Winning Ponies

Triple Crown Winners

The Triple Crown, as it relates to horse racing, is the pinnacle achievement that every thoroughbred strives for, and consists of three specific races: the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes; with each of the individual races said to be a "jewel in the crown." Since 1919 when Sir Barton won the very first Triple Crown, there have only been twelve other horses to accomplish the feat and the last winner, Justify, was crowned in 2018.

The Triple Crown is considered to be one of the most difficult triumphs to attain in all of sports. The complexity can be attributed to the grueling schedule of having to partake in three races within five weeks, each of which are at longer distances than the three-year-olds have previously run throughout their careers. The Belmont Stakes is extremely punishing as most thoroughbreds never run such a long distance (1 1/2 miles).

Since 1997, there were nine horses that won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, but lost (or did not run) in the Belmont Stakes. California Chrome was the latest horse to miss the Triple Crown when he ran fourth in the Belmont in 2014. American Pharoah broke the 36 year drought when he won the Belmont Stakes on June 6th, 2015 and became the 12th Triple Crown winner. Since then, Justify has been the latest Triple Crown winner on June 9th, 2018.

Notably, since Justify's Triple Crown in 2018, no horse has even won both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. Several Derby winners have skipped the Preakness entirely, including Country House (2019, illness), Rich Strike (2022), and Sovereignty (2025).

Triple Crown Winners

YearHorseTrainerJockey
1919Sir BartonH. G. BedwellJohn Loftus
1930Gallant FoxJames FitzsimmonsEarl Sande
1935OmahaJames FitzsimmonsWilliam Saunders
1937War AdmiralGeorge ConwayCharley Kurtsinger
1941WhirlawayBen A. JonesEddie Arcaro
1943Count FleetDon CameronJohn Longden
1946AssaultMax HirschWarren Mehrtens
1948CitationBen A. JonesEddie Arcaro
1973SecretariatLucien LaurinRon Turcotte
1977Seattle SlewWilliam Turner, Jr.Jean Cruguet
1978AffirmedLazaro S. BarreraSteve Cauthen
2015American PharoahBob BaffertVictor Espinoza
2018JustifyBob BaffertMike Smith

Triple Crown Near Misses

There have been 23 horses who won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, but did not complete the Triple Crown. These horses are listed below:

YearHorseBelmont FinishBelmont Winner
1932Burgoo KingDid not startFaireno
1936Bold VentureDid not startGranville
1944Pensive2ndBounding Home
1958Tim Tam2ndCavan
1961Carry Back7thSherluck
1964Northern Dancer3rdQuadrangle
1966Kauai King4thAmberoid
1968Forward Pass2ndStage Door Johnny
1969Majestic Prince2ndArts and Letters
1971Canonero II4thPass Catcher
1979Spectacular Bid3rdCoastal
1981Pleasant Colony3rdSumming
1987Alysheba4thBet Twice
1989Sunday Silence2ndEasy Goer
1997Silver Charm2ndTouch Gold
1998Real Quiet2ndVictory Gallop
1999Charismatic3rdLemon Drop Kid
2002War Emblem8thSarava
2003Funny Cide3rdEmpire Maker
2004Smarty Jones2ndBirdstone
2008Big Brown9thDa'Tara
2012I'll Have AnotherScratchedUnion Rags
2014California Chrome4thTonalist