Am I the only one who doesn't want to see a Triple Crown winner this year?

[RhythmNCruise]

For as long as I can remember, I’ve watched the Derby, Preakness, and Belmont with the hope of finally seeing a horse win the elusive Triple Crown. Year after year after year! When it happened last year, it was every bit as wonderful as I’d hoped for all those years. And AP is such a sweet horse that he truly seems to “deserve” his place in history.

It’s strange, but I don’t want to see another horse achieve what AP did. Not yet. Maybe not another 37 year gap, but I’d like for AP to reign as the Triple Crown Champion he is for at least a few more years without having to share the glory with a newly crowned winner.

Anyone else feel like this?

[Maythehorsebewithme]

I do not feel that way. If a horse can do it, more power to him (or her, but that seems unlikely this year.)
Seattle Slew-1977; Affirmed-1978. Enjoyed them both. Do not feel Affirmed’s triple “detracted” from Slew’s.
If you look at history, there were 3 in the 1930’s, max 5 years apart, and 4 in the 1940’s, max 3 years apart.
And 3 in the 1970’s–the two above, and, of course, Secretariat (1973).
I think the long drought between Citation (1948) and Secretariat (1973), and the even longer drought between Affirmed and American Pharoah, has made the triple crown so “special” that some of us feel there has to be a huge gap of time between them.

[RPM]

American Pharoah’s was my fourth Triple Crown. Secretariat’s was my first, and I waited 11 years for it from my first Derby (each race was won by a different horse that year, so no prospect of a Triple Crown after the Preakness).

So I’d like to see another winner this year. But I’m not biting my nails! Americans don’t breed much for classics winners these days.

[vineyridge]

If we have to wait another 37 years, all of American Horse Racing might be dead.

[danceronice]

I’m with maythehorsebewithme, I wouldn’t mind. I literally had to wait a lifetime–I was born four months after Affirmed so until Pharoah I have literally never seen one. I don’t WANT it to be something so staggeringly hard it almost never happens. It didn’t used to be.

[betonbill]

If there is another one this year, at the very least it would put a stop to all the whining about “it’s too hard, it can’t be done.” IMO, it all depends on the number of starters in the Belmont, which I believe contributed heavily to the dearth of triple crown winners for years.

[SportArab]

I’d love to see another.

[beowulf]

i’d love to see another… my family has a few glasses in the house that have every horse that won the TC on them… it doesnt even take up the entire glass. would be nice to see that glass filled before i’m gone

[LaurieB]

I’ve seen the last four. I’d be delighted to see another one this year.

[RHdobes563]

Well, maybe if it’s a filly against the boys.

Or, a gelding…

:winkgrin:

[dressagetraks]

I’m still pulling out my pictures of American Pharoah that I took at Oaklawn last spring.

And revving up for next Saturday, back to Hot Springs for my one annual trip to the races (would go more if time/budget/location allowed). I’ve gone 5 times now. Always knew that some day, I’d finally see the Derby winner there. I’d seen second and third, but not first until last year. And then not only the Derby but the Triple Crown. I was thrilled.

I wouldn’t mind a gap of a few years (not 37!), but it’s not up to what we wish. But I would like to at least see another Derby winner down at Oaklawn and wonder what will happen with those horses I see next week. Maybe it will be one every five years (Derby winners to Oaklawn trips). That’s not a bad ratio.

But if/when there is another TC winner, I hope to get to see him live, too.

[Roxyllsk]

Having seen soooooo many ‘near misses’ over the last 20 years … I don’t think another Triple Crown winner would cheapen AP’s win last year. It’s a very tough thing to do and only the best horses should win it. I don’t like that some people would make the gaps between the races longer - now THAT would make it a lot less glorious. It takes a tough horse to win, and it shouldn’t change.

Anyway, if we get another one this year, I will likely be bawling my eyes out as I watch the cross the Belmont finish line … just like I did last year.

[shiningwizard255]

I wouldn’t mind at all, I’d love to see another one. I’m cautiously allowing myself to get excited for Nyquist’s chances, I think he’s a good horse.

[Lord_Helpus]

It is getting harder to win a TC now. If a top horse does not win the KD, then it is rested and does not run in the Preakness. It can comeback fresher than a TC hopeful, who has just run 2 races in 15 days.

But just imagine where racing would have been without Affirmed/Alydar and Easy Goer/Sunday Silence. Even (poor) Sham kept facing Secretariat until he lost his willingness to win and was retired.

There may be a TC winner, but he will have to beat fresh horses in the Belmont to get it done.

I am old. I long for the days when good horses kept running and meeting other good horses. Now they hide from each other until the KD or the BC.

Geeze – the first Derby I can remember watching was Venetian Way. (Look it up you whippersnappers)

[FatDinah]

Off tangent … I wish they had not had to retire AP. Imagine if we were looking at a year of AP and California Chrome battling it out as older horses climaxing at the Breeders Cup Classic!

[Drvmb1ggl3]

@Lord Helpus;8616746

There may be a TC winner, but he will have to beat fresh horses in the Belmont to get it done.

I’m pretty sure every TC winner beat fresh horses in the Belmont, and often in the Preakness. It’s hardly a new phenomenon.

[danceronice]

[QUOTE=Drvmb1ggl3;8617045]
I’m pretty sure every TC winner beat fresh horses in the Belmont, and often in the Preakness. It’s hardly a new phenomenon.[/QUOTE]

Well, yes, but betonbill had a point about field size–I looked it up last year, and AP and Seattle Slew had the largest Belmont fields of any Triple Crown winners. (IIRC it was Omaha who faced maybe two other horses for the smallest.) Secretariat’s small field was actually dead-on the average when you work out the math. Most may have had new horses (and in Sir Barton’s case IIRC they still ran the Belmont before the Preakness), and a few had races in between the TC races, but the one thing all the TC winners have in common in small Belmont fields, fresh or not. None had to face ten rivals or more.

[Where_sMyWhite]

[QUOTE=FatDinah;8616987]
Off tangent … I wish they had not had to retire AP. Imagine if we were looking at a year of AP and California Chrome battling it out as older horses climaxing at the Breeders Cup Classic![/QUOTE]

You left out Beholder

I’d have loved to see where she stacked up compared to AP… maybe we’ll see her against CC this year…

[betonbill]

Re field size again. Without looking it up, I think that a lot of the “almosts,” Baffert’s two, Smarty Jones, etc., occurred with much larger fields, and/or when they had all of that added money during the 90s. Who knows how many of them would have made it with smaller fields?

But again, that’s why it’s hard. You can’t control stuff like field size, track condition, etc.

[dressagetraks]

And don’t forget, Spectacular Bid, in my opinion the most deserving of the “almosts” and undeniably a great horse, would have made it three in a row had he won the TC. What a freak of timing that would have been.

I’d rather see a few years, but if there is a great horse out there this year who deserves it, bring him on.