Street Sense Might End the "Triple Crown" Drought

BALTIMORE — The time was when horses that were great at 2 were greater at 3. The time was when the 2-year-old champion not only won the Kentucky Derby, he also won the Triple Crown.

History tells us this. Before there was the Juvenile Jinx, there was Juvenile Domination. Horse racing saw that often in the 1970s.

That was the decade when six horses who won the 2-year-old championship returned powerfully the next spring and also won the Derby. Four runners added the Preakness to their resumes.

Three -- Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977) and Affirmed (1978) -- proceeded to flash to the Triple Crown. Being a 2-year-old champ who also won the Derby was significant stuff. I begin with a history lesson because these days a Triple Crown winner seems as outlandish as 39-cent-per-gallon gasoline. The current drought is racing's longest.

Visit the Courier-Journal Newspaper for the rest of the story by Rick Bozich.
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