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58-667: Owned and bred by John W. Galbreath 's Darby Dan Farm in Lexington, Kentucky , he was out of the mare Luiana and sired by the great European champion Sea-Bird , whose Timeform rating at 145 is the second highest in racing history, surpassed only by Frankel's 147. John Galbreath and his wife owned a summer retreat at Manitoulin Island on the north shore of Lake Huron in Ontario , Canada. In 1969, they named one of their new foals Manitoulin . Sired by U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Tom Rolfe ,

116-481: A Triple Crown of Kentucky races to be held at Lexington, Louisville, and Latonia, then later a "Quadruple Stake" to include the Douglas Park racetrack. Neither of these appear to have materialized. The term "triple crown" in reference to the current three races was in use at least by 1923, although Daily Racing Form writer Charles Hatton is commonly credited with originating the term in 1930. The order in which

174-555: A combined margin of two lengths. His trainer John Veitch is the only trainer to have done this with one horse. In 1995, D. Wayne Lukas became the first and only major figure (owner, jockey, or trainer) to win all three Triple Crown races with different horses, Thunder Gulch in the Derby and Belmont, Timber Country in the Preakness. Lukas also is the only trainer to have won six consecutive Triple Crown races, adding his 1995 wins, having won

232-483: A deal with Chrysler to pay $ 5 million to any horse that swept all three races, and $ 1 million each year there was no Triple Crown sweep to the horse with the highest combined Triple Crown finish . This sponsorship lasted until 1993. The end of the $ 1 million participation bonus was linked to the breakdown of Prairie Bayou at the Belmont Stakes that year and the uncomfortable situation that arose when

290-457: A gap of 37 years. Between 1979 and 2014, thirteen horses won both the Derby and Preakness, but not the Belmont. Of those, Real Quiet came the closest, losing the Belmont Stakes by a nose in 1998. Another dramatic near-miss was Charismatic , who led the Belmont Stakes in the final furlong in 1999, but fractured his left front leg in the final stretch and fell back to third. Five other horses lost

348-563: A number of exceptions: jockey Johnny Longden was born in England and raised in Canada; Ron Turcotte was Canadian. French-born jockey Jean Cruguet ; and jockey Victor Espinoza , from Mexico. Jockey Willie Saunders is considered a Canadian jockey because he spent part of his childhood there, but was born in Montana . Laz Barrera , trainer of Affirmed, was from Cuba; Secretariat's trainer, Lucien Laurin

406-447: Is awarded to a horse who wins all three races and is thereafter designated as a Triple Crown winner. The races are traditionally run in May and early June of each year, although global events have resulted in schedule adjustments, such as in 1945 and 2020. The first winner of all three Triple Crown races was Sir Barton in 1919. Some journalists began using the term Triple Crown to refer to

464-525: Is one of only four men to have raced both a Kentucky Derby winner and an Epsom Derby winner. The others are Paul Mellon , Michael Tabor , and Prince Ahmed bin Salman . In the early 1950s, he served as chairman of the Greater New York Association. During his time, he oversaw the construction of the new Aqueduct Racetrack and the extensive rebuilding of Belmont Park . John Galbreath was voted

522-533: Is the only other owner with two Triple Crown horses, 1941 winner Whirlaway and 1948 winner Citation . Eddie Arcaro is the only jockey to ride two horses to the Triple Crown, both for Calumet: Whirlaway and Citation. Those two horses' trainers, Ben Jones and Jimmy Jones, were father and son. All 13 horses were foaled in the United States. Most owners, trainers, and jockeys were American-born, though there were

580-539: The 1945 Kentucky Derby was moved from May 5 to June 9, with the Preakness and Belmont following on June 16 and 23, respectively. In 2020, the Triple Crown was altered from its usual sequence due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic . The adjusted schedule started with the Belmont Stakes on June 20, at the shortened distance of 1 + 1 ⁄ 8 miles (9 furlongs). The Kentucky Derby ran on September 5, and finally

