Triple Crown

The Triple Crown is the ultimate achievement in United States horse racing. One Thoroughbred must win three races (Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, & Belmont Stakes) over the course of five weeks. It is a daunting task. People have to realize that a race horse is every bit the athlete has a Olympic-level runner or swimmer. Hell, they're practically the same in terms of training & conditioning. Don't believe me? Let the 1973 Belmont Stakes & Secretariat convince you:

 Like the aforementioned unassisted triple play, a Triple Crown winner is rare. The three legs of the Triple Crown are designed to test a horse's ability. The races vary in distance with the Kentucky Derby being 1.25 miles, The Preakness a mile, & The Belmont a grueling mile and a half. The compact scheduling of the events also hinder a competitor's chances. Since 1875, there have been only eleven Triple Crown Champions. Yeah, just eleven. The last was Affirmed in 1978. The past decade has seen four horses come close (War Emblem, Funny Cide, Smarty Jones, & Big Brown each won the Derby & Preakness but lost the Belmont). If there's a rash of Triple Crown winners, maybe horse racing will emerge again in the American sports fan's landscape. It couldn't hurt, right?

When was the last time you saw a racehorse on the cover of Sports Illustrated? Keep it tight, Affirmed.