More than one way to win a Triple Crown

Never mind how a horse can lose the Triple Crown. That’s been done to death. Based on the speed, class, and broad-shouldered determination of Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Justify, it will be more entertaining to wonder how he might win the dang thing, and where he will fit in the history of racing’s most treasured achievement if he does.

Clearly, winning three races in a span of five weeks is not as simple as it sounds, and the dozen horses who have done it went through the ordeal with a variety of outcomes.

Way back when – before the series was christened by Charles Hatton – Sir Barton won the Derby and the Preakness in a span of four days, while Gallant Fox began his run with a score by three-quarters in the Preakness, then came back eight days later to win the Kentucky Derby. In both cases, the Belmont was a snap.

Seattle Slew and Omaha, one brilliant the other relentless, allowed the opposition to creep within a couple of lengths in one of the three Triple Crown hurdles, but otherwise they were in worlds of their own.

On other occasions, when the stars align, the Triple Crown is turned into a Derby aria with two crowd-pleasing encores. Secretariat, Citation, Whirlaway, and Count Fleet were so utterly dominant in each of the three events that few even remember the next-best 3-year-old of their generations.

Should Justify go on to win the Belmont and join the Triple Crown gang of 12, he would take his place among a select group of warriors who stared down the spectre of defeat on their way to everlasting fame. His dead-game victory by a half-length in last Saturday’s 143rd running of the Preakness could end up mentioned in the same breath as:

◗ The 1938 Preakness, in which War Admiral beat Pompoon by only a head after handling him by nearly two lengths in the Derby one week earlier. As a result, Pompoon’s people were licking their chops in anticipation of the Belmont. More discerning observers noticed, however, that Charlie Kurtsinger was not asking War Admiral for more than was needed at Pimlico, saving him for the next dance. War Admiral went on to win the Belmont in a three-length waltz, while Pompoon beat one horse.

◗ The 1946 Preakness, in which Assault followed up his eight-length Derby romp with nail-biting neck win over Derby fourth Lord Boswell. The narrow margin was laid by some reporters at the doorstep of Warren Mehrtens, Assault’s jockey, and their nightmare trip during which the colt was bothered after the start and ducked in sharply in the stretch. By comparison, the Belmont was a three-length breeze.

◗ The 1978 Preakness and Belmont, better known as the Agincourt and Donnybrook of modern racing. After a relatively tepid Derby, in which Affirmed handled Alydar by a comfortable 1 1/2 lenghts, the second and third jewels reignited the intensity of the game’s greatest rivalry. The margin at Pimlico was a neck, giving rise to the idea that Alydar had arrived and that the Belmont was his to lose. He lost, by a head.

◗ The 2015 Derby, in which American Pharoah’s courage was tested by Firing Line, from a deep California contingent. After an interrupted training regimen and only two races to prepare, American Pharoah was clearly vulnerable, especially in the face of an inspired opponent. Victor Espinoza had to go to the stick more than he preferred to secure the one-length victory, but once the colt recovered, the rest of the Triple Crown was a stroll in the park.

Those of us who write about horse racing get to ramble through the back pages because the horse and the race have not significantly changed through time. The athletes are no larger or smaller than they were a hundred years ago. They still come from Kentucky, England, Ireland or France, mostly, or at least from there by descent. And the good ones make themselves known by running farther faster than the rest.

To have tolerated the leaden pounding from the tightly sealed tracks in Louisville and Baltimore with such success suggests Justify is a remarkably sturdy Thoroughbred. And yet, nothing that has happened before tells us what will happen next. Such is the beauty of the Triple Crown challenge – each racehorse is his own mystery of condition and recovery, of bravery and grace.

Big colts like Justify often seem to exist in their own dimension, oblivious to other animals, tolerant of mere men. Big red colts like Justify, sporting just the right amount of white, inspire poetry and song, and the Triple Crown is the perfect stage for the exhibition of their peculiar art. If Justify comes through in the Belmont Stakes and wins the Triple Crown, the only regret will be that Bill Nack, who died last month, is not around to rejoice in the moment, as he did when describing the thrill of Secretariat’s Belmont Stakes, 45 years ago this June.

“He is running now as if in contempt of the clock,” Nack wrote as Secretariat rolled. “Those watching him begin to comprehend the magnitude of the effort. He is moving beyond the standard by which the running horse has been traditionally judged, not tiring, not leg weary, not backing up a stroke, dimensionless in scope … ”

It’s a high bar, true enough. And now it’s time to belly up.