Jason - I agree 100% with your five examples.  I also agree 100% with everything said about Afleet Alex.  I believe Afleet Alex was the best three year old colt that we have seen since Sunday Silence and Easy Goer.  The only colts I believe are inthe same stratosphere since that time are Point Given and Silver Charm.  The 2005 Kentucky Derby was one of the most depressing races for me in history.  I will never forgive Spanish Chestnut's connections.

The 2001 Derby is a close second.  Again, Point Given, an absolute monster, was fried by a horse that had no business being in the race.  Awful.

I enjoyed this blog.

Thanks for the great blog, Jason.

I completely agree with 2:24 regarding Afleet Alex. I never get tired of watching videos of his Preakness. However, I couldn't even watch the videos you posted - too disappointing!

It would have been interesting to see what Barbaro would have done had he not been catastrophically injured.

I suppose we will just have to keep waiting for the next crop of two-year-olds. I am just happy I am old enough to have seen Secretariat.

The three most deserving horses would have to be Spectacular Bid, Risen star and Charismatic IMO.

Spectacular Bid was ridden in areckless and cavalier manner because of his connections belief that he could top secretariat's Belmont performance and that cost him the triple crown.  Risen Star was given a poorly judged ride in the Derby, plain and simple.  Charismatc would certainly have pulled it off if he hadn't broke down inside the eighth pole.

Point Given might have been short of work or burnt by being ridden too close to the pace in the Derby but it is still very doubtful to me that he could have beaten Monarchos in 2001 even at hs very best.  Monarchos had already shown his quality in the Florida Derby and developed soundness issues after the Kentucky Derby therefore Point Given was only arguably the best of that crop.

Afleet Alex had absolutely no excuse in the Kentucky Derby and Smarty Jones failed to see out the Belmont distance, plain and simple.

Others like Real Quiet were beaten by the challenge of the Triple Crown while giving it their best shot IMO.

I voted for the Bid and Smarty Jones and Big Brown. I will never forget my soft spoken father in-law cussing at the TV when he got passed. NEVER! It ALMOST made me laugh...I felt sooo sick. Also BB, because there was something so fishy with his Belmont...clipped a shoe, got pulled up, and later it was revealed about the death threat on Mike Iavarone...substantiated by the FBI. Yeah, Dutrow pumped some crap in him, but he still won the Haskell and Monmouth later that year. He was scary better than that years non-competition. Conspiracy theory!

i picked point given, swale and the bid.

 imo to say point given wasn't the best in recent years is crazy. just look at his racing career and how he won says it all. i think the pace tired him out cause he should have handled the track with no problem.

swale i remember them saying he breezed 4 furlongs in 46 days before the race(something like that)and the fact that woody stephens didn't even go to pimlico that day says it all.

the bid well its every thing about him. he's one of the top ten thoroughbreds of all time. he only had 3-4 losses. plus there's the rumor with the pin stuck in his hoof. he also the only thoroughbred that nobody challenged in the woodward.

For me it's the Bid, Smarty Jones and Sunday Silence.  Some others would also be deserving, but none more than Bid.  Smarty Jones was a natural sprinter so good he could carry it farther, could've been an all time sprinter/miler in my opinion.  And Sunday Silence faced a monster in Easy Goer, who could have won a TC himself many years.  Afleet Alex was a very good horse and a great athlete but he didn't beat much, same with Big Brown so that makes it harder for me to judge them.  Both very good though.  Alysheba, Risen Star and Point Given also standouts and Bernardini would be on the list if he ran more than one race.  For my money he was the second best 3 year old of the decade after SJ.  But the Bid belongs at the top of every list, the greatest horse I've ever seen and I can't imagine I'll ever see any better.

It's disappointing (and surprising) that Easy Goer was not on the list.  Pat Day, not Sunday Silence, was the only thing that could beat that horse.  It is too bad that both horses careers ended before a match race (I think Criminal Type was going to be in the race too) could be put together.  Few horses ever accomplished more than Easy Goer and looked as good doing it.

Im curious to know if people put blame on any jockeys for the five above axamples. Anyone blame Elliott, Stevens, Desormeaux, etc?

Nice Blog, Jason.

I was born 9 years after the last Triple Crown winner. Started watching horse racing with my grandfather in 1995, watching cigar win the BC Classic. Since then I have seen the "what ifs" or "2 out of 3 ain't so bad". In ‘96 Thunder Gulch was a talented horse, but I was never really impressed with him. Silver Charm because he was my 1st horse I watched live to attempt to capture the Triple Crown. Real Quiet never hit home for me, but I felt really bad for Baffert after losing by a nose. Charismatic is also one that is kind of special because he was in a claiming race in the beginning of the '99 year, I was always rooting for him.  Point Given was a beast, I watched him run a few times at Santa Anita, he was a huge let down for me on derby day. Looking back, you could provide a lot of excuses for his loss, personally it was mix of bad timing, Stevens not knowing how fast they were going, and he didn't skip off the surface like he usually did. I was never fond of War Emblem always thought he was whack job of a horse. Funny Cide was special because he was the 1st horse I placed a win wager on that actually won the derby. Smarty Jones, for some reason I was never on his band wagon, one thing I do remember however, was placing a $10 win wager on birdstone in the Belmont. Afleet Alex was awesome, I loved that little horse I to me, he was one that should have been a TC winner. Big Brown was a big letdown; I don’t care for Rick Dutrow.

How lucky am I...in 1978 I got to see both Affirmed & Seattle Slew. In fact, I was at Belmont to see them run against each other in the Marlboro Cup. Seattle Slew won. The crowd seemed to favor him. When they were in the home stretch people were on their feet & stomping on the floor. It was almost like an earthquake. We could feel the grandstand moving. It was one of the most thrilling moments of my life.

Spectacular Bid was by far the greatest horse never to Triple Crown. It's pretty amazing in the last 20 years there've been so many amazing stories following each of the Triple Crown near-misses. In 1994, it was about Jeff Lukas and Tabasco Cat. In 1997, perhaps the greatest ambassadors the sport has had, the Lewis's gritty Silver Charm would have won had it not been for Chris McCarron's ingenius ride on Touch Gold. In 1999, it was the Lewises again with their rags to riches horse Charismatic. From 2003-2007 there was always a horse who the public adored. Then it all came to a halt in 2008 when cheater Rick Dutrow boasted his vastly overrated horse Big Brown would win the Triple Crown. Even before the Derby he made it seem like it was a done deal. Don't temp the racing gods with such hubris, you'll always get burned and Dutrow sure did as he watched his Triple Crown "lock" run out of gas and fade to last at the top of the stretch of the Belmont Stakes. Now it seems the public will cling to false-heroes. In 2009, Mine That Bird had a small fanbase due to his miraculous win in the Kentucky Derby. It later turned out that the horse was a fluke. In 2010, another fluke won the Derby, Super Saver. Most rallied behind him because of his rider, Calvin Borel, not his connections who had enough quality horses to win the Derby multiple years. This past Triple Crown was the worst in terms of the months leading up to the race. Uncle Mo will go down as perhaps the most overrated Derby contender in history. When fools like Draynay proclaimed him a better horse than Secretariat I knew there'd be know way the horse would hit the board, let alone run in the Derby. It seems now that Zenyatta has retired racing is trying to fill the void with a false prophet. Even I started to believe he'd win the Triple Crown, but that was due to the lack of quality horses who would make it to the Derby. Sorry to say it folks, but we're not gonna see another superhorse like Zenyatta for another 30 years, if we're lucky. She was Spectacular Bid's successor. Many overestimated Uncle Mo and underestimated the daunting task of winning the Triple Crown. Let's not make the same mistake again.

