For the roughly 90,000 persons on hand at Belmont Park on Saturday, it will surely be an unforgettable moment if fate allows American Pharoah to capture the highly elusive Triple Crown.

Considering that it will be a historic feat -- one that has not been witnessed in the past 37 years -- some fans may even savor it as a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Yet for the industry as a whole, it's far more debatable how the re-emergence of a Triple Crown winner will impact a sport in dire need of a charismatic hero.

It can surely create euphoria and waves of new fans, but will it elevate the sport to spectacular new heights as a business partner for corporate America?

One expert in the field has his doubts.

Mike Trager is one of the most widely respected figures in sports marketing, sponsorships and the packaging of television contracts. Currently a private consultant, the 73-year-old Trager's résumé includes stints as chairman of Clear Channel Entertainment Television and The Baseball Network and as a vice president of NBC Sports.

He also played an instrumental role in the growth and development of Breeders' Cup as he and his business partner, the late Mike Letis, founded Sports Marketing and Television International, which served as the series' marketing and television arm for 20 years. It was Trager and Letis who convinced NBC to support the fledgling concept of the Breeders' Cup with an unprecedented amount of one-day television coverage for its races that paved the way for its growth into one of the sport's best assets.

As Trager sees it, a Triple Crown winner will benefit the sport but will not unlock the door that puts it on the road to equal footing with football or baseball as a business vehicle.

"I don't envision a big bump for horse racing and I don't see many new players coming into the sport because of a Triple Crown winner," Trager said. "The excitement is going to be greatest at Belmont Park on the day of the race. There can be some impact in terms of merchandising, but only if American Pharoah continues to run. It will certainly draw more attention to the sport, yet I don't think there are enough people out there interested in horse racing or watching horse racing to make a huge amount of difference in terms of marketing."

In assessing a sporting world with a Triple Crown winner for the first time in more than three decades, Trager believes much of the good derived from a victory by American Pharoah will be offset by the current nature of horse racing, where less is more in terms of races. Even if a victorious American Pharoah races after the Belmont Stakes, he will make only a handful of starts, limiting the possibility for large-scale marketing opportunities.

"In horse racing, the stars come on the scene, you get attached to them for a short period of time and then they either go to stud or, if you get lucky, they race at [the age of] 4," the Greenwich, Connecticut, resident said. "You're not dealing with the volume of appearances that major sponsors want to latch on to. If a Triple Crown winner runs at 4, there could be some nice opportunities to capitalize on. I think the industry, like The Jockey Club, has done as good of a job as it can in terms of getting racing on television and raising awareness for the sport, and I can see a Triple Crown as another tool the industry can use for a while. But that's only for as long as American Pharoah continues to race. Once he goes to the breeding shed, it's over."

As monumental as Saturday could be for the sport, Trager says the Breeders' Cup could be equally important as the possibility of a Triple Crown winner pointing to the Oct. 31 Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland would give the series the ability to promote the presence of the kind of superstar it has lacked since its inception in 1984.

"It will definitely help the Breeders' Cup if American Pharoah wins the Triple Crown and then runs in it. It will give them a name to promote like they've never had before," Trager said. "It adds some interest and attaches a name that's very identifiable to the series. A lot of people will watch him and root for him in the Belmont Stakes and they'll root for him in the Breeders' Cup Classic. Having a Triple Crown winner will certainly elevate the marketability of the Breeders' Cup and increase awareness for the event and the sport."

Trager also sees numerous advertising possibilities for American Pharoah's connections if their horse prevails in Belmont Park's "Test of the Champion." Yet, unless American Pharoah can steal a page from Hannah Davis' horse in the DirecTV ads and learn to talk, this generation's Mad Men will not have another Derek Jeter or Michael Jordan on their hands.

"Somebody will find him, just like they found Itsaknockout in the Kentucky Derby and had the tie-in to the [Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao] fight," Trager said. "It's a fun name, a catchy name. It's a terrific name and draws attention with the younger crowd. But you really haven't seen big Wall Street companies team with racing for a significant partnership in a long time and that may not change."

While Trager does not envision a huge upswing in long-term marketing opportunities, he knows the spark ignited by a long-awaited Triple Crown sweep can only help the sport's fan base and, in terms of the big picture, that's not to be taken lightly.

"The nice part for racing is that because it hasn't happened in so long, people want to be there in case it happens. It's created something good for the sport because people want to see history," Trager said. "A Triple Crown winner can give racing a name it can promote in a short time frame. That can attract more fans because of the recognition factor and that's certainly beneficial."