharaoh's victory in the second leg of the Triple Crown.

Horse racing's latest Triple Crown threat left the home of the series' middle jewel Monday morning.

Here are 11 things we learned from Preakness 2015

American Pharoah left no doubts about his status as the pre-eminent 3-year-old of a gifted crop after winning the 2015 Preakness Stakes. Now the question is whether he can handle the war of attrition that will culminate with a Triple Crown shot on June 6 in the Belmont Stakes.

Morning-line long-shot Tale of Verve charged down a muddy homestretch past a trio of Kentucky Derby contenders to take second, seven lengths behind Triple Crown aspirant American Pharoah, in his first stakes race.

Despite fans in the grandstands being cleared as the skies rumbled with thunder and flashes of lightning danced in the near distance, the second leg of racing's Triple Crown continued on a 1 3/16-mile track that resembled a giant slip-and-slide rather than the stage for a dominant seven-length victory.

American Pharoah swept to a commanding victory — and kept alive hopes for an elusive Triple Crown — as Baltimore eagerly embraced the 140th Preakness Stakes' boisterous day-long festivities, which came less than three weeks after the city was torn by riots and looting.

American Pharoah proved he can win from a bad post position and on a muddy track in the 2015 Preakness.

The third Saturday in May was like any other. The grandstand at Pimlico Race Course was a bouquet of fancy hats and the infield was awash in live music, cheap beer and parimutuel tickets that fell like snow after every race. Normalcy returned to Baltimore in the form of the 140th Preakness, a rite of spring that came at just the right time for a city that spent much of the past month in anguish and turmoil.

After brokering the sale of Mr. Z, trainer D. Wayne Lukas got into the 140th Preakness, looking for his 15th win in a Triple Crown race

Now 80, Bobby Ussery is the last surviving jockey of any Preakness winner from 1960 or earlier.

Alex's Lemonade Stand, with a boost from a racehorse named Afleet Alex, has raised more than $100 million to fight pediatric cancer.

Friday's $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes an important prelude to the middle jewel of horse racing's Triple Crown, as it is critical to the financial viability of Maryland racing.

Moving the second jewel of the Triple Crown to Laurel sounds appealing, but it would destroy the tradition that is the race's chief asset.

2015 Preakness has an eight-horse field with American Pharoah a 4-5 favorite and Dortmund and Firing Line the second choices at 7-2.

Todd Pletcher announced Tuesday that none of his horses, including Materiality, will run in the Preakness

Five key storylines heading into the 2015 Preakness

Baltimore could be set to host a blockbuster sequel with Kentucky Derby champion American Pharoah and top rivals Firing Line and Dortmund all pointed toward the May 16 Preakness.

Baffert's 5-2 favorite American Pharoah and 3-1 second choice Dortmund sent historians scrambling back to 1948 in search of a comparably gifted duo saddled by one trainer.

The successes of Dortmund and other contenders such as Materiality and International Star have brought significant attention to Fasig-Tipton's 2-year-old and yearling auctions in Timonium, where all three were purchased.

A Maryland Jockey Club spokesman said Thursday that there is no similar ban in effect for the May 16 race at Pimlico Race Course.

Days End in Howard County and Full Moon Farm in Carroll County are among 35 newly certified Maryland Horse Discovery Centers a new effort to boost the state's storied horse industry. Through farm tours, riding lessons and other activities, the centers are designed to stoke equestrian interests.

Joseph J. Challmes, a professional writer whose love of writing was only equaled by that of the ponies, died.

For more than half a century, the Maryland State Athletic Hall of Fame shooed race horses from its door. But that changes Thursday night when the first thoroughbred is inducted, albeit posthumously, into the 234-member Hall.

Alex Ovechkin and Marcus Johansson each scored a pair of goals to lead the Washington Capitals to a 4-2 NHL win over the slumping Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night.

Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course will host 149 days of racing in 2015, up three dates from 2014, with a new August slate at Laurel representing the most significant change.

California's Chrome's Steve Coburn was right — running fresh horses in the Belmont Stakes isn't good sportsmanship

Once again, we saw how difficult it is to win American Thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown, but a little more about that later.

California Chrome co-owner Steve Coburn said Monday on "Good Morning America" that he needed to apologize "to the world," including the connections of Belmont Stakes winner Tonalist.

As California Chrome began his recovery from a foot injury that might have contributed to his flat performance in the Belmont Stakes, his co-owner, Steve Coburn, stood by harsh comments about owners and trainers who run fresh horses in the third leg of the Triple Crown.

Some lose, some win, as bettors gather at Pimlico Racecourse to watch California Chrome's failed bid for Triple Crown glory at the Belmont Stakes.

In the end, California Chrome could not outrun recent history.

There is a flip side to California Chrome's disappointing finish in the Belmont Stakes on Saturday. It means that we've got a chance to do this all again next year...and the next...and probably the one after that.

Ben's Cat fell short in his quest to become the seventh Maryland-bred with at least $2 million in career earnings, finishing fourth in the $300,000 Jaipur Invitational on Saturday at Belmont Park.

The skeptics were right. The race was won by Tonalist, a horse who didn't run in either the Kentucky Derby or the Preakness.

Baltimore county resident Stuart Janney III, co-owner of 2013 Kentucky Derby winner Orb, did not enter a horse in the Belmont Stakes, but he came away a winner in a big undercard race Saturday at Belmont Park.

The excitement surrounding California Chrome's attempt to become the first horse to win the Triple Crown in 36 years has created a fairly predictable dichotomy for the betting public.

Triple Crown hopeful California Chrome epitomizes the romance of horse racing, the belief that any man can throw his money behind the right horse and come up a king.

The California Chrome doubters who were talking about his slow Kentucky Derby time had to find something else to nitpick when California Chrome posted the fastest Preakness time since Curlin in 2007.

California Chrome can win the Triple Crown at Saturday's Belmont Stakes, but even if he does, it won't dramatically improve the health of the horse racing industry, experts say.

Robert Evans laughed when asked if Tonalist, his Belmont Stakes contender, has been a pleasant surprise. "Anytime you have a horse good enough to run in one of these races, it's a pleasant surprise," said Evans, who owns a 500-acre farm in Easton.