Nice new blog topic, Jason! I agree that the reason Silver Charm did not win the Triple Crown in '97 was because of Chris McCarron and his ride on Touch Gold. To me it was not so much his patience, but the wide placement of the horse. Silver Charm was known for digging deep to keep a rival from passing him, and at the time there was discussion about Gary (and Silver Charm) not knowing Touch Gold was coming until it was too late to respond. It was painful watching Gary's eyes fill with tears while being interviewed after that race. The other unbearable loss for me was Smarty in 2004. Even now I cannot watch that replay. Whether to blame Elliott or not, I don't know. Many people think it was not a good ride, but at the time I was too upset to analyze it. Gary Stevens was involved somehow in the Triple Crown wins/losses of Silver Charm, Real Quiet, Thunder Gulch, and Point Given--not to mention the Derby win on Winning Colors. I truly thought it was only a matter of time until he would, in fact, have a Triple Crown. Had he not retired relatively early due to physical issues, I believe that would have happened.

Without a doubt, Spectacular Bid, Sunday Silence, although I was an Easy Goer supporter that season, and the other son of Alydar,

Alysheba. I have been fortunate enough and old enough to have seen the Preakness's live of Affirmed and Alydar, Sunday Silence and Easy Goer, Alysheba, Secretariat(I was 12) Seattle Slew and Spectacular Bid. Not too many live after the mid 80's though. Those are great memories.

Easygoer, Which race are you talking about that Criminal Type was suppossed to be in?  Was it the Breeders Cup?  He was injured in the Woodward and retired to stud. Criminal Type was born a year earlier then Easy Goer & Sunday Silence so I know it wasnt a triple crown race, besides Criminal Type was in France at 3. He did not do well in Europe, but came back here and did great winning around 2.5 million as a 4 and 5 yr old. I know he did race against Sunday Silence and Easy Goer and beat them on his way to being 1990 horse of the year as a 5 year old. I really do love those son's of Alydar. What a waste his death was.

I don't consider what Desormeaux did with Big Brown, easing him at the beginning of the race, to be "running out of gas and fading at the top of the stretch"  with BB.

Having been a fan of horse racing since 1973, so its obvious what started this obsession with horse racing.  One thing that has been the most blaring has been the absence of a two year old champion who continued on to be a three year old champion.  Lookin at Lucky (plainly unlucky last year) was the first since 1978 when Spectacular Bid achieved star status every year he raced.  There are only 5 who maintained some form as a three year old, Chief's Crown, Forty Niner, Easy Goer, Timber Country and Street Sense.  

Which brings up a thought, had it not been for Curlin, Street Sense wins the Preakness, and maybe, who knows.

Also,looking at three year old champions who raced at four, then you have Slew O' Gold, Alysheba, Skip Away, and Curlin who continued on.

What becomes fairly obvious is that we have not had male race horses who have continued their dominance over than ranks for more than one year.  To be fair, some were retired after their three year old year, like A P Indy or were injured like Summer Bird.

Every year I have hope but I don't see how you can expect a Triple Crown winner when the race horses we're seeing can't seem to muster up the consistency to be at the top for more than one year.  Since it takes a very special horse to achieve the Triple Crown and the majority of these horse, while good, are just not special so you have to rely on luck.  That is just too much to ask for during the triple crown series.

The strangest thing of all is that you have had fillies maintain their form at three and continue their dominance Silverbulletday, Go for Wand (took me away from horse racing for over 15 years), and Open Mind.  You could probably put Blind Luck in there too, for if she does not lose the Breeders Cup Juvenile fillies, she would have been two year old champion, also.

e@sygoer Time seams to have blurred your memory about Sunday Silence .He clearly beat easygoer three off the four times they met on different surfaces with his only loss on easy's home track at the unusual distance (For American Dirt)of 1 1/2 miles Sunday's record speaks for itself.Still the greatest Preakness race of our time easygoer had the whole streach to beat him and could not

JOSH

FYI,War Emblem ran his eyeballs out in the Triple Crown.

IMO Spectacular Bid was by far the greatest horse on the list to not win the triple crown.  He was awesome and I was sure he was gonna win!!!  What a great three years that was in 77 78 79 watching Slew then Affirmed then the Bid run thru the triple crown!  WOW!  But for a safety pin I think he would have won - and it started as a rumor because they didn't publicize it until later but that was what happened from what I read in articles and in the book about him.    I also loved Sunday Silence and Silver Charm - was pretty sure they would do it.  What a let down!   But, the greatest horse EVER not to win the triple crown IMO was Native Dancer - but for a terrible ride and some other extenuating circumstances he would have been the first undefeated winner and one of few to retire undefeated!   I personally don't think we'll see another triple crown winner until the horses start being conditioned for it.  After reading about all the previous winners it becomes very apparent that today's horses running 3 races in 5 weeks at those distances with little racing experience off of 4 and 5 and occasional 6 furlong works are not up for it.

STEVEBISCUIT

That was comical comparing an unproven horse to Secretariat. I agree.

I agree with all that state that Spectacular Bid was the greatest horse to run in all 3 TC races not to win the TC.  To me, that argument comes down to Native Dancer or the Bid.  I believe that I am on record stating that IMO, The Bid is the second greatest North American dirt horse of all time behind Secretariat.

desormeaux moved real quiet too soon and gave big brown a horrible ride. stewart elliot was trying to relax smarty jones but smarty pulled him to the lead. jose santos should have taken funny cide off the rail but i herd that funny cide didn't handle the slop.

What about Charismatic? He was really good, and I think if he hadn't broken his leg in misstating he would've won it. Afleet Alex could have won it, should have won it, and WOULD have won it. I was fortunate enough to see Point Given, and that monster also should have won it. Luck is a factor. Maybe 2012...

And if we are not just talking bout the last ten yrs..... ALYSHEBA, the BID, RISEN STAR, or EASY GOER would have won. All of them just didn't feel it on one of those days... and IMHO, RISEN STAR is underrated. SWALE as well...

First, Mr.Shandler should be proud of this blog. This is an excellent topic of conversation. I'll defend War Emblem, too. He may not have been able to win the Belmont on the lead, as was his style. However, that race was lost when he stumbled at the start. I couldn't believe the camera right in Bob Baffert's face after the race. It's not like it was a close finish for War Emblem. If War Emblem ever returns to the U.S., I will visit him. Our own Black Beauty.

Spectacular Bid, Smarty Jones and Big Brown for me. When Smarty Jones lost, it broke my heart. He was a phenomenal horse. The little horse that could.

Like others, my first vote was for The Bid...NO QUESTION. After that, comes Smarty and Silver Charm. The others....nah, not so much, and I'm a HUGE fan of Funny. As for Big Brown.......we heard Dutrow say it, and then were surprised by that Belmont?? BLAH!! Point Given beat Monarchos on THAT Derby Day? NO CHANCE, fellas. Stevens pulled the trigger and the gun was empty, but you gotta give PG BIG props for his Preakness and Belmont. Others were sentimental favorites -- Real Quiet, Sunday Silence, Alex, Hansel and Swale broke our hearts, but I never felt like they had the special extra for the Crown. That's just me, though.

I'm a bit of a cynic, as Mike knows, so no one will be surprised by my loud "second" to his reply to Stevebiscuit regarding Uncle Mo. If you're gonna go out on the Secretariat or Slew or Affirmed limbs, you'd better bring the big guns to that fight. Comparing Uncle Mo to any of those three, if not ALL previous Crown winners, you should be able to walk the walk. All we saw was a really talented 2 year old be NOT so talented at 3; been there, seen that, have the t-shirt.

