In the 150 years that these races have been run, only 15 horses have ever won the English Triple Crown, including the great Nijinsky II. Nijinsky II is only the second horse to have won the English Triple Crown since the end of World War I. It is unlikely that any horse will ever win the English Triple Crown again, although this was said before Nijinsky won as well. Since Nijinsky, only Nashwan in 1989 has won both the Guineas and the Derby, and in addition no Derby winner 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.
In the United States the Triple Crown is made up of:
- the Kentucky Derby, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky;
- the Preakness Stakes, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland;
- the Belmont Stakes, at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.
The Triple Crown starts with the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday of May. The Preakness follows two weeks later. The Belmont Stakes is five weeks after the Kentucky Derby in early June.
For a horse, winning the Triple Crown is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, as all three races only allow 3-year-old horses to enter.
In the U.S., the term "Triple Crown" is the usual reference for these three horse races unless another sport is specified.
In 1930, Gallant Fox won all three important races, and sportswriter Charles Hatton brought the phrase "Triple Crown" into the American lexicon.
In the more-than-125-year history of the U.S. events, only 11 horses have ever won the U.S. Triple Crown; none since 1978:
As of May 20, 2006, the longest drought between Triple Crown winning horses is 29 years, dating back to Spectacular Bid's ill-fated Triple Crown run in 1979. Since Affirmed, nine horses have won both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. Of those, Real Quiet has come the closest to winning the Triple Crown, losing the Belmont Stakes by a nose in 1998. Charismatic led the Belmont in the final furlong in 1999 but broke his leg in the final stretch and fell back to third. Many horse-racing enthusiasts think, if he hadn't broken his leg, Charismatic would have won the Triple Crown. The two most recent to win the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness but lose the Belmont were Funny Cide in 2003 and Smarty Jones in 2004. Funny lost the Belmont in the slop to fresh horses, and Smarty lost by only a length.
In addition, several horses have won two of the three races since the last Triple Crown win, most recently Afleet Alex in 2005, who lost the Kentucky Derby but won the Preakness and Belmont.
Only one horse, Alydar, has placed (second place) in all three races. He was defeated by Affirmed in all three races in 1978 by a combined margin of two lengths. No other horse besides the 11 Triple Crown winners has finished in the same position in all three races.
One trainer, D. Wayne Lukas, has won the Triple Crown with two different horses, Thunder Gulch and Timber Country, winning the three races in 1995. While this is not declared a Triple Crown officially, it is unique as a trainer that he is the only trainer to win the three races in a calendar year with different horses.
2006 is the first time since 2000 that a different horse has won all three races: Barbaro won the Kentucky Derby but suffered a life-threatening and career-ending injury during the Preakness, Bernardini won the Preakness, and Jazil won the Belmont Stakes.
Also, as of May 21, 2005, the VISA Credit Card company officially withdrew its sponsorship of the U.S. Triple Crown, starting in 2006. It relieves VISA of paying the $5 million bonus to the owner of the horse that wins the Triple Crown. Triple Crown Productions is now sponsoring the races, as of 2006. The $5 million bonus remains intact.
Some believe VISA withdrew its sponsorship as a result of the New York Racing Association's decision to break with the other two tracks on a television contract. On October 4, 2004, NYRA announced the American Broadcasting Company and ESPN would hold television rights to the Belmont Stakes, breaking from Triple Crown Productions' deal with NBC Sports. NBC Sports continues the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes rights until 2010. Triple Crown Productions was formed in 1986 with ABC; prior to that, the individual racing associations made their own deals with the TV networks (ABC and CBS).
There also is a Triple Tiara of Thoroughbred Racing in the United States, open to 3-year old fillies.
External link:
Canada
Inaugurated in 1959, the "Triple Crown of Canadian Thoroughbred Racing" consists of:
- Queen's Plate - held at Woodbine Racetrack in June;
- Prince of Wales Stakes - held at Fort Erie Racetrack in July;
- Breeders' Stakes - held at Woodbine in August.
Seven three-year-olds have won the Canadian Triple Crown:
Japan
Japan has two sets of races referred to as Triple Crowns.
Japanese Triple Crown
- the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas), at Nakayama Racecourse in Funabashi, Chiba
- the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby), at Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu, Tokyo
- the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St.Leger), at Kyoto Racecourse in Kyoto, Kyoto
Only six horses have received the Japanese Triple Crown:
Japanese Fillies' Triple Crown
- the Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas), at Hanshin Racecourse in Takarazuka, Hyogo
- the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks), at Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu, Tokyo
- the Shuka Sho (1996 -), at Kyoto Racecourse in Kyoto, Kyoto / the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup (1976 - 1995)
Only two horses have received the Japanese Fillies' Triple Crown:
- 1986 Mejiro Ramonu (Mogami - Mejiro Hiryu, by Never Beat)
- 2003 Still in Love (Sunday Silence - Bradamante, by Robert)