The Triple Crown is the holy grail of horse racing. Pitting each jockey, trainer and stable (and sometimes stable mates) in three massive races for the chance at horse racing immortality. After a rousing Kentucky Derby, the race for the 2024 Triple Crown is well and truly alive.
Can Mystik Dan pull off the impossible (after being a +2500 underdog to win the Derby) and win the Preakness and Belmont Stakes to secure the first Triple Crown since Justify in 2018?
The Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes are the three races that form the Triple Crown. A horse needs to win each of these monumental races across at three different distances, on three different racetracks, over a period of just six weeks.
Only a hallowed 13 thoroughbreds have ever achieved the feat, with the very first of those being Sir Barton in 1919 and the last of them to conquer the task being Justify in 2018. After Affirmed won the Triple Crown in 1978, Spectacular Bid finished third in the Belmont the next year spawning a 37-year Triple Crown drought. Only the greatness of one of the greatest horsing races of all-time, American Pharaoh ended the drought in 2015.
Let's dive into all the 2024 Triple Crown Betting odds.
Mystik Dan's Triple Crown Odds +1200
Mystik Dan's spectacular Kentucky Derby victory was just the 10th time in 150 years the Churchill Downs based race had been won by a nose. In recent times, the Derby has become a true underdog tale. However, few have gone on to challenge for the horse racing Triple Crown.
Mystik Dan (18/1 odds) wins the Kentucky Derby👏
— Odds Shark (@OddsShark) May 4, 2024
pic.twitter.com/ejLLdtrdN9
Bettor beware, since Justify won the 2018 Belmont Stakes and become the 13th Triple Crown winner, no horse has won a second Triple Crown race.
On top of that, each of the Triple Crown races over the last five years have been won by a completely different horse. Adding another layer to the equation, a certain Hall-of-Fame jockey will be adding his stable, and even more horse racing talent to the Preakness Stakes.
Finding Mystik Dan at +2500 odds to win the Kentucky Derby is one thing. Betting on him to win both the Preakness and Belmont at less than half those odds is another. I'll hold onto my winnings and search for value elsewhere on the Preakness odds board.
Mystik Dan's Preakness Stakes Odds +300
Hall-of-Fame trainer Bob Baffert has been suspended by the Kentucky Racing Commission, and was thus unable to enter any horses in the 150th Run for the Roses. However, he's back at the Preakness at Pimlico Race Course. He'll enter Muth who won the Arkansas Derby in late March, and is the overwhelming favorite to take home the victory on May 18th.
Muth racked up a massive 115 Equibase speed figure at the Arkansas Derby and is now 4-2 across six starts in his career. Baffert has won the Preakness a record eight times and will be eager to show Churchill Downs what they missed out on.
There's little value on betting on Mystik Dan to repeat his mystical performance at Pimlico Park.
What Are The Triple Crown Races?
The Kentucky Derby is billed as “The most exciting two minutes in sport” and for race fans, that is exactly what it is.
The run at Churchill Downs over a distance of 1.25 miles, this first leg of the triple crown tests both speed and stamina and takes a horse with both in abundance.
The last five winners of The Kentucky Derby were:
- 2024 Mystik Dan
- 2023 Mage
- 2022 Rich Strike
- 2021 Mandaloun
- 2020 Authentic
The Preakness Stakes
The second leg of the Triple Crown is the shortest of the three legs and tests speed, and is run over a distance of 1 3/16 miles.
The Preakness Stakes is run at the famous Pimlico racecourse in Baltimore, Maryland where the infamous duel between the legendary Seabiscuit and War Admiral took place in 1938
The last five winners of The Preakness Stakes were:
- 2023 National Treasure
- 2022 Early Voting
- 2021 Rombauer
- 2020 Swiss Skydiver
- 2019 War of Will
The Belmont Stakes
The third and final leg of the Triple Crown is the longest of the three legs and focuses on stamina being run over a distance of 1 ½ miles.
The Belmont Stakes is run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.
The last five winners of The Belmont Stakes were:
- Arcangelo
- 2022 Mo Donegal
- 2021 Essential Quality
- 2020 Tiz the Law
- 2019 Sir Winston
Why is the Triple Crown so hard to win?
A Triple Crown winner is truly an exceptional racehorse that has to have a blend of speed to win the middle leg which is The Preakness Stakes but must also have the stamina to win the last leg, The Belmont Stakes over a mile and a half.
Just looking at the first leg of the Triple Crown, which is the Kentucky Derby, with 20 runners and a breakneck pace from start to finish, this race itself can take an enormous amount out of a horse.
Any horse that wants to be crowned a true champion has to travel 1000 miles between the three venues, but the toughest thing about winning the Triple Crown is that the three races take place within a short six-week window.
Most racehorses would normally run just once in a six-week period, so running three times against the very best there is, takes a special animal to succeed.
How to Bet on The Triple Crown
As we get closer to the Kentucky Derby, horseplayers are looking for tips and our expert has already written a number of posts about Triple Crown betting and the Kentucky Derby.
These include looking at the main Kentucky Derby contenders, and a full guide of our Kentucky Derby picks, while for expert handicappers, there’ll be a special section uploaded on the various Kentucky Derby props from various racebooks.
Triple Crown Betting FAQ
What is the Triple Crown?
The Triple Crown is a title awarded to a three-year-old thoroughbred horse who wins the Kentucky Derby race, the Preakness Stakes race and the Belmont Stakes race. These three horse races were inaugurated in different years, the last being the Kentucky Derby in 1875. Only 13 horses have ever won the Triple Crown of thoroughbred racing.
Can I bet on the Triple Crown?
Yes, you can bet on the Triple Crown. You would be wagering on a horse to win not only the Kentucky Derby, but the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes as well. You can bet on a horse to win all three of those horse racing events or you can bet on each horse race separately.
Who was the last Triple Crown winner?
Justify was the last three-year-old thoroughbred to win the Triple Crown in 2018, and won it fairly easily. The first horse to win the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes was Sir Barton in 1919. Bob Baffert was the trainer for both Justify and American Pharoah, who also won the Triple Crown in 2015.
