It is the hardest thing to do in sports. Honestly, think about it. You take a three-year-old animal—basically a teenager in human years—and ask it to win three grueling races, at three different distances, at three different tracks, all within a five-week span. It’s a ridiculous ask. Most horses break down or just get tired. Since 1875, only 13 have actually done it.
When people talk about triple crown winning horses, they usually start and end with Secretariat. Big Red. 1973. We’ve all seen the grainy footage of him winning the Belmont by 31 lengths, moving like a "tremendous machine," as Chick Anderson famously shouted into his microphone. But there is so much more to the story than just one horse in the seventies.
The Triple Crown isn't just a trophy. It is a survival test. It requires a specific kind of greatness that blends raw speed with an almost supernatural ability to recover. If a horse has a bad day in the Preakness, the dream is over. If they get a bad trip out of the gate at the Kentucky Derby, history forgets them.
The Long Drought and the Curse
For 37 years, we thought it was over. Between Affirmed in 1978 and American Pharoah in 2015, the world of horse racing was convinced the Triple Crown was an impossible relic of the past. People started blaming everything. They blamed breeding, saying we were breeding for "brilliance" (speed) over "stamina" (distance). They blamed the "fresh shooters"—the horses that skipped the Derby or Preakness just to wait in the weeds and ambush the tired Derby winner at the Belmont.
It felt like a curse.
Remember Silver Charm in '97? Real Quiet in '98? Smarty Jones in 2004? They all came so close you could taste the champagne. California Chrome in 2014 was particularly heartbreaking. His owner, Steve Coburn, went on a bit of a rant afterward, calling the system "cowardly" because other horses didn't have to run all three legs. He was frustrated. We all were.
Then came Pharoah.
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American Pharoah didn't just win; he glided. Watching him at the Belmont in 2015 was like watching a weight being lifted off an entire industry. Bob Baffert, his trainer, looked like he’d aged a decade in those five weeks. That’s the thing about triple crown winning horses—they don't just carry a jockey; they carry the expectations of a dying sport.
Sir Barton: The Accidental Legend
Most people think the Triple Crown was always this "thing" everyone was chasing. It wasn't. Back in 1919, when Sir Barton became the first to do it, the term "Triple Crown" didn't even exist in the American lexicon. He was actually a "maiden" entering the Kentucky Derby, meaning he had never won a single race in his life.
He was supposed to be a rabbit. A pacemaker. He was entered in the Derby to tire out the other horses so his more famous stablemate, Billy Kelly, could win. Sir Barton didn't get the memo. He took the lead and just... stayed there.
Why the 1940s Were Different
If you want to look at the golden age of the sport, you have to look at the 40s. We had four winners in a single decade:
- Whirlaway (1941)
- Count Fleet (1943)
- Assault (1946)
- Citation (1948)
Whirlaway was a nutcase. Seriously. He had this habit of "bolting" to the outside rail during turns, basically trying to run off the track. His trainer, Ben Jones, had to cut a hole in one side of the horse's blinkers so he could only see the rail with one eye, forcing him to stay straight. It worked. He set a track record at the Derby that stood until Secretariat broke it.
Citation, on the other hand, was a professional. He won 19 of 20 starts in his three-year-old year. Think about that. Most modern horses today run maybe five or six times a year. Citation was a workhorse. He was the first horse to ever top $1 million in career earnings, which, in 1948, was an insane amount of money.
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The Secretariat Paradox
We have to talk about 1973. Secretariat is the gold standard, but the irony is that his performance was so dominant it almost ruined the sport's expectations. He ran the Kentucky Derby in under two minutes (1:59.40), a record that still stands. He ran the Belmont Stakes in 2:24, a world record for 1.5 miles on dirt that likely won't be broken in our lifetime.
When you see a horse win by 31 lengths, your brain struggles to process it. It looks like he's playing a different sport.
But here’s what people miss: Secretariat actually lost races. He lost the Wood Memorial just weeks before the Derby. He was human (well, you know what I mean). He had an abscess in his mouth that made him cranky. His greatness wasn't that he was invincible; it was that when the lights were brightest, he produced a level of athletic performance that defied biology. After he died, an autopsy revealed his heart was roughly 22 pounds—about two and a half times the size of a normal horse's heart. It wasn't a deformity; it was just a massive, perfectly functioning engine.
Justify and the Modern Debate
In 2018, Justify became the 13th winner. He was a beast. Big, powerful, and undefeated. But his win sparked a lot of "old school" vs. "new school" debate. He didn't race as a two-year-old, breaking the "Curse of Apollo" (Apollo was the last horse to win the Derby without racing at two, way back in 1882).
Some purists argue that the modern Triple Crown is "easier" because of better veterinary medicine and lighter racing schedules. Others argue it’s harder because the horses are bred to be so fragile that they're basically "glass Ferraris."
Both are kinda right.
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The pressure today is different. In the 1940s, there wasn't a 24-hour news cycle or social media dissecting every hoof print. Today, if a horse coughs in the barn at Churchill Downs, the betting odds shift in five minutes.
What It Takes to Join the List
To be one of the triple crown winning horses, you need three things that rarely happen at the same time:
- Tactical Speed: You can't just be a "closer" who sits in the back, because the Preakness is often too short for that. You can't just be a "front-runner," because you’ll get caught in the 1.5-mile Belmont. You need to be able to sit just off the lead and pounce.
- The "Mind": Noise. 150,000 people screaming. Other horses bumping into you. If a horse gets nervous and "washes out" (sweats profusely) before the race, they’ve already lost their energy.
- Genetic Luck: You need the lungs of a marathoner and the legs of a sprinter.
Common Misconceptions About the Series
A lot of casual fans think the Kentucky Derby is the hardest race. It’s actually usually the Belmont.
The Belmont Stakes is nicknamed "The Test of the Champion" for a reason. Most American dirt horses are not bred to run a mile and a half. By the time they hit the final turn at Belmont Park, their lungs are burning and their legs feel like lead. The jockeys often misjudge the "sweep" of the turn because Belmont is such a massive track, moving too early and leaving the horse with nothing for the final furlong.
That is where dreams go to die. Just ask Sunday Silence, who lost to Easy Goer in '89, or Spectacular Bid, who allegedly stepped on a safety pin in his stall and lost his chance at history in '79.
How to Follow the Next Attempt
If you're looking to get into the sport or follow the next potential Triple Crown run, don't just watch the Derby. Follow the "Prep Season."
- Watch the speed figures: Look for "Beyer Speed Figures" above 100. That’s the benchmark for elite talent.
- Check the pedigree: Look for "Sire" names like Tapit or Curlin, known for producing horses that can actually handle the distance of the Belmont.
- The "Prep" matters: Horses that win the Florida Derby or the Santa Anita Derby are usually the ones with the best foundation.
The pursuit of the Triple Crown remains the most compelling drama in horse racing because it is so rare. It’s a pursuit of perfection in a sport that is inherently messy. Whether we see another winner this decade or wait another 30 years, the 13 horses who have done it remain the ultimate blueprint of what an equine athlete can be.
Next Steps for Racing Fans:
If you want to see these legends in person, many of the modern winners (like American Pharoah and Justify) are standing at stud in Kentucky. You can actually book "stallion tours" at farms like Coolmore (Ashford Stud) or Claiborne Farm. Seeing the size of these animals up close gives you a much better perspective on why they were able to dominate the track. Also, keep an eye on the "Road to the Kentucky Derby" points standings starting every January; that’s where the next legend first appears.