Triple Crown Winners

  By Tiffany Amber Stockton

Last month, we took a close look at The Kentucky Derby, which just ran its 148th annual race this past weekend. If you missed that post, you can read it here. This month is about all 13 of the current title holders of the most prestigious honor in thoroughbred horse racing.

TRIPLE CROWN WINNERS

It doesn't matter if you know anything at all about horse racing or not. Nearly everyone has heard of the honor bestowed upon a champion horse who wins each of the 3 races which feature 3-year-old thoroughbreds of pure bloodlines. Think about it. A single horse has to win three difference races on three different tracks at three different distances, all within a five-week period.

Now, it's entirely possible you might not know what the Triple Crown means, but the term itself is still often quite familiar. With a little bit of research or through talking to someone who knows, you can easily find out more. The most important aspect of this prestigious title is knowing the thoroughbred has won The Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes. Each of these races were inaugurated (or begun) in different years, but in over 145 years, only thirteen (13) horses have achieved the highest honor, and all 13 have been stallions. Three mares have won the Kentucky Derby, but no mare has ever won the Triple Crown...yet.

As I shared last month, the area where I live is called Tattersall Estates, named after the world-famous London horse breeding venture and auction, Tattersalls. Every trail (street) is named after a famous horse or is a term related to horse racing. I live on Secretariat Trail, named after the current record-holder since 1973 for the fastest time in all three of the Triple Crown races. He is the 9th horse to win the title, but I'm going to start in order.

1. Sir Barton (1919). He lost all of his six starts as a 2-year-old, and the Kentucky Derby was his 3-year-old debut. Sir Barton was sold to the U.S. Cavalry after his stud career and lived out his years on a Wyoming ranch.

2. Gallant Fox (1930). The Preakness was run before the Derby in 1930, and Gallant Fox won all three races in a 29-day span. He was sired by Sir Gallahad II, one of the first prominent European stallions imported to the U.S. Gallant Fox was also the first, and only, Triple Crown winner to sire a Triple Crown winner with his son Omaha.

3. Omaha (1935). Like his sire, Omaha was a Triple Crown winner bred and owned by Belair Stud in Kentucky and trained by “Sunny Jim” Fitzsimmons. Omaha lost the Withers after the Preakness, but rebounded to win the Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown. Omaha started his stud career in Kentucky but was moved to a farm in Nebraska in 1950. He was later buried at the now-defunct Ak-Sar-Ben Race Track in Omaha.

4. War Admiral (1937). A son of the great Man o’ War, who skipped the Kentucky Derby but won the Preakness and Belmont, War Admiral captured the Triple Crown after stumbling and getting injured at the start of the Belmont. He famously lost a match race with Seabiscuit in 1938 but went on to sire 40 stakes winners from 320 starters, a remarkable 12.5 percent. That's quite a stud! :)

5. Whirlaway (1941). He won a monetary prize in each of his 42 starts as a 3- and 4-year-old, including the Triple Crown sweep, Travers Stakes, Brooklyn Handicap and Jockey Club Gold Cup. He was the first of eight Kentucky Derby winners and two Triple Crown winners for Calumet Farm, with a penchant for closing from the clouds. After his racing career, he was sold for stud duty to France.

6. Count Fleet (1943). This one was almost sold before he made it to the races due to his gangly conformation, but he ended up winning 10 of 15 starts as a 2-year-old. He was undefeated as a 3-year-old, being the favorite in each of the Triple Crown races and winning the Belmont by 25 lengths. As a stud, he sired two champions and Kentucky Derby winner Count Turf.

7. Assault (1946). Nicknamed the “club-footed comet” due to a malformed right front hoof resulting from an injury as a foal, Assault won the Kentucky Derby by eight lengths. He continued to race until he was 7 years old after proving infertile and later retired to King Ranch, the same place he was foaled.

8. Citation (1948). He began his sophomore season with two wins over older horses. He faced just five others in the Kentucky Derby and 15 total in all three Triple Crown races, but completed his 3-year-old season with 19 victories from 20 starts. He became racing’s first millionaire in 1951.

