After Sovereignty won the 2025 Kentucky Derby at a muddy Churchill Downs, horse racing fans will be wondering if the William Mott-trained 3 year-old will be the latest horse to cement their name as a US Triple Crown winner.
The next leg on this journey will be the Preakness Stakes on May 17, but over the years – just how many Triple Crown winners have there been and who was the last to land this epic US horse racing feat?
What Is The Triple Crown In US Horse Racing?
The US Triple Crown in horse racing consists of a 3 year-old horse winning three races – the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes.
These three US horse races are run within roughly a month of each other and only for 3 year-old horses. Meaning a horse in its lifetime will only have one crack at being a Triple Crown winner.
With the races also being run so close together, this adds to how difficult it is to win.
The Triple Crown was first available to to be won in 1875, when the Kentucky Derby was first staged – but it wasn’t until 1919 that the horse racing world saw the first Triple Crown winner – Sir Barton.
There Has Only Been 13 US Triple Crown Horse Racing Winners
The difficulty of winning these three races is backed up with their only being 13 Triple Crown winners over the years.
It was Sir Barton in 1919 that will always have the honor of being the first ever Triple Crown winner in 1919 – with the next not coming until Gallant Fox won all three races in 1930.
A purple patch of Triple Crown winners followed with six between 1935 and 1948 – but after Citation won in 1948 there was another 25 year gap before Secretariat won in 1973.
Other US horse racing legends – Seattle Slew and Affirmed – won in 1977 and 1978 – but there was another dry spell until American Pharaoh won for trainer Bob Baffert in 2015. Ending a 37 year run with no Triple Crown winner.
Who Was The Last US Triple Crown Winner?
So, fast-forward to the present era and after American Pharoah won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in 2015 – the most recent Triple Crown winner was JUSTIFY in 2018.
Justify also remains the last winning Kentucky Derby favorite to win the Churchill Downs race and provided trainer Bob Baffert with his second Triple Crown – having also housed American Pharoah at his barn.
Therefore, since 1979 three have only been TWO US Triple Crown winners as this year’s Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty looks to become the next.
Sovereignty is around 8/5 in the betting with the best US sportsbooks to win the Preakness Stakes on May 17 to keep his Triple Crown dreams alive.
While Sovereignty is 7/1 before the Preakness Stakes to win the Triple Crown.
US Triple Crown Winners
| Year | Horse | Trainer |
Jockey |
| 2018 | Justify | Bob Baffert | Mike Smith |
| 2015 | American Pharoah | Bob Baffert | Victor Espinoza |
| 1978 | Affirmed | Laz Barrera | Steve Cauthen |
| 1977 | Seattle Slew | William H. Turner Jr | Jean Cruguet |
| 1973 | Secretariat | Lucien Laurin | Ron Turcotte |
| 1948 | Citation | Horace A. ‘Jimmy’ Jones | Eddie Arcaro |
| 1946 | Assault | Max Hirsch | Warren Mehrtens |
| 1943 | Count Fleet | Don Cameron | Johnny Longden |
| 1941 | Whirlaway | Ben A. Jones | Eddie Arcaro |
| 1937 | War Admiral | George Conway | Charles Kurtsinger |
| 1935 | Omaha | Jim Fitzsimmons | Willie ‘Smokey’ Saunders |
| 1930 | Gallant Fox | Jim Fitzsimmons | Earl Sande |
| 1919 | Sir Barton | H. Guy Bedwell | Johnny Loftus |
When Is The 2025 Preakness Stakes?
- 📅Date: Saturday May 17, 2025
- 🏇Racecourse: Pimlico
When Is The 2025 Belmont Stakes?
- 📅Date: Saturday June 7, 2025
- 🏇Racecourse: Saratoga (Belmont Park being refurbished)
