Horse Racing Triple Crown Tracks
- Stories, videos, results, entries, points, and earnings for the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes.
- Triple Crown schedule 2020: New dates, order, results for Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, Belmont horse races For the first time in history, the Belmont Stakes ran as the first race in the.
- The Kentucky Derby. The Preakness Stakes. The Belmont Stakes. Belmont Park Belmont Park is located in the hamlet of Elmont, New York, is famed as the home of the Belmont Stakes. This race is the last leg of the Triple Crown and fills the Park’s maximum capacity seating of 90,000 spectators every year, and then some.
Laurel Park: Maryland 198 & Laurel Race Track Rd, Maryland City, MD 20724 Maryland Jockey Club - MD, USA Ocean Downs: 10218 Racetrack Road, Berlin MD 21811 Pimlico: 5201 Park Heights Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21215 (Home of THE PREAKNESS, Middle jewel of the Triple Crown) Rosecroft Raceway: 6336 Rosecroft Drive, Fort Washington, MD 20744: Massachusetts.
The British Triple Crown Series owes its success to a large extend to the quality of the three individual races which make up the cup.
The 2000 Guineas Stakes is run at Newmarket Racecourse in late April to early May. It is a flat race over one mile, perfectly suited for Newmarket's infamous Rowley Mile track. The 2000 Guineas was the last of the three Triple Crown races to come into existence, with its inaugural running taking place in 1809.
The Epsom Derby takes place at Epsom Downs Racecourse and runs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 10 yards. It is one of the British summer horse races, hosted annually in June since 1780, and is considered the most important of the English Classic Races. The most famous athlete to ever compete at the Epsom Derby was jockey Lester Piggott, who won the race an incredible 9 times between 1954 and 1983.
The St. Leger Stakes is the longest running race of the series, having been inaugurated in 1776 at Doncaster Racecourse where is still hosted today. The distance is 1 mile, 6 furlongs and 132 yards; a testing distance for the last race in an extraordinary series. The St. Leger Stakes, which is run in September, is also part of the English Classic Races and one of the oldest continuously running races in the country.
For decades, the Fountain of Youth has ranked as important early steppingstone toward the Kentucky Derby. The Gulfstream Park fixture boasts an impressive roster of winners; in the last decade alone, the Fountain of Youth winner’s circle has been visited by Kentucky Derby winner Orb, Belmont Stakes hero Union Rags and multiple Grade 1 winner Code of Honor.
But looking back through history, which Fountain of Youth winners stand out as the cream of the crop? Here’s my take on the five most memorable winners. From the bottom up, we have …
5. Quality Road (2009)
Quality Road’s eye-catching 4 1/4-length romp in the Fountain of Youth marked the first of his seven graded stakes wins, highlighted by triumphs in the Florida Derby (G1), Donn Handicap (G1), Metropolitan Handicap (G1) and Woodward (G1). A standout performer over 1 1/8 miles, Quality Road also was brilliant enough to win Saratoga’s 6 1/2-furlong Amsterdam (G2) in the track-record time of 1:13.74.
4. Forty Niner (1988)
The champion 2-year-old male of 1987 never nabbed a classic or a Breeders’ Cup race, but he did win or place in seven Grade 1 races over the course of two busy seasons. Victorious in the Futurity (G1) and Champagne (G1) as a juvenile, Forty Niner showed impressive determination in the Fountain of Youth, battling along the rail to win by a nose over stubborn rival Notebook. Forty Niner later added triumphs in Haskell (G1) and Travers (G1) to his decorated resume, along with a narrow runner-up effort in the Kentucky Derby (G1).
3. Tim Tam (1958)
Horse Racing Triple Crown Tracks Track
Tim Tam was nothing less than sensational during a super-busy sophomore season. Between Jan. 17 and June 7 he won 10 of his 13 starts, including seven stakes. A two-length triumph in the Fountain of Youth served as a steppingstone to spring successes Florida Derby, Kentucky Derby, and Preakness, stamping the Calumet Farm homebred as the champion of his division. Sadly, an injury suffered when finishing second in the Belmont prevented Tim Tam from sweeping the Triple Crown and prompted his retirement.
2. Thunder Gulch (1995)
The champion 3-year-old male of 1995 kicked off his signature season in the Fountain of Youth, rallying from seventh place to win by a determined neck. Thereafter, the D. Wayne Lukas trainee went on a tear, prevailing in the Florida Derby (G1), Kentucky Derby (G1), Belmont (G1), Travers (G1), Swaps (G2) and Kentucky Cup Classic Handicap. Only a close third in the Preakness (G1) prevented Thunder Gulch from joining the Triple Crown club and earning a place among the all-time greats.
1. Spectacular Bid (1979)
The undisputed king of Fountain of Youth winners is Spectacular Bid, who widely ranks among the best horses to ever grace the sport. Victorious in 26 of his 30 starts, Spectacular Bid accumulated 14 Grade 1 wins during his Hall of Fame career, including decisive scores in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. The great gray carried as many as 132 pounds to victory and concluded his 1980 Horse of the Year campaign with a walkover victory in the Woodward (G1) — where he ran 1 1/4 miles all by himself in a solid 2:02 2/5, just because he could.
J. Keeler Johnson is a writer, videographer, handicapper and all-around horse racing enthusiast. A great fan of racing history, he considers Dr. Fager to be the greatest racehorse ever produced in America, but counts Zenyatta as his all-time favorite. You can follow him on Twitter at @J_Keelerman.
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