Taking nothing from Mo, it's a fairly standard crop this year. Nothing huge, but a lot of interesting horses to watch. Maybe the speculation is correct: meds have skewed racing results for a lot of years; now, maybe we can see how the horses run without artificial assistance and that's a REALLY GOOD THING. A 12 clip works just fine for me, and I shudder to think of what might be expected from those 2 year olds in training that blaze a 10 (or God forbid, LESS) second furlong.........errrmmm, does anyone remember The Green Monkey?? It's entirely possible that the Thoroughbred Horse has reached its' peak of speed capability, and that's not a bad thing. Frankly, I don't care if another horse breaks another record...of course Secretariat's big three are sacrosanct. The racing is still good, it's interesting, it's fun, the horses still thrill us, the spectacular rides still take our breath away, the surprise winners are good for the sport as are the long-lived hard knockers and the heroes that race longer than 15 minutes.

As to the possibility of another Triple Crown winner? After seeing Secretariat run at Belmont in 1973 and do what he did? I thought he would have been the last TC winner any of us would EVER see... so who knows? THAT'S what keeps me coming back every year: to the new crop, the new season and the possibilities.

Cheers and safe trips.

Criminal Type--the race Easygoer was referring to was an invitational race that was created to bring Easy Goer & Sunday Silence together to race during their 4yo seasons back in 1990. I think ABC Sports had some involvement in it, and possibly Arlington Park, since the race was to be held there.

Since no one wanted a 'match race', Criminal Type (who was the leading handicap horse that season) was invited (in addition to some other top older horses at the time. One I do remember was Beau Genius.) The race was to be held in August at Arlington.

Well, Easy Goer suffered an injury & was retired sometime in July. Sunday Silence was injured and retired about 2 days before the race itself. Criminal Type didn't run, since 'the big two' weren't going to be there.

So, my friends and I still drove up to Chicago for the race, and had a blast anyway. Beau Genius won, Unbridled worked in between races, and I still have the ticket stub for that day somewhere in all my racing memorabilia. ;)

Terlingua, Desormeaux said after the race that turning for home, “he was empty. He didn’t have anything left”.

Nice topic Jason:

However, I am always reluctant to criticize rides, because no one can safely say what the outcome would have been on the road not taken. I prefer to look at the performance of the winning horse.

In the case of Smarty Jones, it should be noted that no horse has run a faster time in the Belmont Stakes since Birdstone beat Smarty Jones. Birdstone also won the Travers.

In the case of Spectacular Bid, I believe he was beaten because of the distance. This also applies to Sunday Silence.

Swale's run in the Preakness remains a puzzle to me.

In the case of Point Given, it should be noted that to beat Monarchos he would have had to run the second fastest Ky Derby ever.

But of all the horses that did not win the Triple Crown, I think the most unlucky was A P Indy. He was voted Horse of the Year.

Yes there has been no winner for three decades, but we can put a positive spin on this. It is: no Triple Crown winner won the Belmont while on Lasix or Bute. Maybe now none ever will.

Every cloud has a silver lining.

Livewire, You mentioned some really nice 4 yr old in Aysheba, Skip Away etc, but you forgot to mention that Spectacular Bid had one of the most if not the most dominant four year old seasons EVER. So much so, he had no challangers in the Woodward that year. He raced himself and still came home in a decent 2:02 2/5 for the mile and a quarter. Also, Spectacular Bid set a 1 and 1/4 mile dirt world record time in the Strub that year that I think still stands today, 1:57 4/5. I can't think of any four year old that had a better season, except maybe Curlin and I think Bid would have kicked his ass.

KYRailbird, Thanks for the info on the invitational race. I had forgotten all about that. Getting old sucks but it beats the alternative.  

Great write up Mr. Shandler.

Nothing like a history lesson to remind me of my age.  I remember Secretariat, and my heartbreak as he pulled free from Sham and never looked back.  Yes, I admit it, I wanted Sham to stop Secretariat.  

In 1975 when Ruffian died, I turned my back on Thoroughbred racing for 31 years.  This article has been a great way to get in touch with some of the great moments in Triple Crown history that I missed.  Watching the races presented in this piece was great.

Real Quiet's loss was the one that brought tears to my eyes.  It was painfully obvious that he was the horse to beat, and should have won.  Big Brown being pulled up was memorable because I saw it live.  It comes as no surprise to me that Dutrow is in trouble.  I'm with Golden Broom on that one.

I would not change a single thing about the Triple Crown.  Winning it is truly the most difficult feat in sports.  I have faith that we will see another winner.  Maybe one of Secretariat's descendents?  I keep hoping.  

Jason,

“I'm still convinced that Afleet Alex was the best 3-year-old in the last 10 years”

As usual I have a problem with another of your convictions. The cold facts do not support your conviction; consequently you have to be kept honest. If the period referenced is between 2002-2011, there are a number of colts and a filly that must be ranked above AA. I think the best colt in the last 10 years the one cited below:

Big Brown: Won his debut in an 8.5F turf race by 12L in 1:40 and change. He won his second start an allowance race at 8F on dirt in 1:35 gearing down. Jumped into the G1 FL Derby and won from a post that had never produced a winner. Next stop with only three starts was the Kentucky Derby. He won from a post that never produced a winner and with only three starts repeated a feat that occurred 93 years before. He disappears from a Preakness field only to flop in the Belmont. He followed his Belmont lost with a win in the G1 Haskell.  He set and equaled many records in his abbreviated racing career. He was the only 3YO in the last 10 years whose graded starts were all G1s and he won 4 of 5.

The cold facts reflect that BB's body of work and achievements were the best in the last 10 years.

For some reason, possibly the input of 'sheets guys,' high-end trainers have decided that 'freshness' is more important than fitness for stakes horses. Spacing races 6-8 weeks apart means the horse is always coming off of a layoff and doesn't benefit from the bone and muscle remodeling of that last race. This can work in shorter races, but at the classic distance, it will ultimately fail. How amusing it was to hear Dale Romans' amazement that Shackleford came into the Preakness stronger than he had into the Derby. DUH! Ben Jones could have told him all about it.

The TC is and will never be like it was in the 70s.There are more horses born and nominated to the series,making all of the prep races more difficult to win.Just surviving tough races and making it to the K Derby is a feat in itself,although the graded earnings list elimination system has some flaws in it.I believe if the sport really wanted a triple crown winner,then it would rule that any horse that competes in the series has to race in at least two of the races unless of course it was injured, and a filly will not get a 5 pound allowance at those distances.If the horses had to run in at least two races in the series how many Belmont winners that stopped triple crown bids would have never been in the race?I know Zito would disagree it is two times he has entered a fresh horse to spoil the triple crown.He of course will argue for tradition.

I still say Big Brown was the best looking horse I ever saw.

Desormeaux killed him out of the gate in the Belmont his feet were in the dash.

That horse wanted to run. With Dutrow in the mix I put nothing by anyone.

Smarty should of had it anxious Jock. Alex as well..

Bid should not even be on the list that is #1 obvious.

Even if War Emblem had a clean break I still I had my doubts for the distance.  

As mentioned by others, I also feel that Swale and Risen Star were under appreciated and forgotten far too quickly. Both are classic examples of how difficult it is to win the Triple Crown. Many of the horses on the list of near misses were compromised by bad rides, bad luck, and faulty workouts. Most were worthy candidates for the Triple Crown. At the end of the day, all that remains is the list of the 11 Winners.

