Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing

The Canadian Triple Crown is a series of three Thoroughbred horse race

Thoroughbred horse race

Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...

s run annually in Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

which is open to three-year-old horses foaled in Canada. Established in 1959, the series is unique in that it shares the same distances as its American counterpart

United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing

In the United States, the "Triple Crown" is usually the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, a series of three Thoroughbred horse races for three-year-old horses run in May and early June of each year consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.While Daily Racing Form...

, but is contested on three different race surfaces.

Since 2006, the first leg, the Queen's Plate

Queen's Plate

The Queen's Plate is Canada's oldest thoroughbred horse race. It is run at a distance of 1¼ miles for 3-year-old thoroughbred horses foaled in Canada. The race takes place each summer in June or July at Woodbine Racetrack, Etobicoke , Ontario...

, has been contested at 1¼ miles on Polytrack

Polytrack

A synthetic racetrack surface is any kind of surface substance that replaces grass, dirt or sand as the racing surface on a horse racing track. Synthetic surfaces may be desirable over traditional surfaces for several reasons, most prominently the reduction of injuries and possible deaths to horses...

at Toronto, Ontario's

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

Woodbine Racetrack

Woodbine Racetrack is a Canadian racetrack for Thoroughbred horse races located at 555 Rexdale Blvd. in the city of Toronto, Ontario. It is the only horseracing track in North America which stages, or is capable of staging, thoroughbred and standardbred horseracing programs on the same day...

, whereas the July Prince of Wales Stakes

Prince of Wales Stakes

The Prince of Wales Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Fort Erie Race Track in Fort Erie, Ontario. Restricted to three-year-old horses bred in Canada, it is contested on dirt over a distance of a mile and three sixteenths . In 1959, the Prince of Wales Stakes became the...

is a 1³/16 mile event run on dirt at Fort Erie Racetrack in Fort Erie, Ontario

Fort Erie, Ontario

Fort Erie is a town on the Niagara River in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. It is located directly across the river from Buffalo, New York....

. The final leg is the 1½ mile Breeders' Stakes

Breeders' Stakes

The Breeders' Stakes is a Canadian stakes race for Thoroughbred race horses first run in 1889. Since 1959 it has been the third race in the Canadian Triple Crown for three-year-olds...

in August which is run on Turf

Grass

Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...

over one full lap of the E. P. Taylor Turf Course at Woodbine.

The Canadian Triple Crown shares another characteristic with its American counterpart—all of the races in both series are open to gelding

Gelding

A gelding is a castrated horse or other equine such as a donkey or a mule. Castration, and the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male horse to be calmer and better-behaved, making the animal quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday...

s. This differs from the situation in Europe, where many important flat races, notably the British and French

French Classic Races

In France, the Classics of horse racing are a series of Group One Thoroughbred horse races run annually on the flat. The four races are organized by France Galop.The Prix de Diane is restricted to filles....

classics, bar geldings.

Winners of the Triple Crown

Seven horses are officially recognized as winning the Canadian Triple Crown:

Champions:

