The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (although sometimes shortened to Triple Crown, the full name is used to avoid possible confusion with other sports) consists of three races for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplishment of a Thoroughbred racehorse. Different nations where thoroughbred racing is popular each have their own Triple Crown series. In recent years, winning a Triple Crown has become a very rare achievement, with most horses specializing on a limited range of distances.
Contents |
In the United States, the three races that compose the Triple Crown are:
No horse has won the U.S. Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978.
There is also the Triple Tiara (formerly known as the Filly Triple Crown):
In 2003, the Triple Tiara was reconfigured to consist of the Mother Goose Stakes, Coaching Club American Oaks, and the Alabama Stakes, a 1 1/4 mile race held in August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The New York Racing Association, the operator of Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course, once offered a $2 million bonus to the filly that swept the three races. The bonus was discontinued in 2005. In 2007 the New York Racing Association reverted back to the original three races of the tiara; the Acorn, Mother Goose and Coaching Club American Oaks. No filly swept the reconfigured series.
Thus far, only eight horses have won the Triple Tiara:
No filly won the reconfigured Triple Tiara between 2003-2006.
In England, where the term Triple Crown originated with West Australian's three wins in 1853, it is made up of:
There is also a Fillies Triple Crown for a filly winning the 1,000 Guineas Stakes, Epsom Oaks and St. Leger Stakes.[1] In the past this was not considered a true Triple Crown as the best fillies would run in the Derby and Two Thousand Guineas. As this is no longer the case, the Fillies' Triple Crown would now be considered as comparable as the original. Winners of the Fillies Triple Crown are:
In the 150 years that these races have been run, only fifteen horses have ever won the English Triple Crown, including the great Nijinsky II in 1970. Nijinsky II was only the second winner of the English Triple Crown since the end of World War I. For many years, it was considered unlikely that any horse would ever win the English Triple Crown again. In the winter of 2006/2007, however, trainer Jim Bolger was training his unbeaten colt Teofilo for the Triple Crown.[2] and bookmaker William Hill plc was offering odds of only 12/1 against Teofilo winning the 2007 Triple Crown. However, the horse was withdrawn from the 2000 Guineas two days before the race after suffering a setback.
Since Nijinsky, only Nashwan in 1989 and Sea the Stars in 2009 have won both the Guineas and the Derby, and in addition, no Derby winner (including both Nashwan and Sea the Stars) has even entered the St. Leger since Reference Point in 1987, although this is primarily due to the impact it would have on a horse's stud value, which would not be the case for a horse who had already won the Guineas.
For a list of the annual individual race winners, see English Triple Crown race winners.
Triple Crown Champions:
| Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1853 | West Australian | Frank Butler | John Scott | John Bowes |
| 1865 | Gladiateur | Harry Grimshaw | Tom Jennings, Sr. | Frédéric de Lagrange |
| 1866 | Lord Lyon | Harry Custance | James Dover | Richard Sutton |
| 1886 | Ormonde | Fred Archer | John Porter | Duke of Westminster |
| 1891 | Common | George Barrett | John Porter | Sir Frederick Johnstone |
| 1893 | Isinglass | Tommy Loates | James Jewitt | Harry McCalmont |
| 1897 | Galtee More | Charlie Wood | Sam Darling | John Gubbins |
| 1899 | Flying Fox | Morny Cannon | John Porter | Duke of Westminster |
| 1900 | Diamond Jubilee | Herbert Jones | Richard Marsh | Edward, Prince of Wales |
| 1903 | Rock Sand | Danny Maher | George Blackwell | Sir James Miller |
| 1915 | Pommern | Steve Donoghue | Charles Peck | Solly Joel |
| 1917 | Gay Crusader | Steve Donoghue | Alec Taylor, Jr. | Alfred W. Cox |
| 1918 | Gainsborough | Joseph Childs | Alec Taylor, Jr. | Lady James Douglas |
| 1935 | Bahram | Freddie Fox | Frank Butters | HH Aga Khan III |
| 1970 | Nijinsky | Lester Piggott | Vincent O'Brien | Charles W. Engelhard, Jr. |
In Ireland, the Triple Crown, modelled on the English equivalent, is made up of
all run at the Curragh.
