<P> For three years in a row, horses came to the Belmont Stakes with a Triple Crown on the line only to fail . In 2002, Belmont Park hosted what was then the largest crowd in its history when 103,222 saw War Emblem lose to longshot Sarava after stumbling at the start . In 2003, 101,864 watched Funny Cide finish third behind Empire Maker . In 2004, the attendance record was shattered when 120,139 people saw Smarty Jones upset by Birdstone . </P> <P> In 2007, Rags to Riches became the first filly to win the race since Tanya in 1905 . Three more failed Triple Crown bids followed: in 2008, Big Brown lost to Da' Tara; in 2012, I'll Have Another was withdrawn due to injury; and in 2014, California Chrome was beaten by Tonalist . This fueled debate about whether the series needed to be changed, for example by lengthening the period between races . </P> <P> American Pharoah won the 2015 race, becoming the 12th horse in history to win the Triple Crown and the first in 37 years . The crowd that year was limited for the first time, to 90,000 . His time of 2: 26.65 was the sixth - fastest in Belmont Stakes history, and the second - fastest time for a Triple Crown winner . In 2018, Justify became the 13th Triple Crown winner and only the second horse to do so while undefeated . </P> <P> The Belmont Stakes has been run at a mile and a half since 1926, having been run at that distance in 1874--1889 . </P>

What was the winning time for american pharoah in the belmont stakes