2026 galloping Triple Crown thread

[micropolitan guy]

Ilya Kuryakin was sexier.

Now more people remember him as "Ducky."

 

[Driftwood]

I like him in Great Escape.

 

[Driftwood]

I think the Triple Crown has to do some rescheduling -- maybe make the Derby the second Saturday of April, the Preakness the second Saturday of May and the Belmont the second Saturday of June to give four weeks rest between both legs -- plus offer some kind of bonus for entering all three races. They already have bonus prize money for winning more than one, but that's obviously not enough to get many horses into the field.

Never happen. If you move the Derby up, you mess up the prep race timeline.
You could move the Preakness and Belmont down the calendar but not the Derby up.

 

[MarkWatney]

They could do that if need be. It won't kill anybody if the Belmont is on the third or fourth Saturday of June.

 

[Driftwood]

They could do that if need be. It won't kill anybody if the Belmont is on the third or fourth Saturday of June.

Derby sets the schedule, not Belmont.

 

[Jake from State Farm]

Derby sets the schedule, not Belmont.

If you just moved the Preakness back one week it would help. Then one more week for the Belmont. Make it 3-4 instead of 2-3

 

[dixiehack]

The Rose Bowl will kick off at midnight before Churchill Downs comes off the first Saturday in May.

 

[brn623cl]

The Rose Bowl will kick off at midnight before Churchill Downs comes off the first Saturday in May.

And then if they would go earlier you’re messing with the prep races and the qualifying points system, a cottage industry itself.

 

[dixiehack]

And then if they would go earlier you’re messing with the prep races and the qualifying points system, a cottage industry itself.

Never mind that. You are pushing the pre-race festivals back to starting around the end of February. And Louisville (essentially a Midwestern city) has far less chances of temperate March weather than in the true South.

EDIT: To say nothing of the fact you would be competing against March Madness in the biggest college basketball market in the country.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

I think the Triple Crown has to do some rescheduling -- maybe make the Derby the second Saturday of April, the Preakness the second Saturday of May and the Belmont the second Saturday of June to give four weeks rest between both legs -- plus offer some kind of bonus for entering all three races. They already have bonus prize money for winning more than one, but that's obviously not enough to get many horses into the field.

You can’t move the Derby up without screwing the prep race venues.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

If you just moved the Preakness back one week it would help. Then one more week for the Belmont. Make it 3-4 instead of 2-3

The Preakness will move back one week. The horsemen want it.

 

[Pickleballgolds]

The Preakness will move back one week. The horsemen want it.

… and we know trainers and owners would never do anything that’s not in the best interests of the horses …

 

[brn623cl]

My brother was a Pimlico regular during his 20 odd years in Baltimore and met some people in the know, and he told me one of the problems Belmont had with a push back in previous discussions is it will have the Belmont fall on Father's Day weekend many years, and the US Open use Long Island courses about once a decade. The folks in the NYRA and Belmont weren't thrilled with that scenario. Everyone has picky reasons in their own self interests guess.

 

[Pickleballgolds]

I hope they change the schedule and there is a Triple Crown winner for the next five years in a row. Then they’ll make all the races two miles and make them run all three on the same day.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

Belmont PP and odds ...

https://www.courier-journal.com/sto...erby-horse-golden-tempo-renegade/90081645007/

 

[Michael_ Gee]

My brother was a Pimlico regular during his 20 odd years in Baltimore and met some people in the know, and he told me one of the problems Belmont had with a push back in previous discussions is it will have the Belmont fall on Father's Day weekend many years, and the US Open use Long Island courses about once a decade. The folks in the NYRA and Belmont weren't thrilled with that scenario. Everyone has picky reasons in their own self interests guess.

The Open is at Shinnecock Hills this year. That's really far from Elmont, NY even if they are on same island. How much overlap is there between the audiences for these two events anyway? This strikes me as a phony excuse.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

I’ll take the 4 and 8.

 

[2muchcoffeeman]

Who beat? </Moddy>

 

[brn623cl]

Golden Tempo is pretty good at this last to first stuff. He came out of the gate wanting to turn right and I wrote him off.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

Dang, Golden Tempo again! Great ride by the jock.