INSCMagazine: Get Social!

Just 3 short years ago we had our first Triple Crown winner in 37 years and now we are looking at a 2nd winner in 3 years. American Pharoah took us on a magical run during his 5-week triple crown run. Which also became the first horse to win the Grand Slam of Horse Racing (Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Belmont Stakes and Breeders Cup). He gave the sport what it needed which was a shot in the arm. Now we are here and Justify has won the first 2 legs of the Triple Crown and on June 9th he will attempt to be lucky number 13 when he takes his talents to NY for the Belmont Stakes. Justify has also done something historic and that is win the Kentucky Derby without ever running as a 2-year-old last time that was done was 1882 by a horse named Apollo.

Now the last time horse racing had multiple winners in a short period of time was during the 70s by a couple of horses you may have heard of. Secretariat, Seattle Slew, and Affirmed all won the triple crown within a 5-year span and Seattle Slew and Affirmed won back to back Triple Crowns. Prior to Secretariat in 1973 it had been 25 years since a horse won the Triple Crown.  When Affirmed won some people around the sport said that the Triple Crown might be watered down and too easy to achieve. I will disagree with this statement as I have been studying this sport since I was 3. The thing with horse racing is it comes in 3-year cycles because remember a horse doesn’t run in the major races till they are 3.

Overall if/when Justify wins the Triple Crown I believe it will give the sport a big boost, especially nowadays with the advent of social media.  Horse racing is sometimes called the Sport of Kings and with yet another Triple Crown winner could return to its pedestal and being back on top. It means a lot to the owners of the horse in terms of money because of the fee for stud would go up if its a Triple Crown winner. So much so that the owners of Justify (WinStar Farms) who also own one of Justify’s main competitors Audible is not running due to the chance of beating Jusitfy.

 

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