Ten Dominant Triple Crown Performances This Century

Events / Travel
Rachel Alexandra in the paddock before the 2009 Preakness Stakes. (Eclipse Sportswire)

Nothing captivates a horse racing audience quite like a dominant performance. When I was researching a feature on Afleet Alex’s 2005 Triple Crown a few weeks back, it got me thinking about some of the best Triple Crown performances since the turn of the century, and there were so many good ones.

On Thursday, we posted the top five fantastic finishes of the century. For this list the only caveats were that the race must have occurred in this century and the winner had to prevail by at least one length.

As always, please chime in with your best/favorite performances from recent Triple Crown history in the comments below. Let’s get started with the ones that just missed the cut. 

Honorable mentions: Animal Kingdom’s 2011 Kentucky Derby; Bernardini’s 2006 Preakness; Summer Bird’s 2009 Belmont Stakes; Orb’s 2013 Kentucky Derby; Big Brown’s 2008 Preakness. 

10. Chrome’s Flashy Derby Victory in 2014 

California Chrome was the most accomplished contender entering the 2014 Kentucky Derby, and when he got an ideal stalking trip right behind the early leaders it was game, set, match. He surged to the front entering the stretch under jockey Victor Espinoza and opened up a commanding 5-length lead in early stretch and coasted to victory. California Chrome’s Preakness victory was also impressive, but the Derby win was about as comfortable as you can get for the final sixteenth of a mile. When you hear the term “much the best,” think California Chrome in the Kentucky Derby. 

9. War Emblem Commits Larceny in 2002 Derby

Hindsight is 20/20, but it’s hard to believe War Emblem was 20.50-to-1 in the Kentucky Derby in 2002 after a monster win in the Illinois Derby that prompted his private purchase by The Thoroughbred Corp. and transfer to Hall of Famer Bob Baffert. If I was a gambling man … (oh, wait, I am, and I plunked down a significant wad of cash on that Derby) …  uh, never mind. War Emblem followed the Illinois Derby gameplan at Churchill Downs and set the pace uncontested through an easy half-mile in :47.04. After lulling the field to sleep he just sprinted away to a four-length Kentucky Derby win. After jockey Victor Espinoza appeared on a “Wanted” sign for stealing the Derby on the front end, War Emblem faced a pace challenge from 51.20-to-1 no-hoper Menacing Dennis in the Preakness and won anyway. A troubled start took him out of his game in the Belmont Stakes and cost him any shot at the Triple Crown, but there is no denying War Emblem brought his “A” game to the Derby. Consider the notable who finished behind him in the Derby: Proud Citizen, Perfect Drift, Medaglia d’Oro, Request For Parole, Came Home, Harlan’s Holiday, Johannesburg. That was some group of 3-year-olds. 

8. Big Brown Delivers in 2008 Derby 

The hype machine cranked up around undefeated Big Brown approaching the 2008 Kentucky Derby and he lived up to it. Breaking from post position 20 (essentially the back door of the Kentucky Derby Museum), Big Brown was parked four or five wide the entire way around and still drew away to win by 4 ¾ lengths. His Preakness Stakes win by 5 ¼ lengths also was considered for this spot, but the wide trip in the Derby earned the nod. 

7. Funny Cide Makes Mockery of 2003 Preakness 

When Funny Cide won the Kentucky Derby at 12.80-to-1 odds, there were quite a few fans and handicappers who wanted to see him repeat that performance to prove his classic class. He obliged with a 9 ¾-length romp as the Preakness favorite that sent New York-bred Funny Cide home to Belmont Park with a Triple Crown on the line. If you have been following racing for any length of time since 1978, surely you know how this story ends. For anyone else unfamiliar with recent Triple Crown history, 13 horses have won the Derby and Preakness since Affirmed’s Triple Crown in 1978 but none has completed the sweep. Empire Maker foiled Funny Cide’s bid in 2003 when the dual classic winner finished third (beaten also by runner-up Ten Most Wanted). 

6. Rachel Alexandra Toys With the Boys in 2009 Preakness

After winning the Kentucky Oaks by 20 ¼ lengths (that’s not a typo if you are new to this sport), Rachel Alexandra was sold privately to Stonestreet Stables and Harold McCormick. Her previous owner, L and M Partners, had no interest in taking on males, but the new owners purchased Rachel with an eye on the Preakness. After setting a pressured pace, Rachel Alexandra opened up a four-length lead in the stretch and held off Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird by a length to become the first filly to win the Preakness since Nellie Morse in 1924. 

5. Monarchos Money in 2001 Derby

Point Given was the media darling of the 2001 Kentucky Derby, but it was a rapidly improving, steel-gray colt named Monarchos who stole the show. Reserved in 13th early behind the fastest half-mile (:44.86) and six furlongs (1:09.25) in Kentucky Derby history, Monarchos mowed them down in the stretch. He pulled away to win by 4 ¼ lengths in 1:59.97 for 1 ¼ miles, the second-fastest winning time in the history of the race, behind only Secretariat’s 1:59 2/5 during his 1973 Triple Crown run. 

4. Point Given States His Case in 2001 Belmont

Point Given looked like a gift from the Racing Gods, an amazing physical specimen with incredible ability who looked poised to run roughshod over the rest of his crop … until he chased an opening half-mile in :44.86 in the Kentucky Derby and faded to fifth. He made amends with a 2 ¼-length win in the Preakness Stakes, but it was his tour de force Belmont Stakes that confirmed his true ability. Point Given pulled clear by seven lengths in the stretch and rolled to a 12 ¼-length victory en route to Horse of the Year honors. 

3. 2004 Preakness Stretch Belongs to Smarty Jones

I watched the 2004 Preakness Stakes from Delaware Park because I had to cover a high school game for my newspaper that morning, and when Smarty Jones powered to an 11 ½-length romp I actually saw people (not one person, but several) weeping. This local horse was going to become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed — there was no doubt — and people reacted as if they had witnessed a historically great performance on the path to history: a 12th Triple Crown winner. That is, until Birdstone crushed our souls three weeks later at the eighth pole of the Belmont Stakes. 

2. Barbaro Rolls in 2006 Derby

When I think back about the Kentucky Derbys this century, none stands out as much as Barbaro’s runaway 6 ¼-length victory in 2006. It was perfection. After the race, hardened handicappers with nicotine-stained fingers who make their money by being contrarians agreed that a Triple Crown was a mere formality for the unbeaten Derby victor. Barbaro’s tragic breakdown in the Preakness Stakes proved devastating to racing fans across the country. We’ll always wonder what might have been, and his Derby performance is a reminder of his potential greatness. 

1. Afleet Alex’s Preakness-Belmont Combo

This is a stone-cold cheat move, but let’s be honest, you can make a foolproof case for Afleet Alex’s miraculous Preakness recovery as the most incredible performance in the Triple Crown this century, and his Belmont Stakes victory by eight lengths was arguably even more dominant. Consider the Belmont Stakes win included the fastest final quarter-mile since Arts and Letters in 1969 and came three weeks after he was sideswiped at the top of the Preakness stretch, nearly touched his nose to the ground and recovered to win by 4 ¾ lengths.

(Side note: A normally astute handicapper friend and colleague at Thoroughbred Times, my place of employment at the time, spent much of the week trying to find a horse to beat Afleet Alex in the Belmont before landing on Pinpoint. I responded that they could load Afleet Alex backward into the starting gate and he would still win.) 

2005 PREAKNESS

2005 BELMONT STAKES

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