For American Pharoah, "maybe this is the one"

This Saturday, all eyes will be on "American Pharoah" as the 3-year-old tries to become the first horse to win the Triple Crown in more than three decades.

His trainer Bob Baffert knows more than anyone else what it's like to be on the cusp of winning the rare honor, reports CBS News correspondent Carter Evans.

"I know the odds are against us -- 37 years -- there's a reason for that," Baffert said.

The Triple Crown is considered one of the most elusive records in all of sports. 1978 was the last time a horse won all three races: the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont stakes.

"Nobody's gotten closer than me, nobody's had more chances than me," Baffert said.

Hall of Fame trainer Baffert and his horse American Pharoah are one jewel away from horse racing's crowning achievement. Saturday will be his fourth appointment with the horse racing gods. His three prior attempts have come up short: Silver Charm in 1997, Real Quiet in 1998 and War Emblem in 2002.

"I don't think it takes a great trainer and a great jockey to win the Triple Crown. It takes a great horse," Baffert said.

And he says American Pharoah could be one of the greats -- potential he says you can see right out of the gate.

"The good ones, they'll just pop up. They breathe different air than the rest of 'em," Baffert said.

Baffert sensed early on that American Pharoah was different than the rest. He was proven right at this year's Kentucky Derby, where the thoroughbred held off the field after 1.25 miles. Two weeks later, at the slightly shorter Preakness, he blew everyone away. On Saturday, Baffort and American Pharoah will be just a mile and a half from racing immortality.

Only 11 horses have won the Triple Crown, including the legendary Secretariat, who won Belmont by 31 lengths in 1973. But since the chestnut "Affirmed" nabbed Belmont by a nose in 1978, no other horse has been able to pull off the trifecta.

"It's a mile and a half and it's -- they've gone through some tough races," Baffert said. "I think most horses, the way they're bred, most don't want to go a mile and a half."

Adding to the difficulty, many horses now skip the Preakness to rest up and gain an advantage at Belmont.

"It's difficult. That's what makes the Triple Crown so elusive," Baffert said.

It's elusive, but perhaps within reach.

"(Pharoah) is more explosive than my other horses," Baffert said. "Every time he runs, he's showing me; he looks like maybe this is the one."