In less than 24 hours, the 142nd Run for the
Roses gets underway at Churchill Downs. One year after American Pharoah ended
the sport’s 37-year drought without a Triple Crown winner, the field of 20 is
set for the first leg of horse racing’s marquee month. There are always debates
in major sports about historic teams of today against historic teams of
yesterday. This year the popular debate was the Golden State Warriors against
the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls after the Warriors finished 73-9 to break Chicago’s
record of most wins in a single season by one game. So with another Kentucky
Derby having arrived, and considering we’re one year removed from history in
the sport, it seems like a good time to look back. Here is my own field of the
best 10 horses in since 2000.
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| David Quinn/Associated Press Victor Espinoza aboard American Pharoah. |
*The years each horse ran in the Triple Crown races are
listed in parentheses.
1
American Pharoah (2015): Duh
2
California Chrome (2014): It looked like this
was the horse that was going to end the drought after winning the Kentucky
Derby comfortably and holding on in the Preakness after Ride on Curlin made a
late charge. But it wasn’t to be at the Belmont after California Chrome ran out
of gas and finished in fourth place.
3
I’ll Have Another (2012): This horse had perhaps
one of the more exciting bids to win the Triple Crown narrowly edging out
Bodemeister in both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness and coming from behind
to do so at Pimlico. However, I’ll Have Another was scratched from the Belmont
with tendonitis a day before the race.
4
Rachel Alexandra (2009): The 2009 horse of the
year won the Kentucky Oaks and took down Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird
at the Preakness. Ironically, her normal jockey Calvin Borel rode Mine That
Bird in the Kentucky Derby. She was the first filly to win the Preakness in 85
years.
5
Big Brown (2008): He captured the first two
jewels of the Triple Crown with relative ease, winning the Kentucky Derby and
the Preakness convincingly. However, Big Brown made history no one wants to
make at Belmont Park becoming the first Triple Crown hopeful to fail to finish
the Belmont Stakes. Following the race, a picture showed a dislodged shoe on
his right hind leg that could have resulted in Big Brown being eased.
6
Barbaro (2006): The Philadelphia-area horse
claimed the Kentucky Derby going away, winning by seven lengths. However, a
false start two weeks later at the Preakness resulted in a severe injury to
Barbaro’s right hind leg and in January of 2007 Barbaro was eventually
euthanized.
7
Afleet Alex (2005): After a monumental upset in
the Kentucky Derby saw 50-to-1 longshot Giacomo come out on top, Afleet Alex
rallied to win the final two legs and had a huge comeback on the final turn at
the Belmont. Jockey Jeremy Rose’s only two triple crown race wins came aboard
Alfeet Alex.
8
Smarty Jones (2004): This Kennett Square-bred horse
looked like he would be the one to end the drought. He made a late move on Lion
Heart to grab the Kentucky Derby and smashed the field at the Preakness. He was
the first horse since Seattle Slew to enter the Belmont Stakes undefeated. Then
Birdstone stole the Belmont Stakes and the wait for a Triple Crown winner continued.
9
Funny Cide (2003): No horse has finished with a
faster time at the Kentucky Derby since Funny Cide’s 2:01.19 thirteen years
ago. He would claim the Preakness as well before finishing third on a muddy
Belmont Park track.
10
War Emblem (2002): The field starts and finishes
with a Bob Baffert-Victor Espinoza trainer-jockey combination. The two ended
the Triple Crown drought last year but got two-thirds of the way there 14 years
ago with War Emblem. However, War Emblem finished a disappointing eighth at
Belmont Park as Sarava at a stunning 70-to-1 took the final leg.
Now go debate who would win this race.
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