Not that this is relevant to the real discussion, but the 2002 Test was Durkin's best call, not the 1998 Belmont.

there is only one horse on the list that clearly possessed triple crown-worthy, historic ability and that's the bid.

of all the near misses of the triple crown on your list, his failure to win it hurt his legacy the least--he's in the same as class as horses like man o'war and seabiscuit, who's greatness transcends the triple crown...which is saying a lot, because he ran at time win the TC seemed to be too easy given how many times it was won in the seventies.

i also voted for sunday silence and real quiet. real quiet's loss by a dirty head bob to me doesn't really count, he was there at the wire for all three, he did it, all but officially.

i chose sunday silence because i think he was a better horse than most on the list and because i figure, given the biases of this board, he's likely to get little love.

i loved charismatic, but i don't think that horses that breakdown should be included. nor should horses like smarty jones, who were retired right afterward, due to injuries. that to me shows they weren't really up to the task and were asked/forced to do more than they were capable of. it isn't a knock against them--they didn't have a say (and their courage is commendable), but i'd bet any odds you want to give me that their trainers weren't completely surprised...to really win the triple crown, you can't just survive it, you have to surpass it.

my own view is that until horses are properly trained and conditioned again, we will never have another triple crown winner. in addition to luck, it requires a level of fitness that TB horses today lack, because they are trained as if they were Q horses.

the luck-fitness equation is a mobius strip: without proper fitness, you will never have enough luck to win the triple crown; and without luck, all the fitness in the world won't save you from a dirty head bob.

The ones that should have been TC winners were.

That's why they run all 3 races. ;-)

Stevebiscuit,  My bad;  I was recalling incorrectly that BB was eased earlier than he was.  Never have watched the replay because it was too depressing.

Easy Goer and Sunday Silence were both fitting to be Triple Crown winners.

I'd consider Real Quiet as near qualified.

Regarding Easy Goer, name me another 2yr old Champion in the last 20 years who came back at 3 to run the kind of FULL season he did, and then come back again at 4 to win a Gr. 1 before a premature retirement. He was the best horse since Spectacular Bid, a brilliant combination of precocity, speed and stamina.

For me there are at least four, whadda, couldda, shudda non TC winners that stand out and would have made worthy Triple Crown winners, and one of them concerns a horse that never even raced in a TC race.

In 1953 the incomparable NATIVE DANCER entered the Derby at 70 cents to the buck and lost.  The most intriguing thing about that defeat, of course, was that it was his only lifetime loss and happened because of numerous bumping incidents earlier in the race, and this with only an eleven horse field.   Native Dancer was a tenacious fighter with a strong will to win.  He won all nine of his starts as a two year old, including seven stakes, by an average of three lengths and no horse ever got within 1 1/4L of him.  For that he was named HOY.  At three, Native Dancer ran in the Derby in only his third start, winning both the Gotham and Wood Memorial in the month preceding it with consummate ease.  Then the Derby and the bumping and the heroic charge only to lose by a heart breaking head.  Was the Dancer TC worthy?  For sure.  He followed up that Derby defeat with a four length win in the Withers (run after the Derby in those days), then a week later won the Preakness and then the Belmont, both by a neck and both after a prolonged head-to-head dual in which he prevailed.  Later that summer he would also win the Travers and would win nine stakes in ten starts and not be named HOY (Tom Fool won it).  The voters must have had a conscience back then because in 1954, with only 3 starts (wins), and one of them in an allowance race, he was named HOY.

I thought that in 1964 NORTHERN DANCER would have been a worthy winner of the TC.  He was the dominant three year old in the east that year.  After starting the year off with a third place finish in an allowance race at Hialeah, losing to early rival Chieftain (half brother to the great Tom Rolfe), the Dancer came right back and defeated him (7-L) in a special race then proceeded to win his next four easily including the Flamingo (big back then), Florida Derby, and the Blue Grass.  He then ran in the Derby against California sensation Hill Rise, who won the Santa Anita Derby by 6-L in 1.47.40, and hung on tenaciously to defeat him by a neck.  In the Preakness the Dancer was a little more dominant defeating the Scoundral (for the 4th time in succession) by almost 3-L with Hill Rise further back in third.  The Belmont in 1964 was contested at Aqueduct because Belmont was under construction and was started in the backstretch, thus being contested around three turns.   The public finally became convinced that the Canadian Bred Dancer was for real and he was bet down to 4-5.  In that race he was choked back (under orders) well into the backstretch costing him valuable energy, made a move on the far turn to get up to be 2nd a half length back, then hung as first Quadrangle and then Roman Brother (co-1965 HOY) ran away from him, and finished third. The time was 2.28.2, 2 seconds off Going Abroad’s track record of 2.26.2 set in 1964.  I have no doubt that if given a free rein, the Dancer would have won that race and would have been a TC winner.  The distance didn’t beat him, the strategy did.  He won his Derby in the fastest time ever up to that point (still third fastest) and won again at 10F after the Belmont before an injury forced his retirement.  (It’s interesting to note that Quadrangle, the winner of the Belmont, raced in all three TC races, finishing 5th in the Derby and 4th in the Preakness, then made a side start in the Met Mile against older and finished second before running in the Belmont.

The next horse that would have been a worthy TC winner and yet never ran in a TC race was BUCKPASSER.  In 1966 Buckpasser made 14 starts, winning his last 13 (he would win his win his first two starts in 1965 giving him 15 wins in a row before running on grass for the first time in the Bowling Green on a course he didn’t like and finishing third while carrying a staggering 135 lbs.  Oddly enough Buckpasser’s first race in 1964 was a second in an allowance to his stable-mate, the crack sprinter Impressive.  He then won the Everglades and the “Chicken Flamingo”, given that moniker because even with nine starters Buckpasser was such an overwhelming favorite that Hialeah management refused to allow betting and ran the race virtually as an exhibition.  Then an injury and Buckpasser was on the shelf from March 3rd until June 4th, thus missing the TC series.  Why do I think that Buckpasser would have and should have been a TC winner?  Simply, Buckpasser was the dominant three year old that year facing older horses four times including wins in the 10F Brooklyn and Woodward and the 12F JCGC.  He also won the Travers and eventually defeated all the winners of all three TC races that year, Kauai King (Derby and Preakness winner) in the Arlington Classic setting a world mark of 1.32.3 (Kauai King broke down in that race, but I doubt he was good enough to set a world record for the mile); and the Belmont winner Amberoid in the Travers.  Buckpasser won at the TC distances in 1966 and was so dominant he was voted top three year old and HOY.

In 1979 Spectacular Bid went into the Derby as the overwhelming 3-5 favorite having won all 5 of his starts leading up to it including the traditional eastern toughies, Fountain of Youth, Florida Derby, Flamingo and Blue Grass stakes by an average win margin of better than 7 lengths; and with his closest finish a 3 3/4L victory in the Everglades in his first start of the year.  Even at that he still had to face Flying Paster a winner of 9 of 10 (his lone loss by a head when finishing third in the San Felipe).  Flying Pastor was also a convincing 6 length winner of the SA Derby in 1.48 on April 1 and a 10 length winner of the Hollywood Derby (on dirt back then) in 1.47.60 on April 14.  The Paster was ready but the Bid was dominant and easily won the Derby and the Preakness.  Much was made of the infamous safety pin and the Belmont that year.  Was the Bid himself or did the pin really affect his performance causing him to lose the Belmont?  All I know is that at one point the Bid had a three length lead then tired to finish third in a 2.28.3 Belmont to Coastal, a horse that finished 17 lengths behind him in the World’s Playground stakes the previous year and was supplemented into the race after missing the Derby and Preakness.  The only question is, could the Bid have gotten the 12F?  In two tries at the distance he was third in the Belmont and later second in a 2.27.2 JCGC to Affirmed, losing by less than a length.  The Bid was arguably one of the best 10F horses ever to run in N/A winning all 5 starts at the distance including still holding the world’s record of 1.57.4.  Narrowly losing at 12F to Affirmed, already a TC winner and HOY in 1979, was like winning against any three year old that year so I think he would have won the TC no problem and choose to believe that the safety pin really did have an adverse affect on one of the great horses of our time.

