Out of hundreds
and hundreds of starters, only 11 horses have won the
elusive Triple Crown. The three multi-million dollar classic
races are the truest trial of thoroughbred prowess.
Universally regarded as the
the ultimate test to determine the best of the best, the
Triple Crown is comprised of the following three exclusive
races:
| Kentucky
Derby |
|
1st Saturday of May |
| Preakness
Stakes |
|
2
weeks after Derby |
| Belmont
Stakes |
|
3
weeks after Preakness |
|
| It
is only since the 1940s that these
races have been at their current distances,
in this particular order and with
this much time in between them. |
|
|
The first race, The Kentucky
Derby, is always the shortest, while the third race, The
Belmont Stakes, is always the longest. The Triple Crown's
grueling 5 weeks have, thus far, yielded only a small
number of elite champions. Exalted to mythic super-hero
status, any thoroughbred that conquers the Triple Crown
ensures their legacy across history.
Affirmed (1978) is the most
recent Triple Crown winner. The last surviving Triple
Crown winner, Seattle Slew, passed
away on May 7, 2002.
|
