HANDICAP TRIPLE CROWN

What do the names Whisk Broom II, Tom Fool, Kelso, and Fit to Fight have in common?

If you answered "They are all Triple Crown winners" then you are correct.

What's that? They aren't Triple Crown winners? Oh excuse me, I should have said Handicap Triple Crown winners.

I apologize if you are confused, I will explain.

The Handicap Triple Crown was a series of three races that had become connected as a series, just like the current Triple Crown. The biggest difference was the fact that the series was for older horses.

The Metropolitan, Suburban, and Brooklyn Handicaps were once the cream of the top older horse races in the country. Win one and you were respected. Win two and you were considered a very good horse. Win all three and you would most likely go down in history.

Although the three races still exist, they are not what they once were. The Metropolitan Handicap has remained unchanged over the years, even retaining its grade I status, but the Suburban and the Brooklyn have undergone major changes. Both of them have gone from grade I to grade II, and neither of them draw the best older males any more. The Suburban Handicap, which had long been a mile and a quarter in distance, was shortened to nine furlongs this year. And it's safe to say that the series will never be won again, due to the fact that the races are too close together nowadays. To win the three races, you must run in the Met Mile about a week before the Belmont Stakes, and then come back on Belmont Day to run in the Brooklyn. It just doesn't work.

And the worst thing is that it was a good series. Wouldn't you like to see horses like Curlin, Quality Road, Invasor, and others pursue a Triple Crown as four, five, and six year olds?

I think that it is time to invent a new series for older horses.

You see, the Triple Crown for three year olds wasn't anybody's idea. The Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont were individual races that all the best three year olds happened to run in every year. Eventually, a writer came up with the phrase "Triple Crown" to mean all three of the classic races and the phrase stuck.

Why can't we do the same thing for other races?

Take the Whitney, Woodward, and Jockey Club Gold Cup. Three of the most prestigious races for older horses, they routinely draw top-quality horses, and they are spaced so that the same horse can run in all three. Last year, Macho Again competed in all three. Bullsbay competed in two of them. In 2008, Curlin competed in the Woodward and the Jockey Club Gold Cup and won them both. In 2007, Lawyer Ron won the Whitney and the Woodward but lost the Jockey Club Gold Cup by a head. And this year, Quality Road is definite for both the Whitney and the Woodward, with the Jockey Club Gold Cup a possibility, and Blame's schedule includes all three races.

I would love to see the three races recognized as a series. So let’s have some fun. From now on, I will consider the three races connected and will refer to them as the "Handicap Triple Crown,” even though only one of the races is a handicap.

Now, here are the past winners of the series. . .

1961: Kelso
1963: Kelso
1984: Slew o' Gold
1989: Easy Goer

And here are the "Near Misses", horses who won two of the three races but either failed to win or did not run in one of the races. . .

2008: Curlin (Won the Woodward and the Jockey Club Gold Cup)
2000: Lemon Drop Kid (Won the Whitney and the Woodward)
1999: River Keen (Won the Woodward and the Jockey Club Gold Cup)
1995: Cigar (Won the Woodward and the Jockey Club Gold Cup)
1994: Colonial Affair (Won the Whitney and the Jockey Club Gold Cup)
1992: Sultry Song (Won the Whitney and the Woodward)
1991: In Excess (Won the Whitney and the Woodward)
1985: Track Barron (Won the Whitney and the Woodward)
1983: Slew o' Gold (Won the Woodward and the Jockey Club Gold Cup)
1979: Affirmed (Won the Woodward and the Jockey Club Gold Cup)
1974: Forego (Won the Woodward and the Jockey Club Gold Cup)
1973: Prove Out (Won the Woodward and the Jockey Club Gold Cup)
1972: Key to the Mint (Won the Whitney and the Woodward, the latter via disqualification of Cougar II, who finished first)
1969: Arts and Letters (Won the Woodward and the Jockey Club Gold Cup)
1967: Damascus (Won the Woodward and the Jockey Club Gold Cup)
1966: Buckpasser (Won the Woodward and the Jockey Club Gold Cup)
1965: Roman Brother (Won the Woodward and the Jockey Club Gold Cup)
1964: Gun Bow (Won the Whitney and the Woodward)
1962: Kelso (Won the Woodward and the Jockey Club Gold Cup)
1959: Sword Dancer (Won the Woodward and the Jockey Club Gold Cup)