Million Implazible

Duke of Mischief

Giant Oak

I agree with Don't Forget Zen.  Risen Star was vastly underrated.

He's not in the same league as Spectacular Bid, obviously, but I always thought Little Current with a little luck could have done it in '74. That was a horse that got right at the right time. Unfortunately, he faced a 23-horse field, his regular rider was aboard someone else and his trainer was in the hospital for the Derby. He finished fifth after getting blocked by a wall of horses (and that's when they limited to 20 horses) but came back to win the Preakness by seven and the Belmont by seven.

Criminal Type: Although I agree with most that Spectacular Bid was one of the greatest horses ever, I believe Dr. Fager in 1968 had the greatest 4 year old campaign.  The weight he carried that year was amazing, about every race he ran he carried over 130 lbs. Also set a world record in the mile at Aqueduct carrying 134 lbs.

As far as this blog is concerned, Real Quiet was the heart breaker for me. I am still not convinced that Victory Gallop beat him. Gary Stevens blew a lot of big races in his time. Not my favorite jockey that's for sure...........

LAZMANNICK:  Glad to hear your appreciation for the great Native Dancer!  He was incredible and never got the credit he deserved since he lost the Derby.  I thought it was amazing that he came so close considering his trouble in the race AND the fact that when he ran in the Derby it was his 3 consecutive week of racing as his two preps were not a month apart like they are today but two weeks before and one week before the big race! Racing 3 weeks in a row, especially after a 7 month layoff was asking far too much!  Then to think he ran in the Withers 2 weeks after the Derby then the Preakness 1 week after that - wow!  The Belmont finale 3 weeks later capped off 6 races in 9 weeks with 5 wins and a loss by a head!  AMAZING!  THAT WAS A RACEHORSE!  

Whoa.,..,.let's weigh in here.

It' obvious to me...

Barbaro woulda, shoulda coulda.

Has he not been bumped by Lawyer Ron and taken that blow to the hind leg...hands down. He would've been the man to beat in the '06 Belmont Stakes ( a win in the Preakness not withstanding).

Disappointed in Barbaro's brothers though. Again....it ain't easy catching lightening in a bottle

The Deacon

A forgotten about fact is that even if Real Quiet had finished first in the Belmont his number was going to come down.

@ Rachel NH:  I agree with you:  "The ones that should have been TC winners were.

That's why they run all 3 races. ;-)"

Citation, Sec, Slew, and Affirmed, etc., did not need excuses.

Much as I adore the athletic Afleet Alex, and IMO he is the best 3 year old since Bid, he doesn't approach the talent of those four great horses; nor do the other non triple winners.

Can't believe I forgot the ONE horse that's always made me stare in awe at his talent and, as far as I'm concerned, won a Triple Crown of his own.....Alydar. What a ride 1978 was!!!

Cheers and safe trips.

Racingfan

I’m with you about Native Dancer.  He seems to be a forgotten about horse and yet he was so incredible.  And the way he gutted out his Preakness and Belmont victories demonstrated a remarkable will to win.  He is definitely top ten all time and just being included in that group is as distinguished as a thoroughbred in N/A can get.

BARBARO

As long as we have a bunch of lying trainers, who are incapable of training a triple crown winner and as long as we have a bunch of dishonest jockeyes that you can't trust to give you an honest ride, we will never have a triple corwn winner again. IMHO

Fun day today with excellent racing across the country.  I was at Hollywood Park and got to see the wonderful Blind Luck take her 6th career gr.1 race.  She's not an all-time great, but I respect her about as much as one could respect a top thoroughbred.  Jerry Hollendorfer has given her an ambitious schedule, and she has delivered at every turn.  Kudos.

The Foster delivered the upset we are coming to expect from this group of older males.  Pool Play?  Really?  I remember seeing him in person for last year's Big Cap(on synth), and he didn't do much running.

I enjoyed seeing JP's Gusto back doing what he's really good at, sprinting.  He easily won a $400k stakes at Charles Town tonight.

I actually think Silver Charm was very well equipped to win the Triple Crown.  He was a precocious 2 year old winning the Del Mar Futurity, and proved to be durable and consistent running until age 5.

Silver Charm had speed, could rate, could run a distance, and had the heart and intelligence to win slugfests.  His problem was that the 97' crop of 3 year olds was outstanding.  He had to deal with Free House in all 3 legs, Captain Bodgit in the Derby and Preakness, and then Touch Gold in the Preakness and Belmont.  Those were 3 top class rivals.  And it took a great ride from McCarron on Touch Gold to get Silver Charm beat.  Silver Charm ran Beyers of 115, 118, and 109 in the 3 races.

Real Quiet actually came closer to winning the Crown than did Silver Charm, but Silver Charm was the superior horse.  And yes, Real Quiet's number was coming down even if the bob went his way.

I was at Smarty's Preakness and Belmont, so I realize how special he could be at his best, and how close he came to pulling the TC off.  As excellent as Smarty was in the Preakness, I never fully bought him as a 12 furlong horse.  Still, he ran a brave race in the Belmont.  He shook off legit gr.1 distance horses in Rock Hard Ten and Eddington through an internal quarter of 23 and 10 furlongs in 2 minutes, to finally tire in the stretch and be caught by a 3-time gr.1 winner in Birdstone.  Sure, Stewart Elliot was too aggressive, but it wasn't like Smarty was giving him alot of options.

Point Given was a Hall of Fame talent, no doubt.  Physically, he was as talented as any of the recent TC stars.  But he really didn't have an excuse for the Derby.  He had run well over the track when a narrow 2nd in the BC Juvy.  And as for the pace, his stablemate, Congaree, was closer to the pace than Point Given yet finished ahead of him in 3rd, so one really can't claim the pace did Point Given in.  On top of everything, Monarchos ran his eyeballs out that day and was going to be tough to beat.

I agree with others that Afleet Alex was a special talent.  And he ran against a relatively soft crop.  His ability to accelerate was simply awesome; he could inhale fields.  I thought he had a less than perfect trip in the Derby, getting in tight a couple of times, but the fact is he just didn't run that well.  Given Giacomo won with a 100 Beyer, the race was there for the taking, but Afleet Alex just couldn't get it done.

Sunday Silence was better than all of the above mentioned recent runners.  However, so was Easy Goer, and it would have taken an all-time top 10 horse to beat Easy Goer in the Belmont.

Thunder Gulch was only 3/4ths of a length from winning the TC.  Although 3rd, Thunder Gulch was right there at the wire for the Preakness.  I don't think Thunder Gulch was a great horse, but he did win the Derby, Belmont, Travers, Florida Derby, Swaps, Fountain of Youth, and Kentucky Cup Classic in 95'.

Lazmannick:  Maybe, maybe not, but since Real Quiet didn't win the Belmont (or so they say) we will never know.

Majestic Prince for those who remember him was the most beautiful horse I ever saw. A horse that the owner ran in the ground, and who doesn't get enough credit.......

Smarty Jones and Afleet Alex were excellent horses as to was Point Given. All were deserving,  but since only a few have ever won these prestigious trio of races.

Perhaps the fickle finger of fate

was only going to bestow this award on only the most worthy.............  

I am blessed to have lived near belmont from 1967 to 1981 and saw the 3 triple crown races in person

Thre was one more RIVA RIDGE. The slop prvrnted him from winning another one right before Secreteriat. The way horses are raced and trained we may not see another one. Horseracing is a business and unless they change the Triple Crown rules to"All horses in the T/C must compete in all 3 races. It is very difficult to win the T/C when fresh horses are pointed for specific races in the Belmont or the Preakness. It takes a very special horse to winn all 3 in 6 weeks. The rules are not gonna change so it will be a while.

jason,

A.P. Indy would have been a triple crown winner. He is the only won good enough, to worthy a triple crown.

