Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing

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. The term originated in mid-19th century England. However, 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.

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United States Triple Crowns

Main articles: United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing and American Triple Tiara of Thoroughbred Racing

In the United States, the three races that compose the Triple Crown are:

  1. Kentucky Derby, run over 1-1/4 miles (2.01 km) dirt track at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky;
  2. Preakness Stakes, run over 1-3/16 miles (1.91 km) dirt track at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland;
  3. Belmont Stakes, run over 1-1/2 miles (2.41 km), the longest dirt track in thoroughbred racing, at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.

It has been 33 years since a horse won the U.S Triple Crown (Affirmed in 1978)

Year Winner Jockey Trainer Owner Breeder
1919 Sir Barton Johnny Loftus H. Guy Bedwell J. K. L. Ross John E. Madden
1930 Gallant Fox Earl Sande Jim Fitzsimmons Belair Stud Belair Stud
1935 Omaha Willie Saunders Jim Fitzsimmons Belair Stud Belair Stud
1937 War Admiral Charley Kurtsinger George H. Conway Samuel D. Riddle Samuel D. Riddle
1941 Whirlaway Eddie Arcaro Ben A. Jones Calumet Farm Calumet Farm
1943 Count Fleet Johnny Longden Don Cameron Fannie Hertz Fannie Hertz
1946 Assault Warren Mehrtens Max Hirsch King Ranch King Ranch
1948 Citation Eddie Arcaro Horace A. Jones Calumet Farm Calumet Farm
1973 Secretariat Ron Turcotte Lucien Laurin Meadow Stable Meadow Stud
1977 Seattle Slew Jean Cruguet William H. Turner, Jr. Karen L. Taylor Ben S. Castleman
1978 Affirmed Steve Cauthen Laz Barrera Harbor View Farm Harbor View Farm

There is also a national Triple Tiara (formerly known as the Filly Triple Crown):

  1. Kentucky Oaks, run over 1⅛ miles on a dirt track, at Churchill Downs;
  2. Black-Eyed Susan Stakes, run over 1⅛ (previously 1-1/16) miles on a dirt track, at Pimlico Race Course;
  3. Acorn Stakes, run over 1 mile on a dirt track, at Belmont Park (previously 1-1/2 miles);

Thus far, only one filly has won the national Filly Triple Crown:

From 1957–2002 and 2007–2009 the New York Triple Tiara consisted of the Acorn Stakes, the Mother Goose Stakes and the Coaching Club American Oaks (all three stakes races are run at Belmont Park in New York).
Thus far, only eight fillies have won the original New York Triple Tiara:

In 2010 the NYRA changed the configuration of the new Betfair TVG Triple Tiara it now consists of the Acorn Stakes run at Belmont Park, the Coaching Club American Oaks and the Alabama Stakes both run at Saratoga Race Course.
 Thus far, in 2010 and 2011 no filly has won the reconfigured Betfair TVG Triple Tiara. .

United Kingdom

In England, where the term Triple Crown originated with West Australian's three wins in 1853, it is made up of:

  1. the 2,000 Guineas Stakes, run over 1 mile (1,609 meters) at Newmarket Racecourse in Newmarket, Suffolk;
  2. the Epsom Derby, run over 1 mile 4 furlongs and 10 yards (2,423 metres) at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Epsom, Surrey;
  3. the St. Leger Stakes, run over 1 mile, 6 furlongs and 132 yards (2,937 metres) at Town Moor in Doncaster, Yorkshire.

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 (12 by some reckoning) have ever won the English Triple Crown, including the great Nijinsky in 1970. Nijinsky is still the only winner of the English Triple Crown since World War II. 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.

Ireland

In Ireland, the Triple Crown, modelled on the English equivalent, is made up of

  1. the Irish 2,000 Guineas;
  2. the Irish Derby; and
  3. the Irish St. Leger, (open to older horses)

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 the undefeated, 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).

Australia

The first race of the three year old Triple Crown initially included the Canterbury Guineas (1,900 m) but nowadays the first leg is:[3]

Imagele, Martello Towers, Moorland and Octagonal are Triple Crown winners.[4]

The Two Year Old Triple Crown (also known as the Two-year-old Grand Slam)[5] 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:

Germany

In Germany, the Triple Crown (Dreifache Krone) consists of

  1. Mehl-Mülhens-Rennen, German 2000 Guineas (formerly Henckel-Rennen), Cologne, 1600 m
  2. Deutsches Derby, Hamburg, 2400 m
  3. Deutsches St. Leger, Dortmund, 2800 m

Only one horse has won the German Triple Crown, Königsstuhl in 1979.

Canada

Main article: Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing

1932 Queensway

1959 New Providence

1963 Canebora

1989 With Approval

1990 Izvestia

1991 Dance Smartly

1993 Peteski

2003 Wando

Canadian Fillies Triple Crown:

2007: Sealy Hill

Japan

Japan has two sets of races referred to as Triple Crowns.

