What is the Triple Crown? Kentucky Derby kicks off horse racing's most prized feat

John Leuzzi, USA TODAY NETWORK

Horse racing is one of the most decorated sports in the American sports calendar, and the Kentucky Derby plays a big part in that.

Celebrating its 150th running this weekend, the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs also kicks off the highly anticipated Triple Crown watch for the horse racing season, as 3-year-old horses and their jockeys look to join an elite class in the sport.

Winning the Kentucky Derby is a feat on its own, but winning the Triple Crown is an even bigger one, as it is widely considered by enthusiasts and historians as the "most difficult accomplishment in horse racing." That's because it needs not only a win in the Kentucky Derby, but also in the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes.

Potential Triple Crown favorites to watch for on Saturday in the Kentucky Derby include Fierceness, Sierra Leone, Catching Freedom, Forever Young and Just a Touch.

Here's what you need to know about the Triple Crown leading into the 2024 Kentucky Derby:

What is the Triple Crown?

As noted by the Kentucky Derby website, the Triple Crown is a series of three major horse races that take place in May and early June for 3-year-old horses. The first of the three races is the Kentucky Derby, followed by the Preakness Stakes and then the Belmont Stakes. Only 13 horses in the history of the sport have won the Triple Crown, something that is considered by many to be the hardest feat to accomplish in all of sports.

The term was in use among horse racing circles dating back to at least 1923. It became more commonly used in 1930, when Gallant Fox became just the second horse ever to win each of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes — races that began in 1875, 1873 and 1867, respectively.

Where are the Triple Crown races?

  • Kentucky Derby: Churchill Downs (1 1/4 miles)

  • Preakness Stakes: Pimlico Race Course (1 3/16 miles)

  • Belmont Stakes: Belmont Park* (1 1/2 miles)

* Belmont Stakes in 2024 will be held at Saratoga Race Course

The three Triple Crown races are held at Churchill Downs in Louisville (Kentucky Derby); Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore (Preakness Stakes); and, in a typical year, Belmont Park in Elmont, New York (Belmont Stakes).

However, the 2024 Belmont Stakes will be held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York, due to construction at Belmont Park.

Last horse to win Triple Crown

The last horse to win the Triple Crown was Justify in 2018. Justify was trained by Bob Baffert, the same horse trainer who is currently suspended from Churchill Downs after Medina Spirit tested positive for a banned substance.

Medina Spirit wasn't the first horse trained by Baffert to fail a drug test, as Justify tested positive for scopolamine after winning the Santa Anita Derby in 2018 — the race that qualified Justify for the Kentucky Derby, eventually paving the way for him to win the Triple Crown. As noted by The New York Times, who broke the story, the California Horse Racing Board "dismissed" the case after Justify won the Triple Crown.

As a result, Justify did not have the Triple Crown stripped. Here are some highlights of Justify's Triple Crown run in 2018 from NBC:

How many horses have won the Triple Crown?

Thirteen horses have won the Triple Crown. The first was Sir Barton, in 1919. The most recent was Justify, in 2018, nearly 100 years later.

Since Sir Barton's win in 1919, the longest the sport has gone without seeing a Triple Crown winner was 37 years, between 1978 winner Affirmed and 2015 winner American Pharoah. The second-longest drought was 25 years, between 1948 winner Citation and 1973 winner Secretariat.

Here's a full list of Triple Crown winners:

  • Sir Barton (1919)

  • Gallant Fox (1930)

  • Omaha (1935)

  • War Admiral (1937)

  • Whirlaway (1941)

  • Count Fleet (1943)

  • Assault (1946)

  • Citation (1948)

  • Secretariat (1973)

  • Seattle Slew (1977)

  • Affirmed (1978)

  • American Pharoah (2015)

  • Justify (2018)

When is the Kentucky Derby in 2024?

  • Date: Saturday, May 4

  • Location: Churchill Downs (Louisville)

The Kentucky Derby, the first leg of the Triple Crown races, will run on Saturday, May 4 at Churchill Downs in Louisville. It is the "youngest" of the three Triple Crown races, beginning in 1875 — two years after the Preakness Stakes and eight years after the Belmont Stakes.

When are the Preakness Stakes in 2024?

  • Date: Saturday, May 18

  • Location: Pimlico Race Course (Baltimore)

The 2024 Preakness Stakes will take place on Saturday, May 18 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. It is the second oldest of the three races that make up the Triple Crown, only behind the Belmont Stakes. The first Preakness Stakes took place in 1873, two years before the first Kentucky Derby.

When are the Belmont Stakes in 2024?

  • Date: Saturday, June 8

  • Location: Saratoga Race Course (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.)

The 2024 Belmont Stakes will take place on Saturday, June 8 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is the oldest of the three races that make up the Triple Crown, with the first Belmont Stakes taking place in 1867.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: What is the Triple Crown? History, past winners, more leading into 2024 Kentucky Derby

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