The US Triple Crown - Is 2009 Set Provide The First Champion Since 1978?

The US Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing might not mean that much to Racing fans in Britain or even European at the moment, but with the continued growth and TV coverage of International Racing, the coveted 'Triple Crown' could become as big over this side of the Atlantic as in the States, where it dominates the headlines of Sports pages in Newspapers across the country, as the finest Thoroughbreds around go in search of equine glory.

In Britain a horse racing, the triple-crown means the 2000 Guineas, the Derby and the St Leger for colts and the 1000 Guineas, the Oaks and the St Leger for Fillies and was last won by Nijinsky in 1970, giving some indication of just how difficult it is to achieve. In the States it is made up from the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes, with all three races open to 3 year old colts and fillies.

The US Triple Crown is a tall order too, as all three races are run within a five week period starting in the middle of May and finishing in mid-June.

The first leg is the Kentucky Derby raced over 1 1/4 miles on a dirt track at the Churchill Downs racecourse in Louisville, Kentucky. This is followed two weeks later by the Preakness, raced over 1-3/16 miles also on dirt, but this time at the Pimlico Racecourse in Baltimore, Maryland. The final leg, the Belmont Stakes, takes place three weeks later at Belmont Park, New York. This is raced over 1 1/2 miles also on dirt.

The Triple Crown has been around in an official sense since the early part of the last century, but hit great prominence in 1973 when Secretariat became the ninth horse to achieve the feat.

In total there have been eleven Triple Crown winners, the first being in 1919, when Sir Barton won, the last one to complete it was Affirmed in 1978, who was ridden by former UK Champion jockey, Steve Cauthen.

American Thoroughbred Racing fans are therefore hungry for another winner and eagerly await the series that starts with the Kentucky Derby on May 2nd. The winner of the Kentucky Derby will become the most talked about horse in America for two solid weeks until he runs in the Preakness Stakes.

This happened last year when Big Brown took the Kentucky Derby and became an overnight hero. He then went on to take the Preakness with phenomenal authority, winning by over 5 lengths becoming only the fourth horse in history to win the first two legs while remaining unbeaten.

It was all set up therefore for Big Brown to become the 12th Triple Crown winner, unfortunately however, he got himself injured prior to the Belmont and required stitches and bandaging during the warm up phase to the race. The injury and the loss of vital training time effectively cost Big Brown the race, while although going off as odds on favourite to win, he trailed in last of nine runners to the huge disappointment of millions of racing fans throughout America.

The first Triple Crown therefore of the new millennium still awaits - will it happen in 2009? If it does, you are sure to hear about it!