Horse racing sits in a formative position in the history of American sporting history, standing alongside boxing and baseball as games to swirl across the country's psyche over the past two or so centuries.
And although the competition has grown increasingly obsolete in the years since its pomp, for a single month, it returns to the fore, drawing legions of onlookers to its concourses for the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes — the three legs of the Triple Crown.
Few achievements can match that of horse-racing's ultimate trifecta, both in stature and rarity. Just 13 horses have accomplished the feat, with only two of them happening in the 21st century.
Triple Crowns don't come around often. So, when they do happen, they have to be cherished, honored and understood within the context of the era that housed them.
With that, The Sporting News details the steeds who have nabbed victories at the Run of the Roses,
Triple Crown winners all time
| Year | Horse | Jockey |
| 2018 | Justify | Mike Smith |
| 2015 | American Pharoah | Victor Espinoza |
| 1978 | Affirmed | Steve Cauthen |
| 1977 | Seattle Slew | Jean Cruguet |
| 1973 | Secretariat | Ron Turcotte |
| 1948 | Citation | Eddie Arcaro |
| 1946 | Assault | Warren Mehrtens |
| 1943 | Count Fleet | Johnny Longden |
| 1941 | Whirlaway | Eddie Arcaro |
| 1937 | War Admiral | Charles Kurtsinger |
| 1935 | Omaha | Willie "Smokey" Saunders |
| 1930 | Gallant Fox | Earl Sande |
| 1919 | Sir Barton | Johnny Loftus |
Who was the last horse to win Triple Crown?
Justify was the last horse to earn the title of Triple Crown winner, racing to victory at the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes back in 2018. The chestnut Stallion initially made history at the Run for the Roses after becoming the first horse since 1882 to win the Derby despite not participating in races as a two-year old. He nabbed horse-racing's most iconic amulet in style, outgunning his competition en route to a 2 1/2 length margin of victory during a muddy day at Churchill Downs.
Trained by legendary tactician Bob Baffert, Justify carried his success into Pimlico. Despite facing tough competition from Good Magic and, in the race's final moments, Bravazo, it was Justify who held firm, outlasting second-place Bravazo to claim the second-leg of the storied trifecta and give himself a chance at history.
Justify's final act proved far calmer. He sprang out the starter's gate like a bullet, trotting beyond his adversaries — and history — en route to a historic Triple Crown. With his achievement, Justify became the second undefeated Triple Crown champion.
Plenty of rumors have swirled in the years since regarding the legitimacy of Justify's victory, particularly after it was revealed that he had tested positive for scopolamine, an anti-nausea medication said to have potential performance-enhancing effects in horses following the running of the Santa Anita Derby — a race he won — back in April 2018. Without that victory, Justify wouldn't have been granted the opportunity to run at the Kentucky Derby.
Nevertheless, after years of litigation — including a Nov. 2023 court order that ruled Justify should be forced to relinquish his Kentucky Derby title on account of the positive drug test — Churchill Downs officials indicated that they had no plans to rescind Justify's Triple Crown accomplishment.
“We’re not currently planning to comment on the topic,” Churchill Downs Inc. vice president Tonya Abeln said, according to Horse Racing Nation. “There are new rules and requirements in place since 2018 to prevent a scenario like this in the future, which is the important thing, so we don’t plan to revisit history in terms of the Kentucky Derby winner.”
