Triple Crown Winners Horse Racing History

Justify is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse who is the 13th and most recent winner of the American Triple Crown, accomplishing the feat by winning the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes in 2018. He first attracted attention with a win in his first start on February 18, 2018, followed by two more victories, including the Grade I Santa Anita Derby, to qualify for the 2018. Man o’ War wrapped up the year by defeating traditional 1919 Triple Crown winner Sir Barton by 17 lengths in a much-publicized match race. Scat Daddy - Stage Magic, by Ghostzapper. Owner: China Horse Club, Head of Plains. The trophy was won by Man o' War in a special match race in 1920 against Sir Barton, the 1919 American Triple Crown winner. The wife of owner Samuel Riddle donated the trophy in 1936 as the permanent award for winning the race. Each year, the name of the winner is inscribed on the Cup. Secretariat (1973) His 31-length victory in the Belmont remains the most impressive performance.

These days, the Withers Stakes is a Grade 3 Kentucky Derby prep held in the middle of winter at Aqueduct. It’s hard to believe the race once ranked as one of the most prestigious races in the nation for 3-year-olds — and was once the leadoff leg of a forgotten “Triple Crown.”

Have you ever wondered why the U.S. Triple Crown is so different from its British predecessor? It wasn’t intentional. The U.S. Triple Crown developed organically, with the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes taking center stage thanks to their individual prestige and/or rich purses.

So while the three British classics (the 2,000 Guineas, the Epsom Derby, and the St. Leger Stakes) take place from late April/early May through September, and over distances ranging from one mile to 1 13/16 miles, the U.S. classics failed to follow suit. They’re instead packed into a five-week span and take place over a narrower distance range spanning 1 3/16 miles to 1 1/2 miles.

But many years ago — more than a century, actually — an attempt was made to replicate the British Triple Crown with three races on the New York circuit. The Belmont Stakes, held in June, was the middle leg and mimicked the historic Epsom Derby. The 1 5/8-mile Lawrence Realization, held in September as an equivalent to the St. Leger Stakes, concluded the series. And the kickoff leg was the one-mile Withers Stakes, held in May to match the 2,000 Guineas.

The Withers was first run in 1874, and the roster of winners reads like a “who’s who” of racing greats, including Dr. Fager, Native Dancer, Count Fleet, Sir Barton, Colin, Ack Ack and Hill Prince. But if racing history had unfolded a bit differently, the names we would remember most are Man o’ War and Zev, who rank as the only horses to sweep New York’s “Triple Crown.”

Man o’ War really needs no introduction — he ranks as one of the all-time greats to this day — but Zev was also a standout star of his generation.

Let’s quickly recount their sweeps of the New York Triple Crown:

Man o’ War (1920)

The original “Big Red” kicked off his 11-for-11 sophomore campaign with a victory in the Preakness, after which he nabbed the Withers by two lengths (“under a pull,” per the Daily Racing Form) and the Belmont Stakes by 20 lengths. Following a strong summer campaign, Man o’ War defeated a single rival in the Lawrence Realization by about 100 lengths, setting a track record of 2:40 4/5 that stood until 2018.

Man o’ War wrapped up the year by defeating traditional 1919 Triple Crown winner Sir Barton by 17 lengths in a much-publicized match race. Man o’ War almost certainly would have swept the traditional series had he participated in the Kentucky Derby, but the 1 1/4-mile race came too early in the season, prompting Man o’ War’s connections to skip the “Run for the Roses.”

Zev (1923)

Triple Crown Winners Horse Racing History Today

If not for completely misfiring in the Preakness, Zev might have swept both versions of the U.S. Triple Crown. He won the Kentucky Derby in comfortable fashion before wrapping up his spring campaign with a half-length score in the Withers and a 1 1/2-length triumph in the Belmont Stakes.

In both the Withers and the Belmont, Zev lost significant ground from the eighth pole to the finish line; in the Withers, the Daily Racing Form notes he was “eased up” and “almost caught.” But any concerns about Zev’s stamina were put to rest in the Lawrence Realization. Making his second start off a summer layoff, Zev cruised by 2 1/2 lengths. Six weeks later he defeated Epsom Derby winner Papyrus in a widely hyped international match race, yet another highlight from Zev’s ambitious 12-for-14 sophomore season.

Man o’ War and Zev might not be Triple Crown winners in the traditional sense, but few will deny that they were every bit as remarkable as the 13 official members of the Triple Crown club.

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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