Laz- nice mentioning of Buckpasser.  In the Bowling Green, not only was he carrying that weight but he was running in European shoes while the others were wearing American turf shoes..  Baeza said he couldn't get any traction with those shoes on.

Whoever it was who brought up Dr Fager, although I was already interested in horses and had been to Sagamore to see Native Dancer the year before, I was only 7 yrs old on 1968, so horse racing was not a big concern to me at that time. It came a few years later. No disrespect to the horse at all, HE was a great horse, but you should check out the weights BID was running under. He carried 130 pounds and more on a few occations.

Needler, I think its fairly obvious to anyone that I am a HUGE fan of Alydar and his son's. ALL of them, but particularly Saratoga Six, Alysheba, Dare and GO (who ended Cigars winning streak) and Criminal Type. I always wondered if JT Lundy had a quilty conscience when Criminal Type was named. I know his mother was a Klepto but, you gotta wonder given everthing that went down at Calumet around that time.

Criminal Type was the last champion to race in the devils red and blue silks of Calumet Farm. Such a sad ending to a glorious history. No farm has bred more Derby winners than Calumet. I think the count is 9, not to mention 2 triple crown winners in Whirlaway and Citation and a broodmare band that is still to be envied today. Who knows how many more Derby winners Calumet would have if Alydar had not been murdered by greed. Alydar might have finished second to Affirmed in all the triple crown races, but he sure finished first in the breeding shed.

Spectacular Bid

Sunday Silence

Real Quiet and Smarty Jones (tie)

You live thru these losses and learn enough to last a lifetime.

Great nostalgic walk thru some heartbreaking yet superior races, nice blog Jason.

Hey Jason,

Great writing, as usual.

I've heard Gary Stevens take the blame for Silver Charm, but do the other guys admit their mistakes costing their mounts top races? Mike Smith did with Zenyata, but I've not heard the others. With most plane crashes caused by pilot error, I wonder if a lot of the better horses being beat isn't because of jockey error.

In the late '60s and early '70s, the talk was that we would never have another triple crown winner because the races were too close together, the horses weren't as good as they used to be,..., but I think there will be many more triple crown winners without changing any of the races. We just need to get a great horse that can do it.

Agree with Rachel NH and skyfire, TC winners need no excuse and it's not as if all of them had perfect trips.

I'm surprised Smarty Jones is getting so much support in your poll.  Another Birdstone recently won another 12 furlong race so it sure looks like he's passing on stamina, unlike Smarty.  So I'm of the opinion Birdstone would've won he Belmont even if Smarty had everything go his way.   But maybe the margin would've been a head or neck instead of a length.  

Deacon - Your statement re: Majestic Prince made me feel guilty as i started to place him on my list with a tie next to Sunday Silence.

I could just hear the track announcer calling his regal name as he won the Kentucky Derby and The Preakness. He almost did it even tho injured obviously in The Preakness.

Thank you for giving him mention

as he was indeed special.

I should like to put in a word for the fairly lightly regarded Funny Cide.  He won his prep races with panache.  He was gaining in the Wood against Empire Maker who was highly touted but never showed that much.  He beat Empire Maker's stablemate Peace Rules who was had twice the heart of Empire Maker.  His Kentucky Derby was a thriller.  His Preakness (where Empire Maker rested, but Peace Rules did not) was a runaway.  But it rained the day of the Belmont.  And for some reason no one ever really seems to discuss, Jose Santos kept him on the rail in the deepest slop most of the way.  And he still ran his heart out.  He may not have been as great as the Bid, but he was a grand horse.  And if not for Santos (whose ride did not go unnoticed by Barclay Tagg), he would have taken the Triple Crown.  None may believe he deserved it, not compared to some others, but that year was his year.  Funny Cide was all heart and I loved him...and not for his owners.  It's the horse that counts.  As for Big Brown and Dutrow, pah.  

Gardner----You're surprised that Smarty is getting a lot of support in the poll? Although we all have opinions as to "which horse should have won"--that was Jason's question--Smarty's popularity transcended the sport. He was so beloved and well-known throughout the nation that Time magazine named him one of the 20 most influential newsmakers of 2004. Also on the list were Steve Jobs, Lance Armstrong, John Kerry, Ariel Sharon, Kobe Bryant, Viktor Yushchenko, and George Bush to name a few. Regardless of his ability at 12 furlongs or of his subsequent success in the breeding shed, Smarty Jones was very special to many people who will never forget that run to glory in 2004.                    

Criminal Type: I agree wholeheartedly. The way Alydar died was so suspicious I can't really believe the insurance rep didn't have at least one or two questions. What a tragedy for the farm and its' history that was, but, I think, not a huge surprise for those on the inside. Do I believe the Lundy version? I will if you will........

My nominee for this category is, indeed, Alydar; who else has that history in the TC? All three losses combined to equal the length of a gnat's whisker? Now THAT'S horse racing.

And your namesake was the first one I wanted to see at Old Friends....what a shame he died before getting there. Sad way for Calumet to end its' days. HOWEVER, I get excited all over again when I drive out to Keeneland, 'cause there sits Calumet as beautiful as ever; correct me please if I'm mistaken, but didn't we just see a runner in the devil's red and blue recently?? CAN SOMEONE HELP WITH THE NAME OF THE HORSE?? ANYONE? ANYONE??? I feel like Ben Stein in Ferris' Day Off.

Until someone can help me out of my fog, cheers and safe trips to all.

Silver Charm? Really? Touch Gold was the best horse in the Preakness as well.

Little Current would have won the Triple Crown had he not got caught in some serious traffic in the Derby. This was one very unlucky horse.

Karen in Texas you are so right. Smarty was one heck of a horse. He lost the Belmont by nothing. He came as close to having the Triple Crown as any horse, but not winning it.

Needler in Virginia, The Calumet gelding, Trust More, just finished last of 9 in a maiden claiming race at Churchill Downs on the 17th.  Switch, second in the Vanity, is a Calumet-bred filly.    

Criminal Type:  I brought up Dr. Fager. Spectacular Bid as I mentioned was one of the all time greats. You will never get an arguement from me on that one. However, look at the "Doc's" 1968 campaign. He carried 130 lbs and over multiple times and set a world record carrying 134 lbs. I believe he also carried 136 lbs as well that year and won handily. Weight didn't seem to bother the "Doc". There is a reason he is lieted as #6 on the list as all time great thoroughbreds. I am bias but I would rate him in the top 3 or 4 in no particular order.

Ask Steve Haskin about Dr. Fager, he wrote an incredible book about him...........

Thanks for that, Mary Zinke!! I thought, for a minute, that I was seeing things, but am SO GLAD I'm not!!

Cheers and safe trips.

Paula Higgins----Thanks. As you may know or remember, the Time magazine remarks about Smarty's placement on the list began, "Yes, he's a horse. But don't hold that against him."

GARDNER

I've no doubt Smarty would've prevailed in the Belmont if everything went his way.

Linda in Texas:  Glad you remembered Majestic Prince, he was indeed an awesome speciman to behold. Elegant, regal and just oozing of class. He deserved a better owner. It took the brilliant Arts and Letters to beat him in the Belmont and the Prince was basically running on 3 legs. John Longden (his trainer) didn't want to run him but McMahon (owner) wanted the Triple Crown so desperately. The rest is history......

Topping my list, without a doubt, Point Given (who simply did not show up for the Derby).  Then Spectacular Bid and Afleet Alex.  Although I liked Swale and Smarty and Alysheba and War Front...I do not feel they were as up to the Crown as the first 3.  Maybe next year...the drought has lasted much too long.

