Ranking horse racing's Triple Crown winners | Newsday

I would go 1. Secretariat 2. Citation 3. Affirmed 4. Seattle Slew, but I'm not the expert. Affirmed was just a winner. The others, and Citation for that matter, I never saw and there are some great horses that did not win a Triple Crown.

We'll see today if Justify can join the list of hose racing immortals.

P.S. Any chance I get to replay Secretariat's performance in the Belmont is a good one for me. That is still the greatest athletic performance I ever saw. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfCMtaNiMDM


from newsday.com
https://www.newsday.com/sports/horseracing/belmont-stakes/ranking-horse-racing-s-triple-crown-winners-1.10531875

Ranking horse racing's Triple Crown winners

By ED MCNAMARA ed.mcnamara@newsday.com Updated June 1, 2018 1:57 PM

Justify can become the 13th member of horse racing's exclusive Triple Crown club if he can win the Belmont Stakes on June 9. So, who among the 12 immortals is the best of all time? Newsday racing writer Ed McNamara ranks them.

12. SIR BARTON (1919)

Photo Credit: AP

Nobody knew he'd won the first Triple Crown because it would be almost 20 years before the term became common in America. This nasty critter disliked animals and all people but his groom.

11. ASSAULT (1946)

Photo Credit: AP

The only Texas-bred to sweep was called "The Club-Footed Comet" because his right front foot became deformed after he stepped on a sharp object when he was very young.

10. OMAHA (1935)

Photo Credit: AP

He was 1-for-9 at age 2 before winning the Derby by 1 1/2 lengths and the Preakness by six. At 4, he became the only Triple Crown champion to visit England, winning twice.

9. COUNT FLEET (1943)

Photo Credit: AP

The front-running Count Fleet excelled during World War II, offering a badly needed diversion. He led throughout the classics, capped by a 25-length romp at odds of 1-20 against two rivals.

8. AMERICAN PHAROAH (2015)

Photo Credit: Newsday/ J. Conrad Williams Jr.

American Pharoah battled in the Kentucky Derby before dominating the Preakness and Belmont Stakes on the lead. He's a magnificent 7-for-7 by 35 3/4 lengths since a troubled debut. Be wary of the mania of rating whatever just happened as the greatest achievement ever, but Pharoah's perfect stride and floating motion stamp him as one in a million.

7. GALLANT FOX (1930)

Photo Credit: AP

Gallant Fox is the only Triple Crown winner to sire one - Omaha. The Great Depression began the autumn before Gallant Fox's 9-for-10 campaign provided an escape for many Americans.

6. WAR ADMIRAL (1937)

Photo Credit: AP

This villain in "Seabiscuit" lost to "The People's Horse" in a famous 1938 match race. The year before, smallish War Admiral led all the way in Louisville, Baltimore and Elmont.

5. WHIRLAWAY (1941)

Photo Credit: AP

Trainer Ben Jones called him "The Half-Wit" because he ran ridiculously wide on turns until fitted with a blinker over his right eye. "Mr. Long Tail" dominated the Crown by 16 lengths.

4. AFFIRMED (1978)

Photo Credit: AP

Affirmed teased Alydar before breaking his heart, taking the Derby, Preakness and Belmont by gradually shrinking margins - 1 1/2 lengths, a neck, a head.

3. SEATTLE SLEW (1977)

Photo Credit: AP

Only the speedy Seattle Slew swept while undefeated, and his $17,500 yearling price made him the ultimate bargain. He went 14-for-17 and is the best stallion in the Triple Crown club.

2. CITATION (1948)

Photo Credit: AP

Citation could sprint and go long, and his sustained excellence was amazing. He was 14-for-16 (two second places) before ruling the classics by a combined 17 lengths under jockey Eddie Arcaro.

1. SECRETARIAT (1973)

Photo Credit: AP

Secretariat raised the bar for greatness impossibly high by setting track records in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes. He moved "like a tremendous machine," acing "The Test of the Champion" by 31 lengths in 2:24. Records are made to be broken, but not those.

Sent from my iPhone

American Pharoah vs. Secretariat Who would Win? (Are you serious?)

http://on.wsj.com/1T803p2

http://www.wsj.com/video/american-pharoah-vs-secretariat-who-would-win/513B9634-15E8-4108-B3F7-DEB54AF09F4B.html

American Pharoah vs. Secretariat: Who Would Win?

6/8/2015 6:51PM     

The 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah ran the sixth-fastest Belmont Stakes ever, but if he were racing against Secretariat’s record time in 1973, he would have been a distant second. Watch the two races side-by-side.

