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Jockey Mike Smith crosses the finish line, riding Justify to a Triple Crown win at Belmont Park at the 150th Belmont Stakes in Elmont, N,Y., on June 9, 2018. Justify became the 13th Triple Crown winner in history and follows American Pharoah, who pulled off the win in 2015 after a 35 year drought. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
Aug. 4 (UPI) -- Churchill Downs and the New York Racing Association Monday a new grouping of races for 3-year-olds that includes the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, but not the third leg of the existing Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes, run in Maryland.
Churchill Downs and NYRA officials topped short of saying the six-race "Thoroughbred Championship Series" is designed to replace the historic Triple Crown. But with a $5 million bonus and longer spacing between the races, that would be the practical effect.
"This series is designed to showcase the sport's best 2-year-olds across a season-long championship, elevating our biggest events and creating the next generation of fans," David O'Rourke, the NYRA president and CEO, said Monday.
"By connecting these premier events through one championship, we're creating a season-long storyline that benefits the future of Thoroughbred racing," said Bill Carstanjen, the Churchill Downs Inc. CEO.
The series is to start with the Kentucky Derby on May 1 and follow with the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park on June 5, the Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs in July, the Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga in late July or early August, the Travers at Saratoga in late August and a "Championship Race" in September at Churchill Downs.
The September race would give 3-year-olds a new, late-season chance to run against others of their generation before facing older horses in season-ending races, including the Breeders' Cup Classic.
It also would answer objections from within the industry that the existing Triple Crown schedule, and especially the two-weeks turnaround from the Kentucky Derby to the Preakness, is too demanding.
That argument has been reinforced in recent years, as Derby winners, including Golden Tempo this year, have skipped the Preakness to go straight to the Belmont.
The series also has been in flux as both Belmont Park and Pimlico Race Course, home of the Preakness, have been demolished. An all-new Belmont Park is set to open this fall. Pimlico will follow upon completion of its new facilities.
In the interim, the Belmont Stakes has been contested at Saratoga, with the distance cut from 1 1/2 miles to 1 1/4 miles and the Preakness has decamped to Laurel Park.
Sir Barton in 1919 is recognized as the first Triple Crown winner, although the concept of linking the three races was not generally touted until the 1930s. Thirteen horses have earned the crown. The most recent was Justify in 2018.
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