In
England, where the term Triple Crown originated with
West Australian's three wins in 1853, it is made up of: • The
2,000 Guineas Stakes, run over 1 mile (1,609 metres) at
Newmarket Racecourse in
Newmarket,
Suffolk •
The Derby, run over 1 mile 4 furlongs and 10 yards (2,423 metres) at
Epsom Downs Racecourse in
Epsom,
Surrey • The
St Leger Stakes, run over 1 mile 6 furlongs and 132 yards (2,937 metres) at
Town Moor in
Doncaster,
Yorkshire Since the 2,000 Guineas was first run in 1809, fifteen horses (including three winners of substitute races at Newmarket during the First World War) have won the English Triple Crown. The most recent – and only winner since World War II – was
Nijinsky, in 1970. For many years, it was considered unlikely that any horse would ever win the English Triple Crown again. In the winter of 2006/2007, however, trainer
Jim Bolger was training his unbeaten colt
Teofilo for the Triple Crown and bookmaker
William Hill plc was offering odds of only 12/1 on Teofilo winning the 2007 Triple Crown. The horse was withdrawn from the 2000 Guineas two days before the race after suffering a setback and never raced again. Since Nijinsky, only
Nashwan (1989),
Sea the Stars (2009) and
Camelot (2012) have won both the Guineas and the Derby. Between
Reference Point in 1987 and
Camelot in 2012, no Derby winner (not even the potential Triple Crown winners Nashwan and Sea the Stars) even entered the St. Leger. This reluctance to compete in the St. Leger is said to be because of the impact it would have on a horse's
stud value in a market where speed is preferred to stamina.
Triple Crown winners For a list of the annual individual race winners, see
English Triple Crown race winners. , an undefeated Triple Crown winner
Triple Crown winners: †Wartime winners Pommern, Gay Crusader and Gainsborough are not counted, according to many judges, as the three races were all held at Newmarket and racing itself was too disrupted. By this reckoning, there were only 12 triple crown winners, and only three in the 20th century.
Failed Triple Crown attempts The following horses won the 2000 Guineas and Derby but were beaten in the St Leger: •
Cotherstone (1843): second to Nutwith •
Pretender (1869): fourth to Pero Gomez •
Shotover (1882): third to
Dutch Oven •
Ayrshire (1888): sixth to
Seabreeze •
Ladas (1894): second to
Throstle •
St. Amant (1904): seventh and last to
Pretty Polly •
Minoru (1909): fourth to
Bayardo •
Manna (1925): tenth to
Solario •
Cameronian (1931): tenth and last to
Sandwich •
Camelot (2012): second to
Encke Additionally: •
Blue Peter won 2000 Guineas and Derby in 1939 but St Leger was cancelled due to World War II.
Fillies Triple Crown There is also a Fillies Triple Crown for a
filly winning the
1,000 Guineas Stakes,
Epsom Oaks and
St. Leger Stakes. In the past, this was not considered a true Triple Crown as the best fillies would often run in the Derby and Two Thousand Guineas. As this is no longer the case, the Fillies' Triple Crown would now be considered as comparable as the original. Winners of the Fillies Triple Crown are: •
Formosa – 1868 (also dead heated in the Two Thousand Guineas) •
Hannah – 1871 •
Apology – 1874 (also won the Ascot Gold Cup) •
La Fleche – 1892 (also won the Ascot Gold Cup) •
Sceptre – 1902 (also won the Two Thousand Guineas) •
Pretty Polly – 1904 •
Sun Chariot – 1942 •
Meld – 1955 consists of the most prestigious long-distance races in the British flat racing season: • The
Ascot Gold Cup, raced over 2m 4f during Royal Ascot, • The
Goodwood Cup, raced over 2m during the Goodwood Festival, • The
Doncaster Cup, raced over 2m 2f during the St Leger Festival. ==United States==