638-558: The 1974 Kentucky Derby . He won two of his first five races that spring, including the 1⅛ miles Everglades Stakes at Hialeah Park . Entered in the Blue Grass Stakes , under new rider Miguel Rivera he finished fourth to Claiborne Farm 's Judger. Trained by Woody Stephens , Judger went to the gate in the Kentucky Derby as the betting favorite. One year earlier, Thoroughbred racing had witnessed Secretariat captivate much of

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696-409: The 2023 Belmont Stakes , making Jena Antonucci the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown race. After the first Triple Crown winner, Sir Barton , in 1919, there was not another winner until Gallant Fox in 1930, a gap of 11 years. Between 1930 and 1948, seven horses won the Triple Crown, with five years being the longest gap between winners. However, following the 1948 win of Citation , there

754-792: The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company . John Galbreath made a fortune in commercial property development , building skyscrapers in the United States and abroad. However, he may be best known for his role as owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates . He initially held a 20 percent stake in majority owner Frank E. McKinney 's four-man syndicate when it purchased the Pirates on August 8, 1946. Galbreath's partners also included entertainer Bing Crosby and Pittsburgh attorney Thomas P. Johnson . Not quite four years later, when McKinney sold his 50 percent stake, Galbreath acquired majority control on July 18, 1950. He

812-540: The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing , commonly known as the Triple Crown , is a series of horse races for three-year-old Thoroughbreds , consisting of the Kentucky Derby , Preakness Stakes , and Belmont Stakes . The three races were inaugurated in different years, the last being the Kentucky Derby in 1875. The Triple Crown Trophy , commissioned in 1950 but awarded to all previous winners as well as those after 1950,

870-640: The 1941 Triple Crown, also won the Travers Stakes that year, the first and only horse to date to accomplish that feat. American Pharoah , in addition to winning the 2015 Triple Crown, also won the Breeders' Cup Classic that year. As the Breeders' Cup was not established until 1984, American Pharoah was the first (and currently only) horse to sweep those four races, a feat now known as the Grand Slam . Arcangelo won

928-630: The 1965 Epsom Derby and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe . In a nine-horse field, Little Current sat nine lengths back in eighth place while Kentucky Derby winner Cannonade and Jolly Johu dueled for the lead. Making the turn for home, again Little Current came storming through to run away from the pack and score another seven-length win. After capturing the Belmont, Little Current only raced three times. He did not start again until August's Monmouth Invitational Handicap where, after being nearly 20 lengths behind

986-727: The 1972 Big Sport of Turfdom Award by the Turf Publicists of America and in 1974 he won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Breeder . In 2018, Galbreath was voted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame as one of its esteemed Pillars of the Turf . Galbreath died in Galloway, Ohio , three weeks prior to his 91st birthday. American Classic Races In the United States ,

1044-415: The 1974 Eclipse Award for Outstanding 3-Year-Old Male Horse . With owner John W. Galbreath maintaining a 25% interest, Little Current was syndicated for $ 4 million. He stood at stud for the first time in 1975 at his owner's Darby Dan Farm in Lexington, Kentucky . He was eventually sent to stand at Buck Pond Farm in nearby Versailles , whose owners, Doug and Karen Arnold, acquired an interest in him. He

1102-458: The 1994 Preakness and Belmont with Tabasco Cat and the 1996 Derby with Grindstone . Like Veitch, only with two different horses, Bob Baffert also had second-place finishes in all three legs of the Triple Crown, both owned by Ahmed Zayat : in 2012, Bodemeister finished second in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness stakes to I'll Have Another , then Paynter was entered and finished second to Union Rags . Baffert and Zayat teamed up again for

