THE US TRIPLE CROWN

The US Triple Crown or to give it its’ full name, the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing in the United States is one of the longest surviving three race championship in history. The three championship races are made up of;

The Kentucky Derby, run over 1.25 miles on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs, Louisville Kentucky and is also known as ‘the Run for the Roses’. Inaugurated in 1875.

The Preakness Stakes, run over 1 3/16 mile on the third Saturday in May at Pimlico Race Course, in Baltimore, Maryland, and is also known as ‘the Run for the Black-eyed Susans’. Inaugurated in 1873.

The  Belmont Stakes, run over 1.5 miles in June, at Belmont Park in New York, and is also known as ‘The Test of the Champion’. Inaugurated in 1867.

All three of these races are run on dirt/sand tracks and are left handed courses, meaning the horses come into the straight on the left hand side of the stands when facing the track. These three races were referred to as the Triple Crown as far back as 1923 but were only officially formed in 1950. Over the years there have been eleven winners of the Triple Crown in a single year, but only one horse, Secretariat holds the course record time for all three races which he won in1973. He is the only horse to appear on three major national magazines, Time, Newsweek and Sports Illustrated, and when running the Belmont Stakes, won by the longest distance ever, 31 lengths. No horse has ever done this before.

One, who the pundits believe was the greatest thoroughbred of all time was a horse called Man ‘O War, who won 20 out of his 21 races was only able to win two legs of the Triple Crown in 1920, only because his owner did not like racing in Kentucky, and proved a point to his owners and handlers by winning the Belmont Stakes by a then record of 20 lengths.