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Triple Crown Winners

A History of Horse Racing's Triple Crown Winning Horses

Triple Crown Horse Racing

For the owners, trainers and jockeys of the world's best 3-year-old thoroughbreds, it doesn't get any bigger than winning the Triple Crown. In order to win the Triple Crown, however, a thoroughbred horse would have to win three of the biggest stakes races in the world: the Kentucky Derby, which takes place annually on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky; the Preakness Stakes, which takes place annually on the third Saturday of May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland; and the Belmont Stakes, which takes place every year in early June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.

The first of the Triple Crown races is the Kentucky Derby, which was first won in 1875 by Aristides. The Kentucky Derby winner goes on to compete in the second jewel of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes. Survivor was the first Preakness winner in 1873. A Derby-Preakness winner can then claim the coveted Triple Crown title by winning the Belmont Stakes, which was first won by Ruthless in 1867.

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Triple Crown History

It was Daily Racing Form (DRF) sportswriter Charles Hatton who coined the term "Triple Crown" in a 1930 article he wrote about Gallant Fox, the second horse ever to win the Triple Crown. The first horse to win the Triple Crown, Sir Barton, in 1919, actually won it 11 years before the term came into use.

Although it is recognized as horse racing's greatest honor, throughout its 125-year history there have been only 11 Triple Crown winners.

It may surprise more than a few horse racing fans to learn that Seabiscuit, the unlikely thoroughbred champion who rose to fame during the Great Depression and whose life was made into a bestselling book and movie, did not win the Triple Crown. Seabiscuit did, however, become the biggest story to hit the newspapers in 1938 by overcoming insurmountable odds, earning $437,730 over the course of his illustrious career. Seabiscuit died of a heart attack on May 17, 1947.

List of Winning Triple Crown Horses

Year Horse Jockey Trainer Owner Sire-Dam
1978 Affirmed Steve Cauthen Laz Barrera Harbor View Farm Exclusive Native-Won't Tell You
1977 Seattle Slew Jean Cruguet Billy Turner Karen Taylor Bold Reasoning- My Charmer
1973 Secretariat Ron Turcotte Lucien Laurin Meadow Stable Bold Ruler-Somethingroyal
1948 Citation Eddie Arcaro Ben A. Jones Calumet Farm Bill Lea-Hydroplane II
1946 Assault Warren Mehrtens Max Hirsch King Ranch Bold Venture-Igual
1943 Count Fleet Johnny Longden Don Cameron Mrs. J.D. Hertz Reigh Count-Quickly
1941 Whirlaway Eddie Arcaro Ben A. Jones Calumet Farm Blenheim II-Dustwhirl
1937 War Admiral Charley Kurtsinger George Conway Samuel Riddle Man o' War-Brushup
1935 Omaha Willie Saunders J.E. Fitzsimmons Belair Stud Gallant Fox-Flambino
1930 Gallant Fox Earl Sande J.E. Fitzsimmons Belair Stud Sir Gallahad III-Marguerite
1919 Sir Barton Johnny Loftus H. Guy Bedwell J.K.L. Ross Star Shoot-Lady Sterling

After Citation's win in 1948, it would take another 25 years before another horse would go down in the history books as a Triple Crown winner. That winning horse would be Secretariat, a thoroughbred that had it all: speed, good looks and a winning personality.

Secretariat appeared on the tracks in 1973, breaking all previously set records and finally winning the Triple Crown - bringing back much of the thrill and excitement that surrounded horse racing during the early days. Horse racing was once again on its way to becoming one of America's biggest spectator sports.

Triple Crown history would not be made again until Affirmed, a thoroughbred out of Harbor View Farm in Florida with 22 first place finishes and total earnings of $2,393,818 (the first thoroughbred to break the $2 million mark), won it in 1978.

Close to 50 horses have come close since 1978, including Afleet Alex, who won the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in 2005, and Smarty Jones, who won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in 2004.

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