The Triple Crown Trophy is a silver trophy awarded to the winner of the

United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing In the United States, the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, commonly known as the Triple Crown, is a series of horse races for three-year-old Thoroughbreds, consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes. The three ...

. The Triple Crown trophy has come to represent the pinnacle achievement in horseracing. Commissioned in 1950 by the Thoroughbred Racing Association, artisans at the world-famous Cartier Jewelry Company were charged with creating not just a trophy, but a true work of art. The result was a three-sided vase, each face equally representing the three jewels of the crown, intending to capture the spirit of horseracing's most sought after, and rarest, honor. The three sides are engraved with specific information from each of the three races; the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-yea ...

, the

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Graded stakes race, Grade I race run over a distance of ...

and the

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over 1.5 miles (2,400 m). Colts and geldings carry a weight of ; fillies carry . The race, nickname ...

. Upon completion of the first trophy it was awarded to the 1948 Triple Crown Winner

Citation A citation is a reference to a source. More precisely, a citation is an abbreviated alphanumeric expression embedded in the body of an intellectual work that denotes an entry in the bibliographic references section of the work for the purpose o ...

. Each year thereafter, retroactive trophies were presented to the first eight winners of the Triple Crown in reverse order until all of the previous winners or their heirs were awarded. Triple Crown Challenge website, http://www.thetriplecrownchallenge.com/Default.aspx?page=63. Today the Triple Crown Trophy is a permanent trophy awarded to the winner with information pertaining to each race engraved on corresponding sides. When not on tour during the live running of the royal trio of races, the trophy is on public display at the

Kentucky Derby Museum The Kentucky Derby Museum is an American Thoroughbred horse racing museum located on the grounds of Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Dedicated to preserving the history of the Kentucky Derby, it first opened its doors to the public in the s ...

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

. In addition to the Triple Crown Trophy, winners of the Kentucky Derby are given the

Kentucky Derby Trophy The Kentucky Derby Trophy is a set of four trophies that are awarded to the winning connections of America's most famous race: the grade one $3,000,000 Kentucky Derby. The owner receives a gold trophy while the trainer, the jockey and the breeder w ...

, a solid gold trophy worth in excess of $90,000; winners of the Preakness Stakes are presented the

Woodlawn Vase The Woodlawn Vase is an American trophy given annually to the winning owner of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. Overview of the trophy After the Preakness Stakes is run each year on the third Saturday of May, ...

in a national TV ceremony and given a solid silver replica worth in excess of $30,000 for permanent possession; winners of the Belmont Stakes are presented the August Belmont Trophy and given a silver tray for their permanent possession. Only five colts have been awarded all four trophies in the same year: Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977), Affirmed (1978), American Pharoah (2015), and Justify (2018).

Triple Crown Trophy winners

References

{{reflist Horse racing awards American horse racing trophies Kentucky Derby Preakness Stakes Belmont Stakes Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing Churchill Downs Pimlico Race Course Belmont Park Kentucky culture Horse racing in Louisville, Kentucky Horse racing in Baltimore Horse racing in Hempstead, New York 1950 establishments in the United States Awards established in 1950 Vase sports trophies Silver objects

Triple Crown Trophy winners

See also

References