Time to put a new slant on an outdated Triple Crown
The Triple Crown of the 2,000 Guineas, Derby and St Ledger is dead – it's time to establish a new benchmark of achievement
Sea The Stars on his way to victory in the Derby. Photograph: John Gichigi/Getty Images
Mick Kinane had barely pulled up Sea The Stars after the Derby on Saturday before the thoughts of some racegoers turned to the Triple Crown. It was inevitable, of course, not least in a week that saw the passing of Vincent O'Brien, the last trainer to saddle a Triple Crown winner back in 1970.
But it was, in its way, rather depressing too, because even in a sport that is as bound up with heritage and tradition as racing, there should come a time when you simply let go.
It is not that there is anything wrong with the concept of a Triple Crown – far from it. It is precisely the kind of straightforward concept that the general sporting public enjoys. The Triple Crown of the 2,000 Guineas, Derby and St Leger is dead, not simply as a result of "fashion", as traditionalists like to insist, but for a whole host of irreversible reasons, both practical and commercial.
Triple Crown winners have always been a rarity, even in the distant past when it really mattered, but the problem these days is that it is not simply all but unwinnable, due to the lack of suitably bred horses, it is not worth winning either. As far as the bloodstock markets are concerned, Leger winner equals plodder, no matter what it has done before, and after 30 years, it is daft to dismiss this as just a passing fad.
The brutal truth is that if Sea The Stars actually lined up for the Leger in September, an excusable, non-staying defeat would probably do less damage to his value as a stallion prospect than outright victory. And that is before you consider what the experience might do to him both physically and mentally when much more valuable alternatives like the Arc and Breeders' Cup are just a few weeks away.
The result of this inevitable trend, though, is that a very useful concept in terms of marketing racing to the masses is slipping from the sporting public's consciousness. The idea remains a potent one in America – despite a wait for a winner that has now reached a record 32 years – and there is no reason to think it could not be meaningful in Britain again too, given enough of a marketing push.
But it will never happen if the Leger is involved. Sad, perhaps, but true. So what are the alternatives if the sport wants to establish a new benchmark of achievement for a (relatively) new millennium?
To be a true measure of versatility as well as talent, a three-race series would need to be staged over three different distances. That rules out the King George at Ascot as stage three after the Guineas and Derby, and means that a 10-furlong event is the only viable option.
And, since a 10-furlong Grade One victory increases a Derby winner's marketability no end, this is ideal anyway. There are three obvious candidates in the Eclipse Stakes, which has a rich history in its own right, the International at York and, to acknowledge the fact that racing is an international business these days, the Irish Champion Stakes, which is run around the same time as the Leger.
All three are all-aged races, which runs against the idea of a series restricted to three-year-olds, but you can't have everything. Completing a new-model Triple Crown against older horses would also add to the sense of achievement.
The Eclipse is probably the most credible choice, if only in terms of its timing with regard to Epsom. A Guineas-Derby-Eclipse Triple Crown even has a recent "winner" in Nashwan. One thing is certain, though. The old Triple Crown is defunct, and racing needs to let go and move on.
The Triple Crown of the 2,000 Guineas, Derby and St Ledger is dead – it's time to establish a new benchmark of achievement
Sea The Stars on his way to victory in the Derby. Photograph: John Gichigi/Getty Images
Mick Kinane had barely pulled up Sea The Stars after the Derby on Saturday before the thoughts of some racegoers turned to the Triple Crown. It was inevitable, of course, not least in a week that saw the passing of Vincent O'Brien, the last trainer to saddle a Triple Crown winner back in 1970.
But it was, in its way, rather depressing too, because even in a sport that is as bound up with heritage and tradition as racing, there should come a time when you simply let go.
It is not that there is anything wrong with the concept of a Triple Crown – far from it. It is precisely the kind of straightforward concept that the general sporting public enjoys. The Triple Crown of the 2,000 Guineas, Derby and St Leger is dead, not simply as a result of "fashion", as traditionalists like to insist, but for a whole host of irreversible reasons, both practical and commercial.
Triple Crown winners have always been a rarity, even in the distant past when it really mattered, but the problem these days is that it is not simply all but unwinnable, due to the lack of suitably bred horses, it is not worth winning either. As far as the bloodstock markets are concerned, Leger winner equals plodder, no matter what it has done before, and after 30 years, it is daft to dismiss this as just a passing fad.
The brutal truth is that if Sea The Stars actually lined up for the Leger in September, an excusable, non-staying defeat would probably do less damage to his value as a stallion prospect than outright victory. And that is before you consider what the experience might do to him both physically and mentally when much more valuable alternatives like the Arc and Breeders' Cup are just a few weeks away.
The result of this inevitable trend, though, is that a very useful concept in terms of marketing racing to the masses is slipping from the sporting public's consciousness. The idea remains a potent one in America – despite a wait for a winner that has now reached a record 32 years – and there is no reason to think it could not be meaningful in Britain again too, given enough of a marketing push.
But it will never happen if the Leger is involved. Sad, perhaps, but true. So what are the alternatives if the sport wants to establish a new benchmark of achievement for a (relatively) new millennium?
To be a true measure of versatility as well as talent, a three-race series would need to be staged over three different distances. That rules out the King George at Ascot as stage three after the Guineas and Derby, and means that a 10-furlong event is the only viable option.
And, since a 10-furlong Grade One victory increases a Derby winner's marketability no end, this is ideal anyway. There are three obvious candidates in the Eclipse Stakes, which has a rich history in its own right, the International at York and, to acknowledge the fact that racing is an international business these days, the Irish Champion Stakes, which is run around the same time as the Leger.
All three are all-aged races, which runs against the idea of a series restricted to three-year-olds, but you can't have everything. Completing a new-model Triple Crown against older horses would also add to the sense of achievement.
The Eclipse is probably the most credible choice, if only in terms of its timing with regard to Epsom. A Guineas-Derby-Eclipse Triple Crown even has a recent "winner" in Nashwan. One thing is certain, though. The old Triple Crown is defunct, and racing needs to let go and move on.
