With the Kentucky Derby on the horizon, this is a good time to review horse racing’s Triple Crown winners. Since 1919, only 11 horses have won the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and Belmont in the same year.
The last horse to do so was Affirmed, who won the Triple Crown in 1978. Jockeyed by Steve Cauthen, Affirmed went on a wild ride to win the Triple Crown. In the Kentucky Derby, Affirmed won by 1 1/2 lengths, and prevailed at the Preakness by a neck. To claim the Triple Crown, Affirmed triumphed in even more exciting fashion, squeezed out a victory by a nose. Affirmed finished his racing career winning 22 of his 26 starts and was the first horse to win more than $2 million.
The 1970s saw two other horses claim the Triple Crown. Seattle Slew entered the 1977 Kentucky Derby as a slight favorite and won the Derby by 1 3/4 lengths. Seattle Slew prevailed at the Preakness by 1 ½ lengths and the Belmont Stakes by a four lengths. In Seattle Slew’s racing career, he won 14 races in 17 starts and earned over $1.2 million.
Secretariat won the 1973 Triple Crown, the first horse to do so in a quarter of a century. “Big Red,” won the Kentucky Derby by 2 ½ lengths and was the first horse to win at Churchill Downs in under two minutes. Secretariat was victorious at the Preakness by the same length. At the Belmont Stakes, Secretariat recorded one of the greatest performances in history, galloping to victory by an incredible 31 lengths. His finish was so legendary that ESPN even named the horse the 35th greatest athlete of the 20th century. Secretariat finished his racing career with 16 wins in 21 starts and with over $1 million in earnings.
Four horses won the Triple Crown in the 1940s: Citation (1948), Assault (1946), Count Fleet (1943), and Whirlaway (1941). The 1930s saw three horses win the three major races: War Admiral (1937), Omaha (1935), and Gallant Fox (1930). The first Triple Crown winner was Sir Barton in 1919.
There have also been numerous horses who narrowly missed out on the Triple Crown. Four times in the 2000s, a horse has won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness in the same year, only to falter at the Belmont Stakes. In 2008, Big Brown aimed to become the 12th horse to win the Triple Crown, but finished ninth at the Belmont Stakes.
Sources:
http://www.horse-races.net/library/tcrown-info.htm
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/4500325/
http://www.seattleslew.com/race_details.aspx?rid=7
http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/athletes.html