I don't want to take anything away from Pharoah, he's the champ, but let's not suffer from "Recency Bias" here, OK? This isn't even close to the LBJ vs. Michael Jordan debate, where I could at least make a decent case for either one, (i.e. it's a toss-up). 

Don't compare ANY horse yet to the great Secretariat. It's no contest. 

Secretariat would have left Pharoah panting down the back stretch just like he did Sham, who was a great horse in HIS own right. Don't forget, Sham finished second in the first two legs of the Triple Crown, which means he might have been a Triple Crown winner himself except for having the bad timing of being born the same year as Secretariat. 

http://www.drf.com/slideshows/horse-racings-biggest-rivalries?photo=6-secretariat_vs._sham

This biographical sketch describes what happened when a great horse tried to go one-on-one with Secretariat. It wasn't pretty.

from Wikipedia.org

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sham_%28horse%29

The 105th running of the Belmont Stakes, June 9, 1973[edit]

Main article: 1973 Belmont Stakes

Under orders, Pincay was to keep Sham with Secretariat from the start. Sham was on the outside throughout, which cost an insignificant amount of endurance more than Secretariat on the rail. This strategy worked through the first turn and into the backstretch as Secretariat and Sham led the field and then pulled away by a half-dozen lengths with Sham taking a brief lead at several points. After about half a mile, a third of the way through the race, Secretariat increased his pace and pulled ahead rapidly as Sham began to tire, and fell back. With Pincay easing back to protect the exhausted horse, Sham ultimately finished last as Secretariat pulled away to a win recorded at 31 lengths. The time of 2:24 flat remains a world record for 1¹⁄₂ miles on a dirt track.

Anytime you can bring up the name Secretariat, it's a good day. Watching that Belmont race that day, my jaw just dropped to the floor. Alongside the "Miracle on Ice" easily the two greatest events I have EVER seen in sports. As many times as I've seen each one replayed, I still get emotional and awed at the brilliance that was on display. 

So of course, enjoy what American Pharoah did, but just don't embarrass him or yourself by making the comparison to Secretariat. He will come up short every time, just like Sham did. 

That might be a more apt comparison Pharoah vs. Sham, or if you want another Triple Crown winner, perhaps the last prior TC winner, Affirmed. Just not Secretariat, please.

I hear people parsing the stats and making the case based on "Well, Pharoah ran the last half of the race in a better time". Stop it, just stop it!!! Secretariat is not even being challenged by the 3/4 mark and is just breezing into the finish. He could have stopped for a cigarette and still won the race. Pharoah was being challenged. 

And do the math for me. He's down 3.61 seconds at the 3/4 mark and closes it down to 2.65 by the finish? So he needs maybe another 3 - 3/4 mile segments to catch him, maybe another 2 1/4 miles, another race and a half? And you want to base a comparison on that? PLEASE!!

from USA Today:

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/06/secretariat-american-pharoah-side-by-side-race

American Pharoah became the first horse since Affirmed to win the Triple Crown last Saturday at the Belmont Stakes, but American Pharoah’s final time around the 1.5-mile track was a full two seconds behind the record set by Secretariat in 1973. The Wall Street Journal made this amazing side-by-side video to show Secretariat against American Pharoah, and the race was over by the 1/4-mile mark.

1/4-mile

American Pharoah: 24.06

Secretariat: 23.6

1/2-mile

American Pharoah: 48.83

Secretariat: 46.2

3/4-mile

American Pharoah: 1:13.41

Secretariat: 1:09.8

1-mile

American Pharoah: 2:02.33

Secretariat: 1:59

Finish

American Pharoah: 2:26.65

Secretariat: 2:24

American Pharoah Ascends to Sports Immortality

As soon as I saw that I was scheduled to be on a ball field at the time the race was won, I knew he was going to do it. One of the coaches asked me if I wanted to know and I told him yes, of course, but I told him up front I felt certain that he was going to do it. He just walked past and said, "You were right, Pharoah did it".

Great for the sport of horse racing, it's been too long. Much like it's a good day for baseball whenever Willie Mays is honored, it's a great time for horse racing when there is a Triple Crown winner at the helm.

I got a little frustrated after Big Brown failed to come through and it is unfair to compare any of these horses to the great Secretariat. We should be able to enjoy the accomplishments of each horse independently before making a snap judgement on their overall place in history.


from Bleacher Report:

American Pharoah Ascends to Sports Immortality

Three races in five weeks, run in three different states. The 1 ½-mile final jewel of the Triple Crown, a distance so daunting that most thoroughbreds don't race it. And the him-against-the-world factor, facing fresh opponents who skipped other Triple Crown races.