9. Secretariat (1973). He was named Horse of the Year as a 2-year-old after winning eight of nine starts and was the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years, proceeding to set the stakes record in each of the three Triple Crown races, including an American record of 2 minutes, 24 seconds in the Belmont, a race he won by 31 lengths. Belmont Park has since installed a blue and white pole 31 lengths from the finish line, signifying the magnitude of Secretariat’s win. His records still stand today, nearly 50 years later. It's no wonder a movie was made about him.    

10. Seattle Slew (1977). He was the first and remained the only undefeated Triple Crown winner until Justify joined him in 2018. He sustained the first loss of his career in his next race after the Triple Crown. As a 4-year-old Seattle Slew won five of seven starts, including a win over fellow Triple Crown winner Affirmed in the 1978 Marlboro Cup. He sired Horse of the Year A.P. Indy and more than 100 other stakes winners.

11. Affirmed (1978). His rivalry with Alydar, the second-place finisher in each of the 1978 Triple Crown races, is one of the most famous rivalries in the sport. Though he lost to Seattle Slew in that year’s Marlboro Cup, Affirmed was named 1978 Horse of the Year, and he duplicated that title in 1979 with six straight wins. He was the first $2-million earner in Thoroughbred racing.

12. American Pharoah (2015). He ended the longest drought in Triple Crown history when he became the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years. Like six of the last seven Triple Crown winners, the colt had been named 2-year-old champion in 2014. He wrapped up his career with a win in the Breeders' Cup Classic against older horses and was later named Horse of the Year. He has since taken up stud duty at Ashford Stud in Kentucky.

13. Justify (2018). He became the first horse since Apollo in 1882 to win the Kentucky Derby without racing as a 2-year-old. He began his career in mid-February 2018 and won three races before sweeping the Triple Crown. He is only the second Triple Crown winner to do so while undefeated. After sustaining a minor injury in summer 2018, he was retired to stud duty at Ashford Stud.

The Kentucky Derby was run this past weekend on May 7th. The Preakness Stakes will be run on May 21st, and the Belmont Stakes will be run on June 11th. Let's see if there's another thoroughbred who will make history this year!

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN:

* Have you ever seen any of the movies featuring any horse racing winners? Which one(s)?

* What are your favorite movies featuring a horse?

* Which one of the 13 horses listed above is your favorite? Why?

Leave answers to these questions or any comments you might have on this post in the comment box below. Come back on the 9th of June to learn about why Kentucky is called "The Bluegrass State."

For those interested in my "fictional" life as an author and industry news about other authors, subscribe to my newsletter. Receive a FREE omitted chapter from my book, A Grand Design, just for subscribing!

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BIO

Tiffany Amber Stockton has been crafting and embellishing stories since childhood, when she was accused of having a very active imagination and cited with talking entirely too much. Today, she has honed those skills to become an award-winning, best-selling author and speaker who is also an advocate for literacy as an educational consultant with Usborne Books. She loves to share life-changing products and ideas with others to help improve their lives in a variety of ways.

She lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart Vaughn Stockton, along with their two children, two dogs, and two cats in Kentucky. She has sold twenty-six (26) books so far and is represented by Tamela Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. You can find her on Facebook and GoodReads.

The Kentucky Derby: 148 Years Strong

 By Tiffany Amber Stockton

Last month, I share some fast facts about Kentucky with some amazing yet fun tidbits. If you missed that post, you can read it here. This month, we're taking a closer look at The Kentucky Derby, which is close to celebrating it's 150th anniversary (in 2024).

KENTUCKY DERBY

It has been heralded as "the greatest two minutes in sports," and it's the longest continuously-running sporting event in the country. The event dates back to the very first race on May 17, 1875. Today, it is run on the first Saturday in May every year. What started as a 1.5 mile race is now a 1.25 mile race run by three-year-old thoroughbreds. It is the first leg in the challenging and coveted Triple Crown series of events, although that name didn't become widespread until the 1930s. Out of those three, the Kentucky Derby has the highest attendance.

