THE CURSE OF THE TRIPLE CROWN?

While the racing world hopes for the best with regard to the fate of Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro, a look back at recent Triple Crown races reveals a disturbing trend. It began with Charismatic, winner of the Derby. This was followed by Fusaichi Pegasus, Point Given, Smarty Jones, Afleet Alex and now Barabaro. Every one of these horses never raced again after their last Triple Crown race. All of them sustained a racing injury, either during a Triple Crown event or after their last Triple Crown race and the public never got the chance to see them race again. All of them were also heavily favored to win a Triple Crown race in at least one of their starts.

While none of the other horses listed above sustained an injury as serious as Barbaro's, it makes one wonder if the winner of a Triple Crown race is doomed to injury if it becomes the betting favorite in or for another Triple Crown event. While some people might think the crueling path to the Triple Crown may take a toll on these young horses, it does not explain what happened to Barbaro since his easy Derby win was after a 5 week hiatus from racing and he avoided most of the Derby prep races. If I were an owner or trainer of a potential Triple Crown race winner, I might think twice about entering my horse given the recent history. Food for thought?

Horse racing carries with it an element of speculation. The goal of winning handicapping is to reduce that speculation to a minimum. Readers are encourged to look back into our previous blogs and consider, based on their content, our book Practical Handicapping which is described in detail in an earlier blog. We will continue to provide free insights into the art and science of handicapping in future blogs. In the meantime,

Good Luck!