American Pharoah won't supplant Secretariat as the animal who's generally considered the greatest thoroughbred of all time. But by winning the Triple Crown in 2015, he stakes out new territory—as this century's first superhorse.

American Pharoah stands apart from the others in that he wasn't really bred for this Herculean task the way the other Triple Crown winners were.

The other Triple Crown winners competed in eras when horses were trained to run far more often. It's kind of like what has happened with pitchers in baseball. Four-man rotations, complete games and 300-inning seasons once were commonplace, but now hardly any starter ever throws on fewer than four days rest.

Found via Team Stream by Bleacher Report.

California Chrome has won the Preakness!!!

Only thirty one previous horses have won the first two legs of the Triple Crown before California Chrome.

Only eleven of those great horses have gone on to win the Triple Crow.
The last, Affirmed  in 1978.

So many great names on the list of horses that won only two thirds of the races. We will see in two weeks which list California Chrome ends up on.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple_Crown_of_Thoroughbred_Racing

United States Triple Crowns[edit]

Main articles: United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing and American Triple Tiara of Thoroughbred Racing

In the United States, the three races that make up the Triple Crown are:

1. Kentucky Derby, run over the 1 ¹⁄₄-mile (2.0 km) dirt track at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky;
2. Preakness Stakes, run over the 1 ³⁄₁₆-mile (1.9 km) dirt track at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland;
3. Belmont Stakes, run over the 1 ¹⁄₂-mile (2.4 km) dirt track, the longest in USA thoroughbred racing, at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.

Triple Crown winners[edit]

List of US Triple Crown Winners

Year	Winner	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Breeder
1919	Sir Barton	Johnny Loftus	H. Guy Bedwell	J. K. L. Ross	John E. Madden
1930	Gallant Fox	Earl Sande	Jim Fitzsimmons	Belair Stud	Belair Stud
1935	Omaha	Willie Saunders	Jim Fitzsimmons	Belair Stud	Belair Stud
1937	War Admiral	Charley Kurtsinger	George H. Conway	Samuel D. Riddle	Samuel D. Riddle
1941	Whirlaway	Eddie Arcaro	Ben A. Jones	Calumet Farm	Calumet Farm
1943	Count Fleet	Johnny Longden	Don Cameron	Fannie Hertz	Fannie Hertz
1946	Assault	Warren Mehrtens	Max Hirsch	King Ranch	King Ranch
1948	Citation	Eddie Arcaro	Horace A. Jones	Calumet Farm	Calumet Farm
1973	Secretariat	Ron Turcotte	Lucien Laurin	Meadow Stable	Meadow Stud
1977	Seattle Slew	Jean Cruguet	William H. Turner, Jr.	Karen L. Taylor	Ben S. Castleman
1978	Affirmed	Steve Cauthen	Laz Barrera	Harbor View Farm	Harbor View Farm

Failed Triple Crown attempts[edit]

The following horses won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness but were beaten in the Belmont:

• Pensive (1944): second to Bounding Home
• Tim Tam (1958): second to Cavan
• Carry Back (1961): seventh to Sherluck
• Northern Dancer (1964): third to Quadrangle
• Kauai King (1966): fourth to Amberoid
• Forward Pass (1968): second to Stage Door Johnny
• Majestic Prince (1969): second to Arts and Letters
• Canonero II (1971): fourth to Pass Catcher
• Spectacular Bid (1979): third to Coastal
• Pleasant Colony (1981): third to Summing
• Alysheba (1987): fourth to Bet Twice
• Sunday Silence (1989): second to Easy Goer
• Silver Charm (1997): second to Touch Gold
• Real Quiet (1998): second to Victory Gallop
• Charismatic (1999): third to Lemon Drop Kid
• War Emblem (2002): eighth to Sarava
• Funny Cide (2003): third to Empire Maker
• Smarty Jones (2004): second to Birdstone
• Big Brown (2008): Did Not Finish to Da' Tara
• I'll Have Another (2012): Did Not Start to Union Rags

California Chrome shines bright in the 2014 Kentucky Derby

THE PREAKNESS & RACHEL ALEXANDRA

Well, here goes the second leg of the Triple Crown and up steps the filly, Rachel Alexandra.

With all her prior dominance, the inevitable comparisons to Ruffian and Secretariat have been put on the table. No pressure at all--comparison to arguably the best filly and the best colt of all time. Good thing the horse can't read the papers.

I just pray that if she does compare favorably it ends up being to Secretariat.

