The Triple Crown series, which captivated racing fans and provided the sport with some of its most electric moments since the series was first swept by Sir Barton in 1919, passed away Monday. It was 107.
The cause of its death was a new series of races announced by the New York Racing Association and Churchill Downs. The six-race series, called the “Thoroughbred Championship Series,” will begin with the GI Kentucky Derby and conclude with a championship race at Churchill in September. Many details have yet to be released, but knowing Churchill and NYRA, the purses for each race will be huge and the series will include a $5-million prize pool that will be awarded based on the final standings.
The Triple Crown will continue to exist, but its relevance will wither to the point where the series will be so overshadowed by the NYRA-Churchill series that it is hard to imagine that it will remain an important part of racing. The reason: the GI Preakness was not included in the Thoroughbred Championship Series.
The Preakness was already in trouble. Three of the last six Kentucky Derby winners passed the race, a list that includes the last two winners in Sovereignty (Into Mischief) and Golden Tempo (Curlin). That trend figured to continue as the modern trainer is very reluctant to run a horse back in two weeks. By passing the Preakness, trainers Bill Mott (Sovereignty) and Cherie DeVaux (Golden Tempo) made it clear that winning the Triple Crown was not that important to them. In the 2026 Preakness, only three horses that ran in the Derby returned for the Preakness.
The obvious solution was to move the date of both the Preakness and the GI Belmont Stakes so that there was enough time between the races that trainers would be more comfortable with the timing. But NYRA never showed any willingness to push back the date of the Belmont, which left the Preakness stuck where it was.
With the advent of the Thoroughbred Championship Series, there is less incentive than ever to run in the Preakness. Trainers who participate in the Kentucky Derby are sure to focus on the new series and all that it offers–huge purse dollars, that bonus pool, and a schedule where the races are spread far enough apart that a trainer can reasonably point for four or more of the races. They will go from the Derby to the Belmont and then look at the GIII Matt Winn Stakes, the GII Jim Dandy Stakes, the GI DK Travers Stakes, and then the championship race that will be the conclusion of the series.
Maryland racing officials have said that they will have an announcement on Wednesday regarding the future of the Preakness. But what can they do? Moving the race to three weeks after the Derby wouldn’t have any impact at all. Another possibility is to move the Preakness to July and make it the third leg of the Triple Crown. That’s probably their best move. But Churchill and NYRA have already announced that the Matt Winn will be moved from June to July. Will trainers of top 3-year-olds chose the Preakness or stick with the Churchill-NYRA series? That will be a tough call, but my money is on the Matt Winn, which will no doubt see a substantial purse increase.
Golden Tempo wins the Belmont Stakes | Sarah Andrew
You have to feel bad for the new Maryland Jockey Club and the state of Maryland, which has doubled down on its efforts to revitalize racing in the state. Pimlico, which was a wreck, is being rebuilt and the state paid The Stronach Group $48.5 million for Laurel in order to turn it into a training center.
But, in hindsight, Maryland Governor Wes Moore blundered when he authorized the state to pay $85 million to acquire the intellectual property rights to the Preakness. Not only did the state pay $85 million for the rights to a race that is likely to become less relevant, but it wrestled those rights away from Churchill Downs after Churchill had originally entered into an agreement with the Stronach Group to pay the same $85 million for the intellectual property rights. Had Churchill held on to those rights it would not have wanted to weaken the Preakness and likely would not have participated in any series of races that would have done so.
The new series is also bad news for the GI Haskell Stakes and the GI Pennsylvania Derby, two races that are now important stops on the way to the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic for 3-year-old colts. The Haskell will now be competing with a revitalized and likely an enriched, Jim Dandy and the Pennsylvania Derby will be going up against the championship race that will be the conclusion of the new series. Both will surely be left behind.
Though the Triple Crown was, for decades, the most successful series in the sport and its 13 winners will remain immortals, maybe the inevitable shift away from the Triple Crown and to the Thoroughbred Championship Series is not such a bad thing. With two straight Derby winners passing the Preakness, the Triple Crown was quickly losing its importance. And there was nothing that was going to change that as long as the Preakness was run two weeks after the Derby. The Preakness will still attract crowds and be a big day for Maryland racing, but it had become the weak link in the Triple Crown and was bringing down the entire series.
Sports need to evolve, especially horse racing, which is not known to make bold or consequential moves. Controversial and outspoken owner Mike Repole nailed it when he tweeted: “I applaud @ChurchillDowns and @TheNYRA for working together in the best interests of the sport and for recognizing that evolution requires innovation, real change and the courage to do things differently. NBC and FOX working together to broadcast this series is another great example of exactly what this industry needs: major organizations putting competition aside, breaking down silos and collaborating to create something bigger, better and more exciting for the entire sport.”
Next year will usher in a new era for the sport and its marquee division for 3-year-old males. We’ll have to see what happens with the Triple Crown and how the Maryland Jockey Club tries to maneuver through a difficult situation. But it’s hard to see how the Triple Crown series stays relevant.
Thanks for the memories.
