Photos: Winners of horse racing's Triple Crown

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Photos: Winners of horse racing's Triple Crown

Many have tried by just 11 horses have captured the U.S. Triple Crown

The last horse to capture horse-racing's Triple Crown is Affirmed -- the great-great-grandson of 1937 Triple Crown winner War Admiral -- in 1978. The colt had an infamous rivalry with Alydar, whom Affirmed met ten times, and finished second in all three Triple Crown races.

Seattle Slew remains the only horse to win the Triple Crown (1977) while undefeated. The thoroughbred finished his career with 14 first- and two second-place finishes in 17 races.

Secretariat won the 1973 Triple Crown, becoming the first winner in 25 years, and set still-standing track records in two of the three races in the Series, the Kentucky Derby (1:59), and the Belmont Stakes (2:24).

Citation became the eighth Triple Crown winner in 1948 by capturing the Belmont Stakes in a record 2:28. Citation was ridden to victory by Eddie Arcaro, the only rider to have won the U.S. Triple Crown twice -- 1941 with Whirlaway and 1948.

Assault remains the only Triple Crown winner (1946) bread in Texas. The thoroughbred won the Preakness by a hair and took some egging to win the Belmont Stakes -- by three lengths.

Count Fleet literally ran away with the Triple Crown in 1943. He captured the last leg of Triple Crown by 25 lengths, a margin record that stood for nearly three decades. Count Fleet was originally owned by the Hertz family -- of rental car fame.

The fifth winner of the Triple Crown, Whirlaway, rode to victory in 1941. He has the distinction of being named Horse of the Year in 1941 and '42 and has two races named in his honor.

War Admiral, the offspring of the thoroughbred Man o' War, overcame his small stature (15 hands -- most race horses are about 17 hands tall) to capture the 1937 Triple Crown. His famous match race in the 1938 Pimlico Special, which War Admiral lost by four lengths, was depicted in the film "Seabiscuit" about the legendary horse.

In 1935, Omaha, the son of 1930 Triple Crown winner Gallant Fox, became the third horse to capture the Triple Crown, winning all three races easily.

1930 Triple Crown winner Gallant Fox was first champion to sire a second generation Triple Crown winner when his foal Omaha won the US Triple Crown in 1935.

Sir Barton became the first winner of the American Triple Crown in 1919. The colt won the Derby and Preakness handidly (in the lead from start to finish) and set the American record for the mile and three-eighths race -- the distance for the Belmont at the time.

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The last horse to capture horse-racing's Triple Crown is Affirmed -- the great-great-grandson of 1937 Triple Crown winner War Admiral -- in 1978. The colt had an infamous rivalry with Alydar, whom Affirmed met ten times, and finished second in all three Triple Crown races.

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