American Triple Tiara of Thoroughbred Racing

The Triple Tiara of Thoroughbred Racing, formerly known as the Filly Triple Crown, is a set of three horse races in the United States which is open to three year old fillies. The three races that compose the series are The Acorn Stakes, run at Belmont Park at a distance of 1 mile, The Mother Goose Stakes, run at Belmont Park at a distance of 1 1/8 miles and The Coaching Club American Oaks, also run at Belmont Park at a distance of 1 1/4 miles (it used to be 1 1/2 miles).

Thus far, only eight horses have won the current Triple Tiara:

• Dark Mirage (1968)
• Shuvee (1969)
• Chris Evert (1974)
• Ruffian (1975)
• Davona Dale (1979)
• Mom's Command (1985)
• Open Mind (1989)
• Sky Beauty (1993)

The Filly Triple Tiara (2003-2006)

In 2003, the Triple Tiara was reconfigured for a time to consist of the Mother Goose Stakes, Coaching Club American Oaks, and the Alabama Stakes, a 1 1/4 mile race held in August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The New York Racing Association, the operator of Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course, once offered a $2 million bonus to any filly that swept the three races. The bonus was discontinued in 2005. In 2007 the New York Racing Association reverted back to the original three races of the tiara; the Acorn, Mother Goose and Coaching Club American Oaks. No filly swept the reconfigured series.

Mother Goose Stakes, run over 1 1/8 miles dirt track, at Belmont Park;

Coaching Club American Oaks, run over 1 1/4 miles dirt track, also at Belmont Park;

Alabama Stakes, run over 1 1/4 miles dirt track, at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York.

Possible future of The Triple Tiara

In recent years, many owners and trainers of fillies have submitted proposals to the National Thoroughbred Racing Association to change the three races that compose the Triple Tiara. Although a great deal of prestige is attached to winning one or more of the current Triple Tiara races, all three are held at the same track at Belmont Park in the New York City area, because of this, the series is skewed to fillies that race in the northeast. Some from outside the area even modify the name of the series by calling it the "New York Triple Tiara."

Several options of races have been suggested to compose the "National Triple Tiara." The most popular proposal of races to compose a "Triple Tiara" series are The Kentucky Oaks, run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky; The Black-Eyed Susan Stakes, run at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland; and The Acorn Stakes, run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. A second proposal has been to use the Kentucky Oaks, the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes and the Mother Goose Stakes. This version would allow more time for fillies to recuperate between races.

These races in the most popular proposal are near equal distance to their Triple Crown counterparts except for the Acorn, which is at a distance of one mile as opposed to the Belmont's mile-and-a-half distance. This series is thought to be a better choice for the Triple Tiara series, seeing that the three races are considered the most popular races for fillies. Each race receives considerable national network coverage, as it is run within 24 hours of the marquee event at each track. The Kentucky Oaks itself is known for drawing the third biggest crowds of any stakes races throughout the year, except for the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes [1]. The Kentucky Oaks even outdraws the Belmont Stakes, the Travers Stakes and the Breeders' Cup. Each race is also the night before their Triple Crown counterpart, except the Acorn, which is a race that immediately precedes the Belmont Stakes. (See "Triple Crown")

References

[1] [Bravo]'s cable network coverage of "Ladies First" on May 1, 2009, during the indtroductory monologue recited by Bob Costas opening the 135th running of The Kentucky Oaks.