Triple Crown Not Fit For Any Kings

It hasn't happened since I was born. It's now been 32 years since the last Triple Crown winner in horse racing. Not since Affirmed accomplished the feat in 1978 has a horse triumphed in the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes in the same year. The streak continued for another year and this time it wasn't even close. All three races had different winners. 24-1 Long shot Ruler on Ice captured today's Belmont, Shackleford won the Preakness at Pimlico, and Animal Kingdom took the Kentucky Derby. So, after more than three decades with no horse racing domination, what's the deal? Maybe the better question is, 'why is it so hard   to win the Triple Crown?'



At first glance, it seems like it shouldn't be next to impossible to sweep the three major horse races in a single year. After all, once you win the first race at Churchill Downs, the fields get smaller and the momentum gets bigger. The problem is, these races are all completely different. Whereas the Derby is more like a sprint, the final race at Belmont is a marathon (a quarter of a mile longer.) So, that brings the issue of breeding into it. Certain horses like Animal Kingdom may be perfectly bred for a shorter track like Churchill, but longer tracks may give it trouble. The fact that Belmont (the longest track in the country) is at the end of the circuit and these horses have already been worn down through the rigors of a full year plus schedule doesn't help either. Nowadays, most horses are bred to be sprinters since the majority of races are of shorter distance.

Plenty of horses have come agonizingly close to following in Affirmed's footsteps, but came up just short in the end. Since 1900, there have been 21 horses who have won the first two races in the Triple Crown before falling in the final race of the trio. Most recently, super horse Big Brown appeared like a shoe in to end the streak in 2008 after dominating the Derby and Preakness. Despite being a huge favorite at Belmont, Big Brown didn't even finish the race, losing to long shot Da'Tara. From 2002-04, three other horses accomplished the same feat as Big Brown. War Emblem, Funny Cide, and Smarty Jones all took the first two races before bowing out at Belmont. The latter, Smarty Jones, was barely beat out by Birdstone and had to settle for 2nd. Talk about a tough way to lose to the Triple Crown.

The bottom line is this. These are horses we're talking about, not humans. They don't have the same drive or passion for victory. Their motivation is getting fed and avoiding the whip. While we can dissect their results years later, the horses will never remember how close they were to the ultimate prize. Then again, isn't that the beauty of the sport?

by Andy Adamson