What Does The Triple Crown Mean In Horse Racing?

1. 68

   PhoenixVposted 13 years ago

   What Does The Triple Crown Mean In Horse Racing?
   
   What does the phrase or term "Triple Crown" mean in horse racing? What is the history behind the Triple Crown exactly?

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2. 60

   DJProfessorKposted 13 years ago

   The Triple Crown is the series of races that are the most prestigious in American Horse Racing.
   
   The Kentucky Derby - Arguably the most notable of the races, this takes place in May (First Saturday?). It also tends to have the largest field, sometimes with over 20 horses taking part. That being said, if a longshot is going to win, this is the place to do it. Located at Churchill Downs.
   
   The Preakness Stakes - The second of the races, and it usually has a whittled down field from the Derby. Slightly longer than the Derby, but the distance makes little difference. Horses are still rather tired from the first race, so preparation is key. This race is run at Pimlico Race Course in Maryland.
   
   The Belmont Stakes - At 1 1/2 Miles, this is the longest of the Triple Crown races. Only the best horses can run the entire race. The pace is normally very slow, and then comes up at the end. The race is run at Belmont Park in New York.
   
   It's significance is that it is so difficult to win all three. The last horse to do so was Affirmed in 1978. Only one horse has really come close since, and that was Charismatic.

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3. 85

   Barbsbitsnpiecesposted 13 years ago

   @DJProfessorK...Wow! Let's review the facts!
   
   The Kentucky Derby is the most famous horse race in the world, but many countries have their own version of a Triple Crown exclusively for three-year-old Thoroughbreds. The field has been limited to twenty entries for some time, dependent upon the top graded stakes earners.
   
   The Preakness Stakes, the second race of the American Triple Crown, is shorter than the Derby (1-1/4 miles) at 1-3/16 miles.
   
   Charismatic went third in the Belmont in 1999 after breaking down short of the finish wire. Real Quiet lost the Belmont by a nose in 1998, and three others finished second in the Belmont after winning the first two events.
   
   A Thoroughbred who wins a Triple Crown race will command top breeding fees. The American Triple Crown wasn't named and constructed as such until the 1930s, many years after Sir Barton won all three races in 1919.

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