Enough Already. It’s Time to Fix the Triple Crown

[Wandering Eyes]

It was hardly a surprise when Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott announced Tuesday that GI Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief) would not be running in the GI Preaknes Stakes. and would instead point for the GI Belmont Stakes. No matter how prestigious the race is, no matter how special the Triple Crown has historically been, the modern-day trainer cringes at the thought of running their horses back in two weeks. They just don't want to do it. Bill Mott, as meticulous and patient as he is, certainly is in that camp.

Sovereignty will become the fourth Kentucky Derby winner to pass the Preakness since 2019. The others are Mott's County House (Lookin At Lucky), Mandaloun (Into Mischief) and Rich Strike (Keen Ice).

Losing those horses was bad for the sport, but none of them were considered major stars or candidates to sweep the Triple Crown. That's not the case with Sovereignty. He's an outstanding horse and is trained by one of the best in the business. He would have been a heavy favorite in the Preakness and a good bet to win that race and then come back three weeks later and win it all in the Belmont. This one really stings.

Yes, the Triple Crown is broken. But not beyond repair.

The solution, as it has been for years now, is obvious. There needs to be more spacing between the races and that doesn't mean just moving the Preakness back a week. The Kentucky Derby should be run on the first Saturday in May, the Preakness on the first Saturday in June and the Belmont on the first Saturday in July. That would mean at least four weeks between each race. In an era where trainers usually want about six weeks between races, even that is not ideal, but it's better than what we have now. Would Mott have elected to run in the Preakness if the race were held on Saturday, June 7? That's five weeks after the Derby. So, the answer is probably “yes.”

The purist say don't do it. It's all about the tradition and that the Triple Crown is meant to be hard to win. But what good is tradition when the Preakness has become such a weak link that it is dragging the entire Triple Crown series down with it? Who's going to run in this year's Preakness? So far, not one Grade I winner or horse that performed well in the Derby has committed to the race. If Derby runner-up Journalism (Curlin) doesn't run the favorite may be GII Wood Memorial winner Rodriguez (Authentic).

The three tracks need to gather in a room somewhere and not leave until they solve this problem. And it needs to be solved now, not 10 years from now.

The Kentucky Derby, obviously, is fine. When The Stronach Group still owned Pimlico, it lobbied to have the Preakness moved. But that would take cooperation from NYRA, which, at the time, wouldn't budge. If they don't move the Belmont, the Preakness can't move. It will stay stuck right where it is.

On the one hand, horses passing the Preakness for the Belmont is good for NYRA. It looks like the Belmont will once again come up strong and could feature the first three finishers in the Derby. But NYRA is going to pay the price, as well. If the Derby winner rarely runs in the Preakness that will mean NYRA will be missing out on the chance of a horse coming into New York that is going for the Triple Crown. Sovereignty vs. Journalism vs. Baeza (McKinzie) would be a terrific race, but it will pale in comparison to those Belmonts where a horse is going for the Triple Crown with 90,000 people packing the place, which is what happened when Justify (Scat Daddy) went for the Triple Crown in 2018. There's nothing else like it and as things stand now, we may not see it again for a long time.

Moving the Belmont to the first Saturday in July would have an impact on the top summer races for 3-year-olds. It would mean trouble for the Haskell Stakes. at Monmouth, but when it comes to NYRA, the GI Travers would be fine. It will be run on Aug. 23 this year, plenty of time for the Belmont starters and the other Triple Crown horses to regroup and converge on Saratoga, that is if the Belmont were held on July 5, which is the first Saturday in July this year.

None of this can happen without NYRA doing what is the best thing for horse racing, and maybe even the best thing for the Belmont, and agreeing to change the date of the Belmont. The new owners of Pimlico, the new Maryland Jockey Club, could then move the date of the Preakness.

It's not healthy for the sport when its best horses run so infrequently and trainers will pass an historic race like the Preakness because it doesn't fit neatly into their schedule. But that's the way it is and nothing imminent is going to change that.

You can't blame Mott or the owner, Godolphin. They are doing what they believe is the best thing for Sovereignty and that is to wait for the Belmont. It's not their responsibility to “save” the Triple Crown.

This is a dysfunctional sport where everyone looks out for their own best interests first and what's best for the game second. There are a lot of problems where there are no obvious solutions. But this is not one of them.

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