Only two horses have won all three races since the Irish Two Thousand Guineas was first run in 1921: Museum in 1935 and Windsor Slipper in 1942 (Williams & Hyland 1980). Desert King won the first two legs in 1997, but was perceived to have stamina limitations and not aimed at the St. Leger. Ironically, he went on to sire a great stayer in Makybe Diva, three times winner of the Melbourne Cup over 2 miles (3.2 km).
The first race of the three year old Triple Crown initially included the Canterbury Guineas (1,900 m) but nowadays the first leg is:
Imagele, Martello Towers, Moorland and Octagonal are Triple Crown winners.[3]
The Two Year Old Triple Crown (also known as the Two-year-old Grand Slam)[4] consists of the Golden Slipper Stakes (1,200 m), AJC Sires Produce Stakes and the Champagne Stakes (1,600 m).
Only five horses have won the Australian Two Year Old Triple Crown:
In Germany, the Triple Crown (Dreifache Krone) consists of
Only one horse has won the German Triple Crown, Königsstuhl in 1979. As the St. Leger has been demoted to Group III status, it's highly unlikely he will ever have a successor.
The Queen's Plate, Prince of Wales Stakes and Prince of Wales Stakes.
Japan has two sets of races referred to as Triple Crowns.
Japanese Triple Crown
Only six horses have received the Japanese Triple Crown:
Japanese Fillies' Triple Crown
Only two horses have received the Japanese Fillies' Triple Crown:
The Triple Crown series at Hong Kong's Sha Tin Racecourse consists of three races at increasingly longer distances. They are:
In 1994, River Verdon became the first, and to date, only horse to win the Hong Kong Triple Crown.
In Macau, Macau Jockey Club introduced the Triple Crown Series in 2008, with three race all held in Taipa Racecourse, Macau
In 2009 Macau Jockey Club changed the series for 4-year old horses
The Triple Crown series at Puerto Rico's Camarero Racetrack consists of three races at increasingly longer distances. They are:
The Puerto Rico Triple Crown winners are:
This combination of races received some publicity outside of Uruguay in 2006. The 2005 Triple Crown winner Invasor, after being sold to Sheik Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum's Shadwell Racing and sent to be raced in the United States, went on to win three Grade I races in 2006 before winning that year's Breeders' Cup Classic. He finished the year as the top-ranked horse in the 2006 World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings, and won the 2007 Dubai World Cup before being retired to stud following a training injury.
Ecuador has two sets of races referred to as Triple Crowns:
Ecuador Triple Crown
Ecuador Fillies' Triple Crown
In Ecuador, the Triple Crown consists of:
Triple Crown Champions:
| Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miss Florida | ||||
| Bananita | ||||
| Capo Di Monte II | ||||
| 1967 | Alcatraz | Estuardo Torero | Alcides Guerrero | Inginiero Miguel Salem Dibo |
| Pechiche | ||||
| 1971 | Farsante | Estuardo Torero | Alcides Guerrero | Inginiero Miguel Salem Dibo |
Venezuela has two sets of races referred to as Triple Crowns:
Venezuelan Official Triple Crown Champions: (From 1956)
| Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Gradisco | Manuel Camacaro | Leopoldo Márquez | Stud Rey-Gan |
| 1972 | El Corsario | José Luís Vargas | Eduardo Azpúrua | Stud El Corsario |
| 1985 | Iraquí | Juan Vicente Tovar | (+) Daniel Pérez | Stud Chivacoa |
| 1992 | Catire Bello | Douglas Valiente | (+) Iván Calixto | Stud Ilusión |
| 2005 | Polo Grounds | Emisael Jaramillo | Carlos Regalado | Stud Black Label |
| 2007 | Taconeo | Emisael Jaramillo | Gustavo Delgado | Stud Paula C |
Williams, Guy St. John; Francis P. M. Hyland (1980). The Irish Derby 1866-1979. London and New York: J. A. Allen & Co Ltd.. ISBN 0-85131-358-2.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||