She is clearly superior to anything the distaff side can throw at her as illustrated by her 20-length demolition of the Kentucky Oaks field. Jockey Calvin Borel has stated that he hasn't had to go to the whip to motivate her to win. Against a field of colts, that may no longer be the case.

Racing aficionados still debate whether fillies should even run against colts. That they are not strong enough or capable enough. When this racing mind-set has opportunity to manifest itself, inevitably human emotions run high. It's easy to pit feminist against neanderthal-man in an effort to promote the race or match.

I remember the quote of Foolish Pleasure's handlers after their horse emerged victorious against Ruffian. As Ruffian was carted off in the veterinarian's wagon, FP's handlers gloated in the winners circle.

FROM THE BOOK Ruffian : Burning From the Start by Jane Schwartz

"His father, however, was exultant. Two years ago Moody Jolley had picked out this son of What a Pleasure for $20,000 up at Saratoga, and now he could not refrain from gloating. When asked what he thought of the turn of events, the senior Jolley grinned. Away from the television microphones, but loud enough for those around him to hear, he exclaimed, "First time they threw some speed at her, and the bitch comes unbuckled!" Reporters who thought they had heard everything were shocked. A great racehorse had just broken down. They didn't expect Moody to be gracious, but they didn't expect such ugliness either."

One of the most classless, insensitive quotes in the history of sports. But this was the way of the world in 1975. A woman dared not ply her trade in a man's world. It was unthinkable. Title IX was law, but it really hadn't taken hold the way we see it today. Billie Jean King beat Bobbie Riggs in a "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match, but that was dismissed as a joke.

The times they are a changin', right man? Maybe not as much as we think sometimes. Interestingly enough some of the pre-race drama centered around "the boys" and their handlers conspiring to keep "the girl" out of the race entirely. As if they were afraid of her. Now that's CHANGE.

And so, with the pre-race melodrama and the memories of Ruffian, Barbaro and Eight Belles as an unfortunate backdrop, Rachel Alexandra attempts to run her way into history.

My hope is she runs with the champions heart of Ruffian and the strength and determination of Secretariat. And that she finishes. On four healthy legs. VICTORIOUS.

As race fans, we can only bear to see records broken here, not our hearts. Not again.

Godspeed Rachel Alexandra. GODSPEED!!

RUFFIAN AT THE ACORN STAKES:


"She had done what no horse had ever done and was buried where no horse was ever buried. The great wings were folded about her and Pegasus flew no more" - Gene Smith

KENTUCKY DERBY - 2009

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby held today. Still "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports".

It seems like the way that pre-race favorites are dropping off that it does not bode well for the chances of the Derby winner following through and winning the Triple Crown, but that's why they run the races. The contenders who dropped out can regroup and rest up and take on the Derby winner in the Preakness or the Belmont.

My pick to win the race is Dunkirk. No Benjamins were put at risk as a result of this race but if I were there, I would plunk a few on Dunkirk.

SAD NEWS: ALYSHEBA DIES AT AGE OF 25

ALYSHEBA - 1987 KENTUCKY DERBY WIN

Gallant son of the another all-time great, Alydar out of Bel Sheba. One of the more thrilling Derby finishes in history. Alysheba stumbled down the stretch, was nearly bumped in traffic and yet still thundered down the stretch to take the victory away from Bet Twice. A true champion.

Ranked #42 on the Blood-Horse Magazine Top 100 Horses of the 20th Century

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood-Horse_magazine_List_of_the_Top_100_U.S._Racehorses_of_the_20th_Century

TRIPLE CROWN POST-MORTEM

This picture of Secretariat now seems like it epitomizes not only his superiority over his competition, but also the amount of time that has lapsed between Triple Crown winners. In the initial disappointment over Big Brown's defeat yesterday, I fear it may also be a metaphor for how long a wait it may be before we see another one.

Maybe we were spoiled that not only Secretariat, but Affirmed and Seattle Slew, all were Triple Crown winners from the 70's. We also saw quality horses in the "hidden Triple Crown" winners. Sham finished second to Secretariat in all three legs of the Triple Crown and Alydar managed to challenge Affirmed and finish second in all three races as well. In another year, perhaps we'd also be talking about those two horses.

In hindsight, it's obviously a greater challenge to win all three legs than the number of winners from each era would have you believe. A horse has to almost win the equivalent of a sprint, a middle distance race and a distance race in five weeks. He also has to stay healthy and injury-free in order to train for the disparate courses while competitor barns can sit back and train challengers who are geared to each individual race distance. They can virtually tag-team the Triple Crown challenger, while that horse has to run, ready or not.

