The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing is comprised of three races – the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes – for three-year-old thoroughbred horses.

Winning all three races is an incredibly difficult task and considered to be the greatest accomplishment a thoroughbred racehorse can achieve. It has been especially difficult to accomplish in recent years, with the last Triple Crown champion, Affirmed, winning in 1978.

Only 11 horses have ever won the Triple Crown, with Secretariat being the most famous. Secretariat swept the Derby, Preakness and Belmont in 1973 and recorded the largest margin of victory in the history of American Grade 1 stakes races, with a 31-length victory.

Fifty horses have managed to capture two out of three races, and several have come close to winning the Triple Crown in the past few years. Big Brown won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in 2008 but was pulled up in the home stretch because of a cracked hoof he suffered earlier that week.

Triple Crown betting is some of the most exciting action in the entire wagering industry. The Kentucky Derby – the first race of the Triple Crown – often brings out droves of celebrities looking to bet on horses.

Past Triple Crown winners:

1919 – Sir Barton

1930 – Gallant Fox

1935 – Omaha

1937 – War Admiral

1941 – Whirlaway

1943 – Count Fleet

1946 – Assault

1948 – Citation

1973 – Secretariat

1977 – Seattle Slew

1978 – Affirmed