Year	Winner	Jockey Queen's Plate Queen's Plate The Queen's Plate is Canada's oldest thoroughbred horse race. It is run at a distance of 1¼ miles for 3-year-old thoroughbred horses foaled in Canada. The race takes place each summer in June or July at Woodbine Racetrack, Etobicoke , Ontario...	Jockey Prince of Wales Stakes Prince of Wales Stakes The Prince of Wales Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Fort Erie Race Track in Fort Erie, Ontario. Restricted to three-year-old horses bred in Canada, it is contested on dirt over a distance of a mile and three sixteenths . In 1959, the Prince of Wales Stakes became the...	Jockey Breeders' Stakes Breeders' Stakes The Breeders' Stakes is a Canadian stakes race for Thoroughbred race horses first run in 1889. Since 1959 it has been the third race in the Canadian Triple Crown for three-year-olds...	Trainer	Owner
1959	New Providence New Providence (horse) New Providence is a Thoroughbred racehorse who in 1959 became the first official winner of the Canadian Triple Crown.Retired to stud duty at owner E. P...	Bobby Ussery Bobby Ussery Robert Nelson "Bobby" Ussery is a retired American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey. His first race as a professional jockey came at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans on November 22, 1951 where he rode Reticule to victory in the Thanksgiving Handicap. By the end of the decade...	Avelino Gomez Avelino Gomez Avelino Gomez was a Cuban-born Hall of Fame jockey in American and Canadian thoroughbred horse racing.Born in Havana, Gomez began a career as a jockey at the urging of a family member...	Avelino Gomez Avelino Gomez Avelino Gomez was a Cuban-born Hall of Fame jockey in American and Canadian thoroughbred horse racing.Born in Havana, Gomez began a career as a jockey at the urging of a family member...	Pete McCann Gordon J. McCann Gordon J. "Pete" McCann was a Canadian Thoroughbred horse trainer. He was born in East York, now part of the city of Toronto. Known to his family as Gordon, in racing circles he was nicknamed Pete....	Windfields Farm Windfields Farm Windfields Farm is a six square kilometre thoroughbred horse breeding farm founded by businessman E. P. Taylor in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. The first stable and breeding operation of E. P. Taylor originated with a property near the city of Toronto known as Parkwood Stable when it was owned by...
1963	Canebora Canebora Canebora is a Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Canadian Triple Crown in 1963 and was voted the Sovereign Award for Horse of the Year....	Manuel Ycaza Manuel Ycaza Manuel Ycaza is a retired United States Racing Hall of Fame jockey who led the way for Latin American jockeys in the United States....	Hugo Dittfach	Manuel Ycaza Manuel Ycaza Manuel Ycaza is a retired United States Racing Hall of Fame jockey who led the way for Latin American jockeys in the United States....	Pete McCann Gordon J. McCann Gordon J. "Pete" McCann was a Canadian Thoroughbred horse trainer. He was born in East York, now part of the city of Toronto. Known to his family as Gordon, in racing circles he was nicknamed Pete....	Windfields Farm Windfields Farm Windfields Farm is a six square kilometre thoroughbred horse breeding farm founded by businessman E. P. Taylor in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. The first stable and breeding operation of E. P. Taylor originated with a property near the city of Toronto known as Parkwood Stable when it was owned by...
1989	With Approval With Approval With Approval was a Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Canadian Triple Crown in 1989 under jockey Don Seymour. He finished second in the 1990 Breeders' Cup Turf and the Arlington Million....	Don Seymour Don Seymour Donald J. Seymour is a Canadian jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing who is the only jockey in history to win two Canadian Triple Crowns....	Don Seymour Don Seymour Donald J. Seymour is a Canadian jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing who is the only jockey in history to win two Canadian Triple Crowns....	Don Seymour Don Seymour Donald J. Seymour is a Canadian jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing who is the only jockey in history to win two Canadian Triple Crowns....	Roger Attfield Roger Attfield Roger L. Attfield is a Canadian thoroughbred horse trainer and owner.In his native England, Attfield had become an accomplished international-level equestrian competitor when he emigrated to Canada in 1970...	Kinghaven Farms Kinghaven Farms Kinghaven Farms is a thoroughbred horse racing stable founded in 1967 by Donald G. "Bud" Willmot. Located in King City, Ontario, north of Toronto, the success of the stable would see it expand to the United States with the acquisition of a farm and training center near Ocala, Florida. Kinghaven...