AFLEET ALEX

SMARTY JONES

SPECTACULAR BID

Afleet Alex, awesome, fastest of all-Heart, Heart, and more heart

Smarty was a party to watch,the skill

Spectacular Bid, spectacular

Deacon - if you google Majestic Prince, click on the second You Tube and it will show his Derby and Preakness Wins. Of course Arts and Letters finally won one. Also shows MJ's race at Santa Anita before The KD and Preakness.

Interesting comment was after McMahon bought him for $250,000 and he was shipped to Santa Anita to Johnny Longdon. Longdon trained him every morning as "that is what a thoroughbred  horse like Majestic Prince needed to build up his stamina for racing." I made that same comment last week regarding too light training. They do not build up stamina standing in the stalls.

Regarding Majestic Prince's injury,Longdon stated "there was a problem with his right front tendon." Interestingly was that

his sire, Raise a Native was retired due to a 'bowed tendon.' And his Grand Sire, Native Dancer had recurring foot injuries and had to be retired.

Which reminds me of the very old saying the sins of the father are oft times visited upon their young.

Caracortado.  End of thread.

Criminal Type

I was referring to male horses since Spectacular Bid.  Spectacular Bid was the last great male race horse who could dominate at two, three and four.  His four year old season is legendary.  Of the three during that time period, Seattle Slew, Affirmed and Spectacular Bid without question, the Bid's was the most impressive.  

Who- the argument that there are too many racehorsec born in order for there to be a triple crown winner is the same argument that was presented prior to 1973.  The truth is, we just have rarely seen a race horse that can stay at the top.

There are two things that are different now that I can see.  There was a time when there were yearling sales in the summer that were generating astronomical multi-million dollar prices for yearlings.  And, the penchant for shortening race distances to the point that many, of the time honored races like the Woodward, Jockey Club Gold Cup, Brooklyn Handicap, and Suburban Handicap will never carry the same weight for the winner that they once did.  The only one that really comes close is the Jockey Club Gold Cup.

I truly believe Easy Goer and Sunday Silence were the bomb and could beat most of the horses in the last 20 years. A.P. Indy was damn good, and could have easily won a triple crown. But the racehorses of the 70's were (great). Shall I refresh everybody?

- Affirmed

- Alydar

- Secretariat

- Forego

- Seattle Slew

- Ruffian

- John Henry

- Spectacular Bid

- Nijinsky

All these horses were nothing short of Spectacular!

Excellent blog topic, Jason. I enjoyed all the comments, especially those from people who have a much longer history of following horse racing.

I think that Point Given and Afleet Alex were the two most likely candidates to win the TC, since I've become interested in this great sport (1999). Strangely, both of them failed to win the Derby but proved their mettle in the other two races.

The most disappointing result was the loss by Smarty Jones in the Belmont. To this day, I cannot watch that race without feeling extremely sad. He tried so very hard!  

HolySmoke:

Jose Santos....hmmm...wasn't he the jockey who was accused of shocking Funny Cide into winning the Ky Derby?  Of course he is.

He's the one.  He also had an incident with public drunkeness near the end of his career.  Although the stewards at Churchill reviewed the tapes and cleared Santos, it does make one wonder........     Hmmm....nope

don't care to ever hear about Santos again.  I still think he shocked Funny Cide and that makes him a bad guy in my book.

Linda in Texas:  Native Dancer's injuries were unrelated to those that befell Raise A Native and Majestic Prince.  Native Dancer suffered from foot bruises-not tendon problems.  The bruises were speculated to have occurred because he was so big and powerful and his stride so long that he hit the ground with incredible force..... Not to mention that they over raced him tremendously - an unsound horse could never have withstood what they put him through!

Deacon: You are right:  Steve's book is great... Dr. Fager won with 139!  What a campaign: ..Calif., East Coast, grass, classic, sprints!!  Nerud and Tartan really let him show his stuff!

Aleine,

When the evidence disprove a notion, go right ahead and cling to your mistaken belief. I suspect that you think the Earth is flat and that the moon landing happened in a Hollywood studio. Good grief!

Karen in Texas, no I didn't see that in TIME! What a riot! Heck, hold it against him? No way. I will take a horse over a human athlete any day of the week. Jason and I have had the discusion already :). One other comment, I do not think Mike Smith cost Zenny the race. She wasn't handling the surface early on, had a rotten trip (thank you Quality Road) and ended up having to do too much at the end. This is from someone who loves Zenyatta more than life itself. Plus, Blame was a very good horse. Not chopped liver at all.

Of course there will be a triple crown winner soon...we might have if uncle mo wasnt sick(weak triple crown beyers this year).....Why will we? The most obvious reason,(no one has even mentioned) is the way the trainers have gotton smarter...less prep races! 2 races then the derby! Less tired horses! This is a big change, not one person on here has mentioned. Pletcher had perfect 2 prep plan, only to have mo get freak illness...perfect plan...cant keep a horse sharp for months people....

I should have known that we couldn't get through this blog without a Zenyatta fan mentioning her.  Folks, Zen didn't even race as a 3 yr old and only beat the boys ONCE!!  so you can't count her!  Also, I can't believe Real Quiet still doesn't get the respect he deserves.  He was literally the closest thing we had to a TC winner.

Aleine

I am no fan of Jose Santos, not by a long shot.  But he was totally cleared of shocking Funny Cide in the Derby.  His fellow jocks waded in on that one and they'd be the first to shout foul if he had.  I've watched close-ups of the race many times and the call was patently wrong.  And it wasn't Santos who was done for public drunkenness - it was his daughter.  Horrid shame to the family.  But all this has nothing to do with the quality of Funny Cide.  Again, I don't rate him with the greats.  But he's a far better horse than those who've won the Kentucky Derby in the last few years.  Smarty Jones and Afleet Alex were well deserving.  But virtually none have been since.  And Funny went on with his career, winning the Jockey Gold Cup.  All the others were shoved into stud duty as fast as their owners could read a bank statement.

To further The Deacon's point about Spectacular Bid, the Bid actually IS the last male horse to be champion at 2, 3, and 4.

Since the Bid, the only 2 year old male champ to repeat at 3 has been Lookin at Lucky.  Unfortunately because of the demands of breeding, Lucky' was not allowed the opportunity to win an Eclipse as an older horse.

There have been 5 male horses since Bid to win an Eclipse as champion 3 year old and then win another Eclipse as champion older male.  These 5 are: Slew o' Gold, Alysheba, Skip Away(won 2 Eclipse awards as older horse), Tiznow, and Curlin(HoY at 3 and 4, something even Bid can't claim).

tjconway...I'll add to your list if I may.

Dahlia

Allez France

Alleged

Youth

Mr. Prospector

There may be horses racing in the Calumet colors, I understand the Kwaitkowski family uses them, but none have been champions. This is not the same Calumet Farm it once was.

What I said in my earlier post was Criminal Type was the last CHAMPION to race in the Calumet silks. Calumet bred Switch but she is owned by CRK stables (Lee & Susan Searing) The initials CRK are for each of their children. Trust More was bred and is owned by the Kwaitkowski family.

Needler, I still get furious when I think about what that sad excuse for a human being at Calumet did to Alydar. I like to believe what comes around goes around but this man and his little band of cohorts have not paid nearly enough in my mind. Also, Needler if you have not read the book WILD RIDE (the rise and fall of Calumet Farm) by Anne Hagadorne Auerbach, you should, it's a very enlightening book.

Criminal Type - I agree wholeheartedly with your outrage regarding Alydar.  Almost made me give up horse racing.

For those who care (I know this isn't the proper place to put it, but oh well)

Endorsement, the 2010 Sunland Park Derby winner worked for the first time since he was injured before the 2010 Kentucky Derby. Just thought I'd let y'all know.

