Horse racing Triple Crown winners are a very select group. Only eleven horses have ever won in Triple Crown odds. The three races that make up Triple Crown odds (Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont) are run within five weeks of each other and at different distances. That makes the list of horse racing Triple Crown winners very short.
Horse racing Triple Crown winners and their winning year are:
1919 Sir Barton
1930 Gallant Fox
1935 Omaha
1937 War Admiral
1941 Whirlaway
1943 Count Fleet
1946 Assault
1948 Citation
1973 Secretariat
1977 Seattle Slew
1978 Affirmed
There is also a list of almost horse racing Triple Crown winners that just fell short as they won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness but not the Belmont. The Belmont is a grueling race and has taken down a lot of potential Triple Crown winners over the years. It is a tough chore to win all three races in Triple Crown odds and many horses have pulled of the double but not the trifecta and missed out on being horse racing Triple Crown winners. Here is the list of the almost horse racing Triple Crown winners and the year:
2004 Smarty Jones
2003 Funny Cide
2002 War Emblem
1999 Charismatic
1998 Real Quiet
1997 Silver Charm
1989 Sunday Silence
1987 Alysheba
1981 Pleasant Colony
1979 Spectacular Bid
1971 Canonero II
1969 Majestic Prince
1968 Forward Pass
1966 Kauai King
1964 Northern Dancer
1961 Carry Back
1958 Tim Tam
1944 Pensive
1936 Bold Venture
1932 Burgoo King
Horse racing Triple Crown winners definitely are a small group. The group that has missed out and come close is actually larger than the 11 Triple Crown winners. There is an even larger group of horses that have won two of the three races but missed out on becoming Triple Crown winners.
The last of Triple Crown winners was Affirmed in 1978. Strangely enough, there are only three decades that have produced Triple Crown winners after Sir Barton in 1919, the 1930’s, 1940’s and the 1970’s. What will the future decades hold in Triple Crown odds?