Introducing a Triple Crown for Four/Five Year Olds

[RockHardTen1985]

Originally Posted by Coup Verville

Maybe something along the lines of Met Mile, Arlington Million, BC Classic? There would have to be some sort of bonus attached, but it would show some serious versatility in a horse.

Thats a cool thought, and I love all 3 of those races. But how many Met winners or even Met runners wheel back in the Million?

[Coup Verville]

Originally Posted by RockHardTen1985

Thats a cool thought, and I love all 3 of those races. But how many Met winners or even Met runners wheel back in the Million?

Oh, I realize it's a pipe dream. It would just be a really special horse that could pull off all three. Just a fun thought.

[RockHardTen1985]

Originally Posted by Coup Verville

Oh, I realize it's a pipe dream. It would just be a really special horse that could pull off all three. Just a fun thought.

It is cool to think of who could pull that triple off.
Who recently would have even had a prayer? Animal Kingdom, maybe? Im not sure he was sharp enough for the Met Mile, who knows.....

[Coup Verville]

Originally Posted by RockHardTen1985

It is cool to think of who could pull that triple off.
Who recently would have even had a prayer? Animal Kingdom, maybe? Im not sure he was sharp enough for the Met Mile, who knows.....

AK certainly. Maybe Big Brown had he stuck around for his 4 year old season. Palace Malice wouldn't be completely out of his element trying to pull it off this year.

[RockHardTen1985]

Originally Posted by Coup Verville

AK certainly. Maybe Big Brown had he stuck around for his 4 year old season. Palace Malice wouldn't be completely out of his element trying to pull it off this year.

Curlin I guess. He lost his only turf race to Red Rocks, but Red Rocks was pretty good at times. Im not sure 8f would have worked for Curlin though. Hard Spun.... I loved Hard Spun, he was very versatile on dirt and ran well on synthetics.

[Kasept]

There was a Handicap Triple Crown for decades.. The Met, Brooklyn and Suburban. Tom Fool, Kelso and Fit to Fight won it.

There was/is the Triple Tiara too which in various guises includes the Acorn, Mother Goose, CCA Oaks and Alabama. A number of great fillies have won it including Chris Evert, Ruffian and Mom's Command.

The Triple Crown works because it's a fixture on the American sports calendar. Duplicating it's success is difficult. The Jockey Club Tour on Fox will be expanding its' offering next season and beyond and probably has the best opportunity at organically building a series of races that can be tied together along the lines of the American Championship Racing Series that Devonshirehanover references. A big money overwrap like Visa's Triple Crown Bonus would speed things along.

Going back to three years olds though, I've always thought a summer Triple Crown of the Haskell, Pennsylvania Derby and Travers had potential to be a hit.

[ScottJ]

Thank you to everyone for sharing their thoughts. All too often, we lament three years olds being pulled off the track and immediately put into sire duties. Then, we similarly grouse that unsound horses (those pulled from the track due to injury) are becoming baselines in the breeding - effectively, breeding infirmity into the sport.

So, you need to incent horses/owners to remain in training into their four and five year old seasons. As a New York racing fan, I certainly remember the handicap triple crown and the triple tiara. However, these do not have any national audience nor are they generally highlighted as their own entities sufficiently in New York. New York marketing is now focused on big single days - like the Stars and Stripes - perhaps that is the evolution of the game right before our eyes.

The goal is to make the four and five year old seasons so valuable that horses remain in training to take a shot at the bigger prizes over a period of time. While strong sires might not truly be identified until a decade from now, the first steps would be taken to strengthen the sport's recognition, broaden media coverage into the later summer, strengthen bloodlines, and move the older horses from one glory day (Breeder's Cup) onto several at a national level.