Japanese Triple Crown

  1. the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas), at Nakayama Racecourse in Funabashi, Chiba
  2. the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby), at Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu, Tokyo
  3. the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St.Leger), at Kyoto Racecourse in Kyoto, Kyoto

Only seven horses have received the Japanese Triple Crown:

Japanese Fillies' Triple Crown

  1. the Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas), at Hanshin Racecourse in Takarazuka, Hyogo
  2. the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks), at Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu, Tokyo
  3. the Shuka Sho (since 1996), at Kyoto Racecourse in Kyoto, Kyoto / the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup (1976–1995)

Only three horses have received the Japanese Fillies' Triple Crown:

Hong Kong

The Triple Crown series at Hong Kong's Sha Tin Racecourse consists of three races at increasingly longer distances. They are:

  1. Hong Kong Stewards' Cup at 1,600 metres (0.99 mi) held in January
  2. Hong Kong Gold Cup at 2,000 metres (1.2 mi) held in February
  3. Hong Kong Champions & Chater Cup at 2,400 metres (1.5 mi) held in May

In 1994, River Verdon became the first, and to date, only horse to win the Hong Kong Triple Crown.

Macau

In Macau, Macau Jockey Club introduced the Triple Crown Series in 2008, with three race all held in Taipa Racecourse, Macau

  1. Director's Cup, Macau Group 2 Race, 1,500 metres (0.93 mi)
  2. Macau Cup ,Macau Group 2 Race ,1,500 metres (0.93 mi)
  3. Macau Gold Cup, Macau Group 1 Race, 1,800 metres (1.1 mi)

In 2009 Macau Jockey Club changed the series for 4-year old horses

  1. Macau Guineas, Macau Group 1 Race, 1,500 metres (0.93 mi), only for 4-year old horses
  2. Macau Derby ,Macau Group 1 Race, 1,800 metres (1.1 mi), only for 4-year old horses
  3. Macau Gold Cup, Macau Group 1 Race, 1,800 metres (1.1 mi)

In 2010, Luen Yat Forever become the first and, to date, only horse to win the Macau Triple Crown.

Chile

Chilean Triple Crown Winners:

1885 Cachaporal

1928 Tutti Frutti

1939 Grimsby

1946 Tabano

1951 Empire

1956 Eugenia

1966 Prologo

1991 Wolf

Puerto Rico

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:

Uruguay

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.

Uruguayan Triple Crown Winners:

1988 Amodeo

1994 Parsiphal

2005 Invasor

Ecuador

1980 – present

Ecuador has two sets of races referred to as Triple Crowns:

Ecuador Triple Crown

  1. Clásico Estreno Dr. Raúl Lebed Sigall, at Hipódromo BUIJO in Samborondón;
  2. Clásico Polla Nacional Sr. Agustin Febres Cordero, at Hipódromo BUIJO in Samborondón;
  3. Clásico Derby Nacional Sr.Benjamin Rosales A., at Hipódromo BUIJO in Samborondón;

Ecuador Fillies' Triple Crown

  1. Clásico Ing. Carlos San Andres, at Hipódromo BUIJO in Samborondón;
  2. Clásico Sr. Eduardo Jairala F, at Hipódromo BUIJO in Samborondón;
  3. Clásico Abogado Carlos Julio Arosemena Peet, at Hipódromo BUIJO in Samborondón;
Pre-1980

In Ecuador, the Triple Crown consists of:

  1. Clásico Nelson Uraga Suarez, at Hipódromo Santa Cecilia in Guayaquil;
  2. Clásico Enrique Guzman Aspiazu, at Hipódromo Santa Cecilia in Guayaquil;
  3. Clásico Inginiero Ignacio De Icaza Aspiazu, at Hipódromo Santa Cecilia in Guayaquil.

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

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
2010 Water Jet Emisael Jaramillo Gustavo Delgado Stud El Fantasma

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Craig, Dennis, Breeding Racehorses from Cluster Mares, J A Allen, London, 1964
  2. ^ http://midas.picdar.co.uk/cgi-bin/RP?MatchIndex=20&urn=719112136&Random=-1364681031&FFAC=WM0000025265&searchid=1
  3. ^ Australian Triple Crown Retrieved 2010-11-2
  4. ^ "SMH Sport". The Sydney Morning Herald. 11 April 2009. http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/horseracing/metal-bender-poised-to-join-greats-in-derby/2009/04/10/1239223048208.html. Retrieved 12 April 2009. 
  5. ^ Huxley, Dennis, Miller’s Guide, Sporting records, 2009/2010, Miller’s Guide P/L, Moonee Ponds
  6. ^ Thoroughbred Times Retrieved 2010-5-1
  7. ^ Win Streaks Retrieved 2010-11-9

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. 

Triple Crowns of horse racing
United States
Great Britain
Canada
See also