The Triple Crown has been at the centrepiece of American racing for over a century but has been elevated even further in prominence thanks to the recent Netflix series. Could Australia follow suit with its own version, over sprint distances in the Sydney spring?
Comment: The United States did not invent the concept of the Triple Crown – it emanated from Great Britain when a horse called West Australian won the 2000 Guineas, Derby and St Leger in 1853 – but American racing has made the idea its own as a promotional exercise for its best and brightest since it was formally adopted in 1950.
The Triple Crown are bywords for elite equine achievement in the United States, even during the 37-year gap between when Affirmed completed the famed treble in 1978 and when American Pharaoh broke the drought in 2015. Justify (2018) is the only one to have done it since.
While the complete Triple Crown set is the holy grail, the individual contests across the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont, have also been the main stage of American racing, even during an era where the Breeders’ Cup has grown massively in profile.
Much like the term "Grand Slam" in tennis came to represent the individual events, as well as someone winning all four titles in a single year, the separate parts of the Triple Crown are their own special events.
This post is for our free members
Thanks for your interest in The Straight. It looks like you are trying to access a free members article via an in-app browser on X, Facebook or LinkedIn. For the best experience, and instant access, sign on via the Social Sign In links below. You should only need to do this once.
If you wish to access or create an email-based account, please provide your email below. You will receive a link to click by email which will then open in your device’s native browser.