Racingfan, i believe that is what i stated, Native Dancer's issues were with recurring foot injuries (no doubt because of exactly what you stated). Raise A Native had a bowed tendon. And Majestic Prince a problem with his right front tendon.

If i led you to believe i was saying they all three had tendon problems, that was not what i stated and i apologize if you misunderstood.

I see a few folks referring to the weight carried by Fager & the Bid in their races....

You realize that the little amount of weight that is assigned has absolutely zero bearing on the outcome of the performance.  It is literally like strapping a Big Mac sandwich to Carl Lewis = it's irrelevant.

Ever wonder why the odds maker still makes Fager 1-9 on the morning line despite a 10 lb allowance?  

The fact is they would have to add 60,70,80lbs to make a difference in the race result.  Please don't use weight in your handicapping, it is a complete farce.

And not taking anything away from Fager or Bid - but the weight issue has nothing to do with their greatness.  If they were dragging the weight behind them on a sled then something could be said but they are carrying it and it doesn't mean a thing to these powerful animals.

Love this topic, although it was tough watching the "could have beens" once again. I loved Majestic Prince and I think he was found to have an injury after the Belmont, when he lost to Arts and Letters. Big Brown, to me, was always suspect because of Dutrow. Personally, I think Spectactular Bid, Afleet Alex and Smarty Jones were three that could have/should have, wont he Crown. I thought Afleet Alex was one of the toughest, best horses I ever saw run Jason. I'm in complete agreement with you on that one. I'm sure the jockeys had something to do with the close calls, but I just don't see horses that are tough enough. It did/will take a beast to win the TC and rise above all the things that can go wrong in not just one tough race, but 3 in a row with little time between. Look at the injuries/health issues on this year's trail - Premier Pegasus, The Factor, Jaycito, AAA, Uncle Mo, Pants on Fire, now Nehro and Animal Kingdom. They're dropping like flies - still.

Gun Bow:  The "Bid" was simply amazing, one of the best....

Skyfire:  Glad someone out there besides me recognizes the greatness of Dr. Fager.

Yankeetrev:  I am going to respectfully disagree with your assessment of weight. The fact is, if carrying weight was that simple or easy then every race horse would be carrying it. Weight or too much of it can help break down a horse. Try strapping 15 or 20 pounds to your shoulders or ankles and go out and run 2 miles or more. I have been around this business for 56 years and this is the first time I have ever read where someone said "weight" isn't a factor. In 1938 Stagehand with legendary jockey Earl Sande aboard, carrying only 100 lbs won the Santa Anita Handicap by a nose over Seabiscuit who was carrying 130 lbs. You don't suppose 30 lbs made a difference that day. My dad (RIP) was at the track that day (before my time) and the buzz everywhere was that the weight between the two was the difference... I'm just saying my friend.......always ask the guys on the backstretch, the ones in the know, you will get all your answers.

LInda in Texas:  Thanks for sharing your insight about Majestic Prince, I have all of his races saved to disc, I watch them quite often. He could have been one of the best, but that story has been told before. Glad you remembered........

Zookeeper;

Rapid Redux is going to try for win number thirteen straight tonight at Penn National in the seventh race. Post time is 8:29 ET. Only four horses are scheduled to race against him.

-Keelerman

For me, there will never be another horse to compare to Easy Goer. And Joe, you are right- the only thing (except his ankles) that could beat him was Pat Day. His Belmont record is second to only Big Red himself. He still owns the Gotham and a handful of other records. Down, inside was not the place for a huge locomotive of a horse to be in the Preakness. And the Kentucky Derby was one big head shaker. I still miss him and I cannot understand how anyone can even say Sunday Silence was in the same zipcode. Afleet Alex and Prairie Bayou are my second and third heart horses. Afleet Alex, Point Given and Hansel are who I think were spot on for TCs. Yes, the Bid of course. The only horse to give me any sort of excitment in the last few years is Get Stormy "Clyde". There is just something about him that I adore. Hey NY- When will you finally name a stakes after 'Goer? He was NY's Easy Goer and still- NO RACE!!! How about renaming the Gotham? Every minor horse going has a race. What disrespect.

Real Quiet was robbed by his own rider. Kent totally misjudged just how long that killer Belmont stretch is. You can't roll to the lead turning for home like you can on all of the other racetracks. The fact that RQ managed to only lose by a nose is un-freakin-believable. I also voted for the Bid & Afleet Alex, they were amazing creatures on the track.

Linda in Texas:  absolutely no apology needed!!!!  :-)  I understood what you said.  I only wanted to clarify for those who like to blame today's "unsoundness" on him since most of the horses racing are related to him. His injuries were just that and they can happen any time to any horse-it was not a defect or inherent unsoundness. A simple fact that is lost on those who want to place blame!

Skyfire:

Dr. Fager carried the 139 lbs in his last race, the Vosburgh, when he got the 7F in 1.20.1, with the first 6F in 1.07.4.  Two races previous, in the Washington Park Handicap when he set the world’s record for a mile at 1.32.1, he carried 134 lbs. and in that race he got the 6F in 1.07.3 (which is I believe the fastest he had ever run 6F).  Those two races were part of an 8 race streak where he carried 130 lbs or more (134 twice in wins and 135 when 2nd to Damascus in the Brooklyn, who also carried 130 lbs.)

Another interesting fact is that Dr. Fager’s half sister, Ta Wee, was also a great weight carrier and was assigned 130 lbs. plus several times and 140 in her second last race when defeating males in the Fall Highweight, and 142 in the Interborough, her last race, when defeating fillies.

Lazmannick:  amen about Dr. Fager, I rest my case............

Boy, did we ever get spoiled in the 70's! If only we had known, we could have savored it even more so... My vote will always go to Barbaro. He only won the Kentucky Derby, but the first time I saw him, he took my breath away. What a big, powerful horse, he just had the look of a champion. I thought - here's our Triple Crown winner, at last! Of course, everyone knowns the story, broke my heart, couldn't even watch the Kentucky Derby the following year.

As for Big Brown, makes the case against medicating race horses all the more! He had spectacular reserve speed in the first two races, but when he got to the Belmont, which was the first race after being off cortisone for a full month, he had nothing. The difference was shocking. It might have been due to racing with a patched hoof, but we'll never know for sure....  So we wait for the next Triple Crown winner....

Deacon - I believe the example you gave could very well have had an impact on the race outcome.  Which was exactly my point.  To have an impact there has to be a huge disparity (like the 30lb difference you mentioned).  My main point was that the difference between 126lbs and 115lbs are meaningless.  

Just curious on Seabiscuits off odds that day?  You'd think if everyone in the stable area knew that he had no chance to win with the weight assigned he would have been 4-1.  But I am guessing he wasn't, the talk on the backstretch was all hindsight which we all know how helpful that is in racing/handicapping.....

Empire Maker!!!!!! He was a beast. Easiest bet I ever made in the Belmont.

The Travers is nicknamed "The Summer Derby."  It's the same profile as the KD - 10f on the dirt for 3yo's, except it's run at Saratoga in August, when the 3yos will have had three months to grow.

I mention this because, when switching out the KD for the TS for a Preakness-Belmont-Travers Triple, an interesting list forms:

2001 - Point Given

1967 - Damascus

1953 - Native Dancer

1941 - Whirlaway

1920 - Man o' War

1880 - Grenada

1878 - Duke of Magenta

The proof is in the "bob" on Real Quiet.  Another 1/2 foot his head comes back up in front of Victory Gallop's.  

Kent moved way too soon.  He had 6-7 length lead top of the stretch and was attempting to extend this.  Had he relaxed a bit he would not of come up short against Victory Gallop.  

Not a bad $17,000 purchase and a horse who played second fiddle to his stablemate Indian Charlie who was undefeated coming into the Derby.  

We all watched the wrong Baffert horse.