1990	Izvestia Izvestia (horse) Izvestia was a Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Canadian Triple Crown in 1990. A descendant of Nearco, his damsire Personality was the 1970 Co-American Horse of the Year. Owned and bred by Kinghaven Farms, the colt began racing in the United States, winning two Graded stakes races at the...	Don Seymour Don Seymour Donald J. Seymour is a Canadian jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing who is the only jockey in history to win two Canadian Triple Crowns....	Don Seymour Don Seymour Donald J. Seymour is a Canadian jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing who is the only jockey in history to win two Canadian Triple Crowns....	Don Seymour Don Seymour Donald J. Seymour is a Canadian jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing who is the only jockey in history to win two Canadian Triple Crowns....	Roger Attfield Roger Attfield Roger L. Attfield is a Canadian thoroughbred horse trainer and owner.In his native England, Attfield had become an accomplished international-level equestrian competitor when he emigrated to Canada in 1970...	Kinghaven Farms Kinghaven Farms Kinghaven Farms is a thoroughbred horse racing stable founded in 1967 by Donald G. "Bud" Willmot. Located in King City, Ontario, north of Toronto, the success of the stable would see it expand to the United States with the acquisition of a farm and training center near Ocala, Florida. Kinghaven...
1991	Dance Smartly Dance Smartly Dance Smartly was a Champion Thoroughbred Canadian and U.S. Hall of Fame racemare who went undefeated in 1991 while winning the Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing and becoming the first horse bred in Canada to ever win a Breeders' Cup race.Bred in Ontario by Sam-Son Farm, the bay mare...	Pat Day Pat Day Patrick Alan "Pat" Day is an American jockey. He is a four-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991...	Pat Day Pat Day Patrick Alan "Pat" Day is an American jockey. He is a four-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991...	Pat Day Pat Day Patrick Alan "Pat" Day is an American jockey. He is a four-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991...	James E. Day	Sam-Son Farm Sam-Son Farm Sam-Son Farm is a thoroughbred horse racing stable with farms locations in Milton, Ontario, Canada and Ocala, Florida. Originating in the 60's by Ernie Samuel, it began as a home for hunter/jumper horses...
1993	Peteski Peteski Peteski was a Hall of Fame Champion Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Canadian Triple Crown in 1993. He was sired by the U.S. Triple Crown winner Affirmed, and was out of the mare Vive, a daughter of Nureyev....	Craig Perret Craig Perret Craig Perret is an American thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He began riding horses at age five and by seven was riding quarter horses in match races...	Dave Penna Dave Penna David "Dave" Penna was an American jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing who competed in the United States but had his gretest successes in Canada. Born in Auburn, New York, he began his career as a professional rider in 1978 and three years later went to compete at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto...	Craig Perret Craig Perret Craig Perret is an American thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He began riding horses at age five and by seven was riding quarter horses in match races...	Roger Attfield Roger Attfield Roger L. Attfield is a Canadian thoroughbred horse trainer and owner.In his native England, Attfield had become an accomplished international-level equestrian competitor when he emigrated to Canada in 1970...	Earle I. Mack Earle I. Mack Earle Irving Mack is an American businessman and former United States Ambassador to Finland.-Education:Mack graduated from Drexel University with a B.S. in 1959. He then went on to attend Fordham School of Law. In 1992 Mack was one of first 100 alumni inducted into the newly formed Drexel 100...
2003	Wando Wando (horse) Wando is a Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Canadian Triple Crown in 2003. The chestnut stallion, raced with moderate success as a four-year-old then was retired on the 12th of May 2005 to stand at stud at Lane's End Farm near Lexington, Kentucky.Of Wando's 23 starts, he won 11, placed in 2,...	Patrick Husbands Patrick Husbands Patrick Husbands is a Barbadian jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing. The son of a jockey, he began riding as a young boy, turning professional in his home country where he rode successfully until emigrating to Toronto, Ontario in 1994.Racing out of Woodbine Racetrack, in 2003 Husbands won the...	Patrick Husbands Patrick Husbands Patrick Husbands is a Barbadian jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing. The son of a jockey, he began riding as a young boy, turning professional in his home country where he rode successfully until emigrating to Toronto, Ontario in 1994.Racing out of Woodbine Racetrack, in 2003 Husbands won the...	Patrick Husbands Patrick Husbands Patrick Husbands is a Barbadian jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing. The son of a jockey, he began riding as a young boy, turning professional in his home country where he rode successfully until emigrating to Toronto, Ontario in 1994.Racing out of Woodbine Racetrack, in 2003 Husbands won the...	Mike Keogh	Gus Schickedanz

An eighth horse, Queensway, was in fact the first to have swept all three races, doing so in 1932. However, her triumphs are not recognized by the Canadian Jockey Club as a Triple Crown.

Individual Triple Crown winners

In 2011, