For the owners, trainers and jockeys of the world’s best 3-year-old thoroughbreds, it doesn’t get any bigger than winning the Triple Crown.
In order to win the Triple Crown, however, a thoroughbred horse would have to win three of the biggest stakes races in the world: the Kentucky Derby, which takes place annually on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky; the Preakness Stakes, which takes place annually on the third Saturday of May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland; and the Belmont Stakes, which takes place every year in early June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.
The first horse to win the Triple Crown, Sir Barton, in 1919, actually won it 11 years before the term came into use. Although it is recognized as horse racing’s greatest honor, throughout its 125-year history there have been only 11 Triple Crown winners.
Close to 50 horses have come close since 1978, including Afleet Alex, who won the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in 2005, and Smarty Jones, who won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in 2004.
Is there a contender out there today that has what it takes to become a Triple Crown winner? We shall see.
