Winning the Triple Crown is immensely difficult for any racehorse. That’s why there have been only 12 horses in history who have managed to pull off this remarkable feat.
Will there be a Triple Crown winner this year? Almost everyone will tell you that the chances of such an occurrence look slim, like always. However, if you are new to horse racing and betting, it is futile to invest your energies on this difficult question. Instead, virtual horse racing betting is something that you will likely find more suitable to your needs now.
1- Seabiscuit
Seabiscuit is one of the most famous names in horse racing. He became a symbol of hope to many Americans during the Great Depression. Surprisingly, the immensely talented horse never won any Triple Crown race. This was because he found his best strides very late in his career.
Seabiscuit, who was named the Horse of the Year in 1938, proved that his age was no hindrance for him as he went on to claim successes in some of the most prestigious races in the United States, including the Massachusetts Handicap, Santa Anita Handicap and Brooklyn Handicap. He also has the distinction of beating the 1937 Triple Crown winner War Admiral by four lengths at Pamlico.
The life events of the Tom Smith trained horse inspired the bestselling book Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand and the 2003 Oscar-nominated movie Seabiscuit which was written and directed by Gary Ross.
2- Alydar
Fans love nothing more than a great sporting rivalry. This is the reason soccer enthusiasts always cherish the competition between the two most stylish footballers Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. And it’s the same reason horse racing zealots always enjoyed when Alydar and Affirmed competed in the same race.
The two great rivals met outside the Triple Crown as well, but their most memorable and intense competitions came in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in 1978.
At Churchill Downs, Affirmed won the first leg of the Triple Crown before repeating the feat in the next two prestigious races. However, Alydar was just as brilliant in all three races and lost them by the slightest of margins. Despite those defeats, the John Veitch-trained horse is just famous as Affirmed. If he would have been competing in the Triple Crown in any other year, he would probably have won the three races. However, he was unfortunately born in the same year as his great rival.
The most famous Triple Crown non-winner also claimed the distinction of winning six Grade 1 races in total, with his earnings reaching $957,195 by the end of his career.
You can find more interesting articles in our section on Horse Racing.
