Some Minor (Not Major) Changes for the American Triple Crown

by Steve Davidowitz | Jun 2 2011

While the Kentucky Derby and Preakness are scheduled two weeks apart, the Belmont Stakes will be run on June 11, a full three weeks since SHACKLEFORD beat Kentucky Derby winner ANIMAL KINGDOM in the Preakness.

This is as it should be; despite the arguments offered by many who believe in a break of three weeks, or even a month between all three Triple Crown races. Thankfully, there is no momentum building for any such change.

Frankly, changing the Triple Crown in any major way would be a major mistake that could lessen interest and cheapen the accomplishment of any future horse capable of joining the 11 horses who have managed the elusive sweep.

Simultaneously, by lessening the strict timing requirements presently in place, it would not only open the door to more potential Triple Crown winners, but also it would be a slap in the face to the 11 horses who came through the three race series with three victories at three different distances at three different tracks, in three different states all within a compressed, highly pressurized five week period.

Yes, it is true that the game has changed in many important ways. Yes, today's Thoroughbreds are more fragile; they also are raced less often with more time between starts. But, to think that a Triple Crown sweep is not really possible in the contemporary environment, is refuted ironically by the fact that no horse has completed the sweep in 33 years.

Consider these facts:

* There have been 16 horses since Affirmed's 1978 Triple Crown sweep who have managed to win two of the three races. That is an extraordinary number of near misses for a task that is supposed to be impossible under present day rules.

 * Ten of those 16 near Triple Crown winners won the Derby and Preakness and were in contention in the third and final leg, the 1-1/2 mile Belmont Stakes. That too argues against those who believe that it is not possible for a modern day Triple Crown sweep.


* Three of the ten, SILVER CHARM (1997); REAL QUIET (1998) and SMARTY JONES (2004), ran relatively strong races in the Belmont. This clearly indicated that these horses retained their top form. Moreover, all of them could have completed their sweep with better rides and/or slightly different racing tactics.

To prove that, I suggest a review of the way Silver Charm lost his Belmont when he and his jockey Gary Stevens could not see TOUCH GOLD and Chris McCarron launching their final bid on the far outside, away from their sightlines.

Similarly, VICTORY GALLOP beat Derby-Preakness winner Real Quiet to the wire by a nose in their Belmont battle when jockey Kent Desormeaux moved a bit early on Real Quiet. Desormeaux chose to push Real Quiet to a clear lead in the upper stretch, but left his mount completely empty for the final 1/16 miles.  Still, the margin at the finish line was pencil thin and required more than eight minutes for the judges to determine the outcome.

Almost the same script was followed by Sean Elliot aboard Smarty Jones, when Elliot elected to chase the front runners on the backstretch of the Belmont—at the six furlong marker---a move that left Smarty Jones vulnerable in the late going to Birdstone's sustained rally.

In each case, the horse that failed to sweep the Triple Crown did have to be a better horse, or a more rested horse. In each case, the elusive sweep could have and probably should have been completed with slightly different tactics.

If I were racing's Czar, I would however make three changes to Triple Crown racing as we know it, None would impact negatively the standing of these three races as one of the great spectacles in the world of sport. Quite the opposite, I believe.

My first change would be to completely bar race day medication, as in no Lasix, no Bute, no race-day drugs at all.

No Bute, because that drug can be used to screen away the horse's sense of pain and pain is the primary warning system that protects the racehorse from exacerbating a minor physical issue.

No Lasix, because the diuretic Furosemide not only flushes out excess fluids and may reduce the potential for bleeding in the pulmonary system during the stress of racing, but it can dehydrate the horse, as well as serve as a possible screen for more insidious, highly illegal drugs.

Frankly the loud protests that come from trainers and vets over attempts to ban these drugs, seem very hollow when we consider that every other country that presents Thoroughbred horseracing does not seem impaired in the slightest by their rules that prohibit all race day drugs.

The second change I would make is decidedly minor in scope, but could have a profound, positive impact on the way the Triple Crown races are covered for the benefit of the general public.

I suggest that all horses seeking post positions for the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes should be on the grounds of the host track no later than Tuesday, a day before post positions are drawn.

Training horses in Florida who ship in for a Triple Crown race the day before the race limits public access beyond any reason.  Right now, the Derby rules already have been changed to make it mandatory for a Derby horse to be on hand on Tuesday of Derby week.

But for this year's Preakness, Animal Kingdom shipped in to Pimlico on the morning of the race, which greatly limited public access to the most important horse in the word at that moment until the race itself. This did not help Pimlico, NBC TV, Daily Racing Form, or any media outlet looking to provide readers and viewers with good info on the Kentucky Derby winner who was the only horse on the planet who possibly could complete a Triple Crown sweep. There is no earthly reason to allow this practice to continue at any Triple Crown track.

The third change I would make has to do just with the Kentucky Derby.

As I have stated in other forums, I believe 20 horses on a one mile track is at least three or four horses too many. It is, in my judgment, an accident waiting to happen.

In the interest of safety and fair play for all horses in the Derby, I strongly urge Churchill Downs to build a special 16 stall starting gate for permanent use exclusively for its 1-1/4 mile races – i.e. the Kentucky Derby and 1-1/4 mile Breeders' Cup Classic.

With these three suggested changes in place, I believe we would have a stronger, fairer Triple Crown race series. Likewise, I cannot see any reason for tampering with the spacing of the three races, or any other major change that would threaten the legitimacy of all the history attached to a great three race series that has stood the test of time.

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