1160-475: The 1¼-mile Derby, he was given little consideration by the betting public and was sent off at more than 22:1 odds. Because jockey Miguel Rivera had earlier committed to ride Rube The Great in the Derby, Bobby Ussery was aboard Little Current in the twenty-three-horse field, the largest in the race's history. Complicating matters for Little Current was that trainer Lou Rondinello was in hospital recovering from surgery . Leaving from post position 10, Little Current

1218-418: The 2015 Triple Crown victory of American Pharoah. Gallant Fox is the only Triple Crown winner to sire another U.S. Triple Crown winner, Omaha . Affirmed sired Peteski , winner of the 1993 Canadian Triple Crown . Jockey Julie Krone became the first (and currently only ) woman to win a Triple Crown race when she won the 1993 Belmont Stakes aboard Colonial Affair . Whirlaway , in addition to winning

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1276-488: The 2026 Preakness Stakes is expected to be run at Maryland's Laurel Park while Pimlico Race Course undergoes planned renovations. At completion of the 2016 season, the three Triple Crown races have attracted 4,224 entrants. Of these, 292 horses have won a single leg of the Triple Crown, 52 horses have won two of the races (23 the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, 18 the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes, and 11

1334-531: The American public with his record-breaking performances en route to becoming the first Triple Crown winner in twenty-five years. One of the spillovers from Secretariat's enormous popularity was the record crowd of 163,628 who showed up at Churchill Downs on May 4, 1974, for the 100th running of the Kentucky Derby. Among those in attendance were Her Royal Highness Princess Margaret and her husband, Lord Snowden . In light of Little Current's performances leading up to

1392-567: The Belmont Stakes, Galbreath believed the horse had a chance in the Arc. In order to first see how the colt could handle the grass surface he would run on in France, Galbreath entered him in the Lawrence Realization Stakes on Belmont Park 's turf course. However, Little Current chipped a bone in his right front ankle and was retired from racing. Despite his shortened racing season, he was voted

1450-463: The Belmont after winning only one of the first two legs. The first live national television broadcast of a Triple Crown race occurred with the 1947 Belmont Stakes on CBS. The following year, the Preakness Stakes was broadcast live and the Kentucky Derby was filmed to be broadcast the following day. Originally, the three races largely organized their own nominations procedure, marketing and television broadcast rights. In 1985, Triple Crown Productions

1508-475: The Belmont was 7 million when the Triple Crown was not at stake, whereas viewership averaged 13 million when it was. With the contract term ending, the NYRA went to ESPN on ABC for the 2006 Belmont, while the broadcasts of the Derby and Preakness remained with NBC. Visa chose to remain as a sponsor of only Kentucky Derby for the next five years. As a result of the divided broadcast, Triple Crown Productions

1566-410: The Belmont. By 2014, six of the previous eight Belmont winners had not competed in either of the first two legs of the Triple Crown. Additionally, from 2006 to 2014, the Belmont winner was a horse who had not competed in the Preakness. Since all three events were inaugurated, as of 2023, 23 horses have won the Derby and Preakness but not the Belmont (ten of which placed): Another 30 horses have won

1624-531: The Darby Creek in Galloway, Ohio . In 1949, he purchased the 650-acre (2.6 km ) core property of Idle Hour Stock Farm in Kentucky and renamed it Darby Dan Farm. Galbreath met his second wife Dorothy through thoroughbred racing . She had been involved in the sport with her first husband and would be very active with Darby Dan breeding and racing. The Darby Dan Farm raced several champion horses. John Galbreath

1682-414: The Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes), and 13 horses have won all three races. Pillory won both the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in 1922, a year when it was impossible to win the Triple Crown because the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes were run on the same day. 10 of the 13 winners have been "homebreds", owned at the time of their win by their breeders. Jim Fitzsimmons and Bob Baffert are

1740-476: The Kentucky Derby but won the Preakness and the Belmont, and three won the Derby and the Belmont, but not the Preakness. The 37-year gap between the Triple Crown wins of Affirmed and American Pharoah drew criticism of the system. As far back as 1986, reporters noted that horses who were fresh for the Belmont had an advantage. In 2003, Gary Stevens stated in an interview with Charlie Rose that he did not believe there would be another Triple Crown winner because of

