On Saturday, American Pharoah will be the third horse in four years to go into the Belmont Stakes with a chance at capturing the first Triple Crown since Affirmed won it in 1978. Both I'll Have Another and California Chrome also took the first two jewels of the Triple Crown before being unable to capture a win at the tough Belmont Stakes.
The race is hard for a number of reasons. At 1½ miles long, the Belmont is the longest race in the Triple Crown and as the final leg, it is usually filled with horses that aren't fatigued from competing in the earlier races.
Even among horses that have won the Triple Crown, a truly dominant running of the Belmont Stakes is rare. But possibly the most famous race in history was just that -- an incredibly commanding performance in a Triple Crown victory, by Secretariat in 1973.
Secretariat is still considered one of the finest race horses of all time, and it's easy to see why. After decisive wins in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, the fantastic running of the Belmont Stakes stands out in horse racing history. At the time, the sport was looking at a 25-year drought for Triple Crown winners. There were just four horses in that year's race, and Secretariat was a heavy favorite. The race wasn't close, and even watching the video above it's still hard to believe just how wide a gap Secretariat managed to create.
Above we've got a video of Secretariat's historic run, with Chic Anderson on the call for CBS.
SB Nation presents: Horse racing's Triple Crown lineage