Imagine a track star trying to win the 100 meter dash, the 880 meters, and the mile in five weeks. Perhaps not an equivalent analogy, but it's the best I can come up with. Or a Triple Crown winner in baseball. There's a reason why we haven't seen one of those in a long time as well.

It did appear yesterday as if the grind, or maybe the injury, or getting jostled in traffic, finally caught up to Big Red. He didn't seem to want to run when his jockey asked, for whatever reason. He fought him a bit for the first time.

Unfortunately, you can't ask the horse "WTF happened?". Also, unfortunate that prior to the race you couldn't get the trainer Dutrow to STFU. Maybe I'm old school, but I got a sick feeling whenever this gas bag "guaranteed" victory. It's one thing to have confidence in your undefeated horse. It's another thing to seemingly rub your opponents face in it.

The other "Oh No!!" moment was when the ABC commentator mentioned during the post parade that Big Red seemed so cool that he hadn't even broken a sweat. It was 90+ heat combined with near 90 humidity, your gas bag trainer looked like someone turned a fire-hose on him he was sweating so much and the horse that needed to be ready to go hadn't broken a sweat? Maybe I don't know enough about getting race horses warmed up, but that seemed to be a red-flag that the horse was not ready to run.

Know I know how the old Brooklyn Dodger fans and Chicago Cubs fans feel.

"Wait 'til next year."

WILL BIG BROWN BE THIS GENERATIONS BIG RED?

We'll soon find out, in one respect he is now one step closer with the news that his most worthy challenger, Casino Drive, has been scratched.

Big Red is now in a Belmont field that seemingly has only one remaining threat to win in Dennis of Cork. When Secretariat blistered through the 1973 Belmont field, only Sham was considered worthy enough to upset the Triple Crown express.

What Secretariat did as far as winning the Triple Crown in and of itself was not so surprising, it was the way he did it. Winning the Derby over Sham, with the phenomenal performance of successfully faster quarter times and and the under 2 minute total race time, whetted people's appetite.

In the Preakness, he goes from fourth to first in the blink of an eye, while rounding a turn, an astounding feat of acceleration past his peers.

In the weeks leading up to the Belmont Stakes, Secretariat appears on the cover of Time, Newsweek, and Sports Illustrated, achieving rock star status and setting the stage for the Belmont Stakes.

With the entire horse racing world and most of the rest of the sports viewing public now engaged, Secretariat stands ready to make his immortal run to history.

Now understand that, normally the phrase "and down the stretch they come", with any number of horses thundering down the homestretch vying for victory, is about as spine-tingling, hair on the back of your neck standing, awe-inspiring phrase as we have in sports.

But literally no sports call, short of the call of Bobby Thompson's home-run to culminate the "Miracle of Coogan's Bluff", can makes me to this day stand steadfastly still--a body-trembling, jaw-dropping paralysis--filled with a combination of emotion and inspiration, quite like the following track announcers call that brings Secretariat down the back stretch and into horse racing immortality:

“Secretariat is widening now, he is moving like a tremendous machine! Secretariat by twelve. Secretariat by fourteen lengths on the turn....Secretariat is all alone, he’s out there almost a sixteenth of a mile in front of the other horses.....He is into the stretch, he leads the field by eighteen lengths....Secretariat has opened to a twenty-two length lead. He is going to be the next Triple Crown winner! Here comes Secretariat to the wire! An unbelievable, an amazing performance! He hits the finish, twenty-five lengths!”



Secretariat gave us a chance to turn away somewhat from some of the "more important" events of the day.

We had virtually wrapped up our involvement in Vietnam and some of the emotional scars that divided our involvement in that war were still open and raw.

We had President Nixon in office and the Watergate scandal was developing as a daily distraction.

We had what would later form the so-called misery index of high unemployment, high inflation and high interest rates combined with low self esteem, low national pride and lower expectations for the future. Our leaders seemed clueless to find solutions to our nations problems.

Sound familiar? Sound like history repeating?

But for a couple of weeks at least--in a way that sports does as well as any past time in this country can do in a positive way--Secretariat provided an uplifting backdrop to temporarily escape from some of the madness going on in our lives.

And he gave us a chance to hope and dream again, when for a time it seemed like we had forgotten how to nestle into dreams without waking up to our real-life nightmare.

Well maybe today, Big Brown has his chance to be this generations "Big Red"--to do for this country's sports viewing public what Secretariat did for our generation 35 years ago--provide hope and inspiration. It's a tall order, but we really didn't expect Secretariat to do that for us.

But that's one of the reasons why they run the races and play the games...and it's one of the reasons why we watch...because you never really know in advance when you're going to witness history in the making.

Go Big Brown, rise up and make history.....