1798-467: The Kentucky Derby winner, Sea Hero, was given the bonus following a seventh-place finish. In 1995, Visa took over the sponsorship with a 10-year contract, naming the series the Visa Triple Crown and offering only the $ 5 million bonus to a horse that could sweep the Triple Crown. Along with sponsorship by Visa, NBC Sports paid $ 51.5 million for broadcast rights to all three races, with

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1856-456: The Preakness on October 3. 2020 also marked the first time for the Belmont Stakes to be run as the opening leg of the Triple Crown. Each Triple Crown race is open to both colts and fillies . Although fillies have won each of the individual Triple Crown races, none has won the Triple Crown itself. Despite attempts to develop a "Filly Triple Crown" or a " Triple Tiara " for fillies only, no set series of three races has consistently remained in

1914-502: The Triple Crown races, the Kentucky Derby (1:59 2/5 ) the Preakness Stakes (1:53), and the Belmont Stakes (2:24). At 18, Steve Cauthen became the youngest jockey to win the Triple Crown, riding Affirmed in 1978. At 52, Mike Smith became the oldest jockey to win the Triple Crown, riding Justify in 2018. Only one horse, Alydar , placed (finished second) in all three races. He was defeated each time by Affirmed in 1978 by

1972-640: The colt raced for the Galbreaths in Ireland, where at the famous Curragh Racecourse he won the 1972 Royal Whip Stakes and Blandford Stakes . In 1971, the Galbreaths named another new foal for their summer home, this time for the island's town of Little Current . Trained by Lou Rondinello and ridden by Ángel Cordero Jr. , Little Current made four starts at age two but despite his breeding, showed little promise. Wintered in Florida , at age three Little Current prepared for

2030-535: The large field, Churchill Downs officials, including Chairman of the Board and owner of Little Current John W. Galbreath, adopted a new rule limiting the field to twenty horses beginning in 1975. Notwithstanding Little Current's off-the-board showings in the Blue Grass Stakes and the Derby, his handlers believed the colt was in part a victim of circumstances and a much better racehorse than his record showed. As such, he

2088-517: The leader, he put on another explosive drive to finish second by a nose to Holding Pattern. These two horses then met in the Travers Stakes with the same result. John Galbreath, Little Current's owner, had also raced successfully in Europe. In 1972, his colt Roberto won England's most prestigious race, The Derby . He wanted to win France's most important race, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe , and because of Little Current's easy victory at 1½ miles in

2146-596: The leaders, then stormed past them to win by seven lengths over Neapolitan Way and Derby winner Cannonade. Little Current's winning margin was the largest in twenty-three years. The third and final leg of the American Classic Races is the 1½ l-mile-long Belmont Stakes . Over the years, many great horses have won the Derby and Preakness only to fall short in the longer race. However, Little Current's sire, Sea Bird , had established himself as one of Europe's greatest runners with dominating victories at 1½ miles in

2204-407: The most Triple Crown victories with two apiece; Calumet's winners were Whirlaway and Citation. Eddie Arcaro rode both of Calumet's Triple Crown champions and is the only jockey to win more than one Triple Crown. Willie Simms is the only African-American jockey to win all three races that would compose the triple crown. During the 1898 Preakness Stakes he rode a different horse, Sly Fox and won

2262-512: The only living Triple Crown winners. James E. "Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons was the first trainer to win the Triple Crown more than once; he trained both Gallant Fox and Omaha for the Belair Stud . Gallant Fox and Omaha are also the only father-son pair to each win the Triple Crown. Bob Baffert became the second trainer to win the Triple Crown more than once, training American Pharoah and Justify. Belair Stud and Calumet Farm are tied as owners with

