When Preakness betting has concluded there will either be a horse going for the Triple Crown in three weeks at the Belmont or the long drought of no Triple Crown winners will continue. Preakness odds are the middle race in Triple Crown odds and they decide whether the Belmont means anything in three weeks.
Preakness betting in recent years has not seen many horses continue in the quest for the Triple Crown. Big Brown in 2008 was the only horse in recent years to win the Derby and the Preakness but he lost the Belmont. Horse racing has not had a Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978. It is just do difficult for a horse to win the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. Only 11 horses have even made it to the final race but all eleven lost in the Belmont. Four other horses lost the Kentucky Derby but won the Preakness and Belmont. “It is just so tough to do … it has to rank up there as one of the toughest things to do in all of sports every year,” said trainer Todd Pletcher.
Only 11 times in history has a horse won the Triple Crown and three of those winners came in the 1970’s as Secretariat won in 1973, Seattle Slew in 1977 and Affirmed in 1978. It has not been done since then. Big Brown is the latest horse to fail in that quest. He rolled in the Derby and in Preakness betting but then collapsed in the Belmont. “I just don’t know what happened,” his trainer, Rick Dutrow, said. In the last ten years he is the fourth horse to have a chance but three of the four came in consecutive years. War Emblem in 2002, Funny Cide in 2003 and Smarty Jones in 2004 had a chance but all three lost the Belmont. “The races are really packed closely,” Dutrow said, “It’s just so tough on them. At some point, it’s got to catch up.”
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has been close four times. Silver Charm (1997), Real Quiet (1998) and War Emblem (2002) all failed in the Belmont after winning the Derby and in Preakness odds while Point Given lost the Derby and then won the next two races. “For some reason, it’s just harder now,” Baffert said. “There seems to be more involvement in the final leg.” Baffert believes it can be done though. “It will happen again,” Baffert said, “I hope I’m the one that does it.”