Horseracing is a dying sport and much of its fanbase is in danger of dying off in the near future. The Triple Crown is the signature event in horseracing; the Breeders’ Cup races were created to augment interest at a time of the year when the Triple Crown was a faded memory. That sort of worked for a while, but the Triple Crown remains the “heavy hitter” in the sport.
The three races in the Triple Crown have histories that go back more than a century; in fact, the first Triple Crown winner – – Sir Barton – – achieved that feat more than a hundred years ago. And for a long time, the schedule has been fixed:
- Kentucky Derby is the first Saturday in May
- Preakness is two weeks later – – the third Saturday in May
- Belmont Stakes is run three weeks after the Preakness
For myriad reasons, thoroughbreds today do not race nearly as frequently as did thoroughbreds in the past and that two week “recouperation period” between the Darby and the Preakness has become a problem.
- In 2025 and again in 2026, the winner of the Derby skipped the Preakness altogether. No Triple Crown winner was possible.
- In 2025 and again in 2026, the Derby winner did come back to race in the Belmont Stakes and won that race. With no Triple Crown possibilities, the aura around the Belmont Stakes was pretty much – – Meh!
It does not help a dying sport to have its remaining signature event rendered moot. Tony Kornheiser offered a potential solution to this problem on Pardon the Interruption.
- Derby on the first Saturday in May
- Preakness on the first Saturday in June
- Belmont Stakes on July 4th
This is so logical that it will probably be ignored by the movers and shakers who are aboard the sinking ship that is horseracing. I understand that that the tradition of horseracing calls for the Triple Crown to be as it is so that any modern winers can be compared to historical winners. But that is all a façade for doing nothing.
- When the Bellmont Stakes had to be run at Saratoga this year, they ran the race at a mile-and-a-quarter instead of the “historical mile-and-a-half”. Tradition and history were “waived”.
- The Preakness race was a Laurel this year and not Pimlico. Tradition and history were “waived”.
- Memo for the Horseracing Mavens: It’s OK to adapt to new conditions; that is how natural selection works.
Imagine a future situation with Tony Korheiser’s new schedule in place where a horse wins the Derby and then wins the Preakness. Even better, imagine that those were two close races so there is doubt about a Triple Crown winner and interest can build for a month. Then on July 4th with the biggest “sports extravaganza” to offer competition being Joey Chestnut shoveling hot dogs down his gullet, you run the Belmont Stakes. The schedule is expanded meaning more attention is paid over a longer period of time and the final event could dominate the sports landscape.
Hats off to “Mister Tony”. It is such a good idea and such a simple idea that I am ashamed that I did not think of it first.
Moving on … Russell Wilson has retired from the NFL after 14 seasons in the league and he has signed on with CBS Sports to be part of The NFL Today. Presumably, he will replace Matt Ryan on the show since Ryan has gone on to run football operations for the Atlanta Falcons. Wilson has always seemed at ease with a microphone stuck in his face and his demeanor is measured and low key. I think it will be interesting to see how he fits in with the existing panelists on The NFL Today and/or with any other newcomers to the table.
Finally, let me close today with some views about “tradition” that might guide the folks in charge of horseracing:
“Tradition is a guide and not a jailer.” Somerset Maugham
And …
”You can’t allow tradition to get in the way of innovation. There’s a need to respect the past, but it’s a mistake to revere your past.” Bob Iger
And …
“Tradition is the illusion of permanence.” Woody Allen
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………
On the Belmont telecast one of the many talking heads was asked his opinion on rescheduling the Preakness and Belmont. He was dead set against it. He said “the triple crown was meant to be hard.” Therein lies the problem. Out of respect for the tradition, let’s kill the triple crown altogether and pull down what remains of racing, too.