2320-430: The only two trainers to have two horses win the Triple Crown, with Fitzsimmons training the sire/son combination of 1930 winner Gallant Fox and 1935 winner Omaha and Baffert training 2015 winner American Pharoah and 2018 winner Justify . The wins by Fitzsimmons were also the first time that an owner and the first time that a breeder, Belair Stud holding both duties, had a repeat win of the Triple Crown. Calumet Farm

2378-734: The public eye, and at least four different types of races have been used. Two fillies won the series of the Kentucky Oaks , the Pimlico Oaks (now the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes ), and the Coaching Club American Oaks , in 1949 and 1952, but the racing press did not designate either accomplishment as a "Triple Crown". In 1961, the New York Racing Association created a filly Triple Crown of in-state races only, but

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2436-445: The race. Secretariat holds the stakes record time for each of the three races. His time of 2:24 for 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles in the 1973 Belmont Stakes also set a world record that still stands. The three Triple Crown races had existed long before the series received its name: the Belmont Stakes was first run in 1867, the Preakness in 1873, and the Kentucky Derby in 1875. On December 31, 1912, Johnson N. Camden Jr. proposed

2494-476: The races are run has varied. From 1932 through 2019, the Kentucky Derby was run first, followed by the Preakness, and then the Belmont. Running the three races in a five-week span was instituted in 1969. The Preakness was run before the Kentucky Derby 11 times, most recently in 1931. Two times— May 12, 1917, and May 13, 1922 — the Kentucky Derby and Preakness were run on the same day. Scheduling has occasionally been affected by global events. During World War II,

2552-486: The races changed over the years. Eight fillies won the NYRA Triple Tiara between 1968 and 1993. Gelded colts may run in any of the three races today, but they were prohibited from entering the Belmont between 1919 and 1957. Geldings have won each of the individual races, but like fillies, no gelding has ever won the Triple Crown. The closest was Funny Cide , who won the Derby and the Preakness in 2003. Each of

2610-426: The races is held on a dirt track, rather than the turf surfaces commonly used for important races elsewhere in the world. In 2024, the Belmont Stakes will be run at Saratoga Race Course at the shorter distance of 1 + 1 ⁄ 4 miles due to the construction of a new grandstand and racing surface at Belmont Park . The final leg of the Triple Crown is also expected to be moved to Saratoga in 2025. Meanwhile,

2668-433: The revenue split giving 50% of the total to Churchill Downs and 25% each to Pimlico and to the New York Racing Association (NYRA). The Visa deal—and the cooperative effort—ended after 2005. The NYRA felt that they did not get a fair share of the revenue, particularly when the Belmont had the highest ratings of all three races in the years where a Triple Crown was on the line. From 2001 through 2013, average viewership for

2726-405: The tendency for owners to put fresh horses in the Preakness and Belmont Stakes. California Chrome co-owner Steve Coburn was particularly critical of the Triple Crown system in post-Belmont remarks in 2014; he considered the system to be unfair, arguing that there would never be another Triple Crown winner in his lifetime unless only horses that competed in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness competed at

2784-669: The three races as early as 1923, but it was not until Gallant Fox won the three events in 1930 that Charles Hatton of the Daily Racing Form put the term to common use. Only 13 horses have ever won the Triple Crown: Sir Barton (1919), Gallant Fox (1930), Omaha (1935), War Admiral (1937), Whirlaway (1941), Count Fleet (1943), Assault (1946), Citation (1948), Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977), Affirmed (1978), American Pharoah (2015), and Justify (2018). As of 2024 , American Pharoah and Justify are

2842-510: Was Canadian. Owner Fannie Hertz was married to John D. Hertz , who was born in Slovakia; owner Ahmed Zayat was born in Egypt. The horse Sir Barton was foaled in the United States but had a Canadian owner, J. K. L. Ross , at the time of his Triple Crown win. Justify's large ownership group included individuals from both the United States and China. Secretariat holds the stakes record for each of