This event began because of efforts from Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr., the grandson of explorer William Clark, of the famous Lewis and Clark team who mapped out the land from the Louisiana Purchase. After traveling to Europe in 1872, Clark, Jr. (known for throwing elaborate and extravagant parties and inspired by the races he attended in England and France) returned home to Kentucky and founded the Louisville Jockey Club. He used the club to raise money to build a racetrack on land donated by his uncles, William and John Churchill.

Organized by the 12th Earl of Derby, England's Epsom Downs racecourse had been the home of the Derby Stakes since 1780. That location became the primary influence behind Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby. Clark wanted to bring a certain level of class to his track by attracting an upscale crowd, thereby improving the image of American racetracks everywhere. If anyone remembers the memorable eyebrow-raising scene at the racetracks in My Fair Lady, you can envision the social atmosphere at the Kentucky Derby. It resembles a high tea event, complete with mint juleps, flamboyant head ensembles, and a collective singing of "My Old Kentucky Home" as the racehorses parade in front of the attendees before each race.

A mint julep is a famous drink which originated in the South. As a sign of wealth, it was served in a silver cup. It is made of what else but bourbon, sugar, mint, and crushed ice. Sounds delicious! I've never had one, but I'm going to be on the lookout for a good one. Guess I'll have to learn the lyrics and music to "My Old Kentucky Home" now too! The 19th century ballad by composer Stephen Foster was reportedly first played at the Derby in 1921 and remains a part of the Derby traditions to this day.

In 1902, new management took control of Churchill Downs and plucked the Derby out of the local fame it had enjoyed, turning it into America's most iconic horse race. The first race in 1875 boasted a little over 10,000 attendees who came to watch fifteen (15) thoroughbreds run the distance. They were primarily the city's most stylish residents, and the event became THE social event of the season--a place to see and be seen.

With the advent of the radio, measures were taken to broadcast the Derby across the airwaves. Although some thought it would detract from the event's solid attendance, the first network radio transmission in 1925 only sparked more interest. 1949 marked the Derby's first television broadcast locally, and in 1952, it made its debut on national television. Today, over 160,000 people come from around the world to attend the Kentucky Derby. Tens of millions watch it on television. It is THE signature event in the state of Kentucky, brimming in abundance with traditions, legends, and icons...and of course the bourbon-based mint juleps!

My daughter has inherited my love of all things horses, and I promised her a visit to Churchill Downs. There is a phenomenal Kentucky Derby Museum on the grounds, and a lot of additional features you can add to your museum ticket. I definitely look forward to making that trek.

As a little teaser for my May post, the area where I now live is called Tattersall Estates, named after the world-famous London horse breeding venture and auction, Tattersalls. Every street here is named after a famous racehorse or connected to a term from horse racing. I live on Secretariat, the record-holder since 1973 for the fastest time in all three of the Triple Crown races. I'll share more next month.

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN:

* Do you know any famous horses who have won the Kentucky Derby (or the Preakness or Belmont Stakes)? Who are/were they?

* Have you ever been to the Kentucky Derby? Or have you ever visited Churchill Downs at any other time of the year?

* Are there any horse races anywhere else in the U.S. that you have attended? Where are they?

Leave answers to these questions or any comments you might have on this post in the comment box below. Come back on the 9th of May to learn more about famous Triple Crown racehorse winners.

For those interested in my "fictional" life as an author and industry news about other authors, subscribe to my newsletter. Receive a FREE omitted chapter from my book, A Grand Design, just for subscribing!

---

BIO

Tiffany Amber Stockton has been crafting and embellishing stories since childhood, when she was accused of having a very active imagination and cited with talking entirely too much. Today, she has honed those skills to become an award-winning, best-selling author and speaker who is also an advocate for literacy as an educational consultant with Usborne Books. She loves to share life-changing products and ideas with others to help improve their lives in a variety of ways.

She lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart Vaughn Stockton, along with their two children, two dogs, and two cats in Kentucky. She has sold twenty-four (24) books so far and is represented by Tamela Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. You can find her on Facebook and GoodReads.