Triple Crown

[ trip-uhl kroun ]

noun

1. an unofficial title held by a horse that wins the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes in a single season.
2. a usually unofficial title held by someone who wins three major awards, achievements, or championships in the same year:

   She's the youngest player to have won the league's pitching triple crown (wins, ERA, and strikeouts) two years in a row.

triple crown

noun

1. RC Church the Pope's tiara
2. horse racing the winning of three important races in one season
3. often capitals rugby Union a victory by Scotland, England, Wales, or Ireland in all three games against the others in the annual Six (formerly, Five) Nations Championship Compare grand slam

Example Sentences

Lisowski, 33, who is regarded as one of the best players to have never won a ranking tournament, now goes into Thursday afternoon's draw for the first Triple Crown event of the season in York.

From BBC

Horses he’s trained have won 17 Triple Crown races, including the Kentucky Derby six times.

From Los Angeles Times

But, most importantly, his horses have won the Triple Crown twice — American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018.

From Los Angeles Times

The son of Triple Crown winner Justify has won six of seven races, running mostly in Britain.

From Los Angeles Times

Shohei Ohtani didn’t win the National League batting title, or claim the NL’s first triple crown since 1937, during the Dodgers season-finale 2-1 win over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday.

From Los Angeles Times

More About Triple Crown

What is the Triple Crown?

Winning all three major U.S. horse races—the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes—is known as winning the Triple Crown. The term Triple Crown is sometimes used to refer to the three-race series.

All three races are run on a dirt track and feature a field of three-year-old horses, but the length of each race varies. Winning the Triple Crown is a rare and prestigious accomplishment.

The term Triple Crown is also used in other sporting contexts, often involving winning three major awards or championships in the same year. In Major League Baseball, it typically refers to the accomplishment of leading the league in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in (RBIs).

When is the Triple Crown?

The Triple Crown series begins with the Kentucky Derby, which is traditionally held each year on the first Saturday in May, weather permitting. The Preakness is traditionally held on the third Saturday in May, exactly two weeks after the Kentucky Derby. The Belmont Stakes is traditionally held exactly five weeks after the Kentucky Derby and three weeks after the Preakness, usually on the first Saturday in June.

More information and context on the Triple Crown

On the way to becoming one of the few horses to win the Triple Crown, legendary racehorse Secretariat set records in all three races in 1973. Other notable Triple Crown winners include War Admiral and Seattle Slew. Several horses have won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness but then failed to win the Triple Crown by losing in the Belmont Stakes.

What are some terms that often get used in discussing the Triple Crown?

• horse race
• racetrack
• Kentucky Derby
• Preakness
• Belmont Stakes

How is the Triple Crown discussed in real life?

Winning the Triple Crown is rare and horses that do are highly celebrated. The term is also used in different ways in other sports.

American Pharoah wins the Preakness.

Trainer Bob Baffert will have his 4th different horse try for the triple crown at the Belmont Stakes.

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 16, 2015

Watching Justify run at the Belmont Stakes and become a triple crown winner gave me chills, call me a horse nerd but they are simply incredible animals #TripleCrown #Justify

— Alexandra Vincent (@AlexandraVince3) June 10, 2018

Hats off to all of the jockeys, trainers and equine athletes preparing for Triple Crown season. #1STisEARNED pic.twitter.com/GffljGKA85

— Preakness Stakes (@PreaknessStakes) April 9, 2021

The Big Winner Today: Miguel Cabrera, 1st person to win baseball's triple crown since Yastrzemski in 1967. http://t.co/8z9tvUdp #CONGRASTRZ

— Steven Greenhouse (@greenhousenyt) October 4, 2012

Try using Triple Crown!

True or False?

Several horses have won the Triple Crown despite losing the Belmont Stakes.