Triple Crown Betting Guide

The Triple Crown is the most prestigious racing series that takes place in the United States. It consists of the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes, all of which are Grade 1 events offering large purse amounts.

Triple Crown Event Details

The races take place between the beginning of May and June, opening up with the Derby and closing out with the Belmont Stakes. They test the sport’s best 3-year-old thoroughbreds, and only 13 horses have become Triple Crown winners throughout its entire history. In order to be awarded Triple Crown champion, a horse must win all three races the same year.

The field for the Kentucky Derby, which is the first leg of the Triple Crown, is determined through various lead-up races in the months prior to the big event. Each of these races offers qualifying Derby points on different scales, enabling the horses to earn points and move up a leaderboard. 

Triple Crown Predictions

This year’s Triple Crown contenders are already battling it out on the 2021 Road to the Kentucky Derby. The winner of that race is then the only runner capable of being crowned Triple Crown champion. 

As of right now, there are many top names on the leaderboard, including Hot Rod Charlie, Midnight Bourbon, Greatest Honour, Life Is Good, Mandaloun, Concert Tour, Essential Quality, Proxy, and more. These have been some of the top runners during the 2021 campaign, and they will continue to play prominent roles going into the Triple Crown series. 

Triple Crown Event History

The three races of the Triple Crown were inaugurated in different years, with the Kentucky Derby being last in 1875. The winner of the Triple Crown is awarded the Triple Crown trophy, which was commissioned in 1950.

While the events are traditionally scheduled to run between May and early June, there have been alterations throughout its history. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 caused the Kentucky Derby to be moved from May 2 to September 5, the Preakness Stakes from May 16 to October 3, and the Belmont Stakes from June 6 to June 20. 

Sir Barton was the first racehorse to win all three Triple Crown events in 1919, but at that time, the term “Triple Crown” was not yet used. It wasn’t until 1930 that the term was commonly applied following Gallant Fox’s victories in all three races. 

There has only been a total of 13 Triple Crown champions throughout its entire history, which include: Sir Barton (1919), Gallant Fox (1930), Omaha (1935), War Admiral (1937), Whrlaway (1941), Count Fleet (1943), Assault (1946), Citation (1948), Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977), Affirmed (1978), American Pharoah (2015), and most recently Justify (2018). 

The stakes record time for all three of the races is held by Secretariat, who is considered the most outstanding Triple Crown contender in history. He finished the 1973 Belmont Stakes in 2:24 to set a world record that still holds today. 

How to Bet on the Triple Crown

The first step to betting on the Triple Crown is to follow the top horse races months in advance of the Kentucky Derby or the first leg of the event. Many of the Triple Crown favorites and leading contenders will make their names on this trail, which includes races like the Louisiana Derby, Florida Derby, Arkansas Derby, Wood Memorial Stakes, Blue Grass Stakes, Santa Anita Derby, and Rebel Stakes. 

It is crucial to study the race forms of these events and pay attention to the top names, as good prep racing is required for a spot in the starting gate of the Derby. There is also a critical difference in distance when it comes to the races, which can affect the runners. Entrants for the Belmont Stakes should race well at the 1 1/2-mile distance, while the Kentucky Derby covers 1 1/4 miles and the Preakness 1 3/16 miles.

When it comes time to place wagers on the races, you need to select an online betting platform. Some of the top online platforms for Triple Crown betting include TVG, TwinSpires, and BetAmerica. Twinspires, which has been one of the most trustworthy betting platforms for years, is the official betting partner of the Kentucky Derby.

Leading up to the Triple Crown series, it is also important to pay attention to the top trainers. The same trainers often appear in the Triple Crown races year-after-year, and their runners are almost always in an excellent position to win. 

Some of the top names in 2021 include Bob Baffert, Brad Cox, Steve Asmussen, Doug O'Neill, Shug McGaughey, and Michael Stidham. Any runner coming from one of these stables is already at an advantage. In the situation that one of these runners is defeated in a big prep race, you should immediately start to pay attention to the victor.