“The most recent Triple Crown winner was Justify in 2018, who became the 13th horse to accomplish the feat.”
The History of the Triple Crown
The Triple Crown is one of the most prestigious achievements in the sport of horse racing. It consists of three races: the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes. Winning all three races is a rare feat that has only been accomplished by a select few horses. In this article, we will explore the history of the Triple Crown and how it became one of the most highly-regarded accomplishments in the sport of horse racing.
The first leg of the Triple Crown, the Kentucky Derby, began in 1875. The race was the brainchild of Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr., who was inspired by the Epsom Derby in England. The race was designed to be a showcase of Kentucky’s Thoroughbred industry, which was already well-known at the time.
The second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes, began two years later in 1877. The race was named after a horse named Preakness, who won a race in Baltimore the year before. The Preakness Stakes quickly became known as the “Run for the Black-Eyed Susans,” as the winning horse is draped with a blanket of the yellow and black flowers, which are the state flower of Maryland.
The final leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, began in 1867, making it the oldest of the three races. The race was named after August Belmont Sr., a wealthy banker who was instrumental in the development of Thoroughbred racing in the United States. The Belmont Stakes is the longest of the three races, at 1.5 miles, making it a true test of a horse’s endurance.
The idea of the Triple Crown as we know it today did not come about until the 1930s. In 1930, Gallant Fox became the second horse to win all three races, but it was not until a year later that the term “Triple Crown” was coined. Sports writer Charles Hatton wrote an article in the Daily Racing Form in which he referred to Gallant Fox as a “Triple Crown” winner, and the term stuck.
In the years that followed, several horses came close to winning the Triple Crown but fell short in one of the three races. In 1932, Burgoo King won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes but finished second in the Belmont Stakes. In 1936, Bold Venture won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes but was forced to withdraw from the Belmont Stakes due to an injury.
It was not until 1941 that another horse would win the Triple Crown. That year, Whirlaway won all three races, becoming the fifth horse to accomplish the feat. The next Triple Crown winner would not come until 1948, when Citation won all three races.
From the 1950s through the 1970s, the Triple Crown became increasingly difficult to win. Horses like Tim Tam, Northern Dancer, and Majestic Prince all won the first two legs of the Triple Crown but fell short in the Belmont Stakes. It was not until 1973 that another horse would win the Triple Crown.
That year, a horse named Secretariat captured the hearts of racing fans everywhere when he won the Triple Crown in dominant fashion. His win in the Belmont Stakes, where he set a new track record of 2:24 for the 1.5-mile race, is considered one of the greatest performances in the history of horse racing.
Since Secretariat’s historic win, only 13 horses have won the Triple Crown. The most recent Triple Crown winner was Justify in 2018, who became the 13th horse to accomplish the feat. The Triple Crown has become increasingly difficult to win as horse breeding has improved in recent years.