As you can see, there have been plenty of near-misses, but only three horses have won the series. Amazingly, Kelso swept the three races twice and had a near-miss in between!

Please note that although War Admiral won the Whitney and the Jockey Club Gold Cup in 1938, the Woodward had not yet been created.

So the excitement builds! Quality Road and Blame will dual it out two weeks from now in the Whitney Handicap, with Mine That Bird an upset threat if there is any speed at all.

Here are my Top Five picks as of now for the "Handicap Triple Crown". . .

1: QUALITY ROAD
Hard not to like him, but I do question his ability to get a mile and a quarter against the very best. But he has been impressive all year and should be able to claim at least one of the three races.
2: BLAME
He was very impressive in the Stephen Foster and will likely give Quality Road as much as he can handle. He just keeps getting better and we may not have seen the best of him yet.
3: HAYNESFIELD
Very sharp while winning the Suburban Handicap and looks to keep improving. He should be able to hold his own against the best, and I would not be surprised to see him dominating the older male division by the end of the year.
4: MINE THAT BIRD
The Whitney has been his goal for a while now, and there's no reason to think he won't run well. Yes, he run in the Firecracker Handicap was uninspiring, but he should be a different horse on dirt.
5: ZENYATTA
She would be at the top of this list if she was guaranteed to come, but since she isn't, here she sits. If John Shirreffs doesn't like how Del Mar's Polytrack is shaping up, the Whitney remains a possibility.
6: RAIL TRIP
Now that he is out east with Rick Dutrow, we'll probably see him in one of these races. Very disappointing in the Hollywood Gold Cup, but he should rebound nicely.
7: AWESOME GEM
Obviously, his win in the Hollywood Gold Cup puts him near the top of the older males division, and the Jockey Club Gold Cup could be in his future. I honestly feel that dirt is his best surface.
8: RACHEL ALEXANDRA
Is defending her Woodward win in the future for the 2009 Horse of the Year?
9: AFLEET EXPRESS
The Whitney and Woodward are not in the plans right now, but I like his chances for the Jockey Club Gold Cup. This colt has impressed me since January and he just keeps getting better.
10: CONCORD POINT
Super Saver and Lookin at Lucky just don't seem like Jockey Club Gold Cup winners to me, and since the Whitney and the Woodward are not on their agendas, I shall include Concord Point. He got his break through win in the Iowa Derby and looks ready to manhandle anyone who challenges him if he continues to run like he can.

HORSES TO WATCH

Afleet Again - Needs to stop drifting in the stretch.
First Dude - Nice runs in both the Preakness and the Belmont.
Fly Down - He could be a true mile and a quarter horse.
Ice Box - Disappointing in the Belmont, needs to rebound in the Haskell.
Lookin at Lucky - The Preakness winner may be best at a mile and an eighth.
Musket Man - He's been running in sprints for a while, but may be better with more distance.
Pool Play - Third in the Dominion Day, he is scheduled to run in the Whitney.
Redding Colliery - Impressive win over Awesome Gem in the Lone Star Handicap.
Super Saver - Kentucky Derby winner intends to get back in track in the Haskell.
Trappe Shot - Nice win in the Long Branch, gets his big test in the Haskell.

In conclusion, I’d love to see the Handicap Triple Crown make a comeback. Maybe in ten years the "Handicap Triple Crown" will be all over TV!

. . . okay. That's stretching it. But it's fun to think about.

-Keelerman