2900-409: Was a considerable gap of 25 years before Secretariat ended the drought of Triple Crown champions in 1973. Between 1973 and 1978, there were three Triple Crown winners. After Affirmed's Triple Crown in 1978, the longest drought in Triple Crown history began in 1979 with Spectacular Bid 's failed Triple Crown attempt when he finished third in the Belmont. It lasted until American Pharoah won in 2015,

2958-761: Was an American building contractor and sportsman. Born in Derby, Ohio , he grew up in Mount Sterling, Ohio , where he graduated from high school. He then graduated from Ohio University in 1922 and was a member of the Beta chapter of Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity. The non-denominational Galbreath Memorial Chapel on the Ohio University College Green was donated by Galbreath in memory of his first wife, Helen Mauck, who died in 1946. In 1955, he married Dorothy Bryan Firestone, widow of Russell Allen Firestone of

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3016-477: Was created when the owner of Spend a Buck chose not to run in the other two Triple Crown races because of a financial incentive offered to any Kentucky Derby winner who could win a set of competing races in New Jersey. The organizers of the three races realized that they needed to work together. Efforts to unify the sponsorship and marketing of all three Triple Crown races began in 1987 when ABC Sports negotiated

3074-405: Was entered in the Preakness Stakes , the second leg of the Triple Crown. Ridden by Miguel Rivera, Little Current was again given little chance by bettors and was sent off at 13-1 odds. Near the back of the pack for much of the 1 3/16 mile race, he raced close to the inner rail until a hole opened between horses. Launching an explosive drive, the colt drove through the narrow opening, quickly caught

3132-445: Was last at the quarter pole and at the mile mark was still trapped behind the large field in seventeenth place. Despite a strong drive after the mile pole, he finished fifth, more than six lengths back of winner Cannonade , who was ridden by Ángel Cordero Jr. Little Current in the homestretch had run down the middle of the track and passed numerous horses to finish fifth. As a result of the difficulties experienced by many entrants due to

3190-625: Was later sent for stud duty at Good Guys Farm in Folsom, Louisiana then in 1995 was purchased by equine veterinarian Dr. Ann Hansen and her husband, Mark, who brought him to their farm near Monroe, Washington . Little Current met with modest success as a stallion . He sired thirty-five stakes winners including 1983 Flamingo Stakes winner Current Hope, 1990 James F. Lyttle Memorial Handicap winner Little Raisin, as well as Curribot (Little Current—Ameribot, by Ribot ), who won 22 stakes races and placed in 16 others with lifetime earnings of $ 491,527. In 1997 he

3248-529: Was pensioned and lived at the Hansen's farm for another six years, the oldest living winner of a Triple Crown race. At age thirty-two, Little Current had to be euthanized as a result of an intestinal tumor . His remains were sent to Buck Pond Farm for burial in their equine cemetery. Legend – ₩ = Triple Crown Winners, ♥ = Filly Legend – ₩ = Triple Crown Winners, ♥ = Filly John W. Galbreath John Wilmer Galbreath (August 10, 1897 – July 20, 1988)

3306-531: Was the Pirates' principal owner through 1985, during which the Pirates won three world series championships — in 1960 , 1971 , and 1979 . Galbreath was the first owner to break the so-called "Million Dollar Mark" when he signed Dave Parker to a multi-year contract in 1979 . During his tenure, the Pirates also drafted Hall of Fame player Roberto Clemente from the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1954 Rule 5 draft . In 1935, Galbreath founded Darby Dan Farm near

3364-430: Was unable to obtain a new sponsor. Today Triple Crown Productions LLC, based at Churchill Downs , is responsible for collecting nominations to the annual Triple Crown races. In February 2011, ABC/ESPN dropped out of the negotiations to renew broadcast rights to the Belmont Stakes. NBC obtained the contract through 2015, once again uniting all three races on the same network. In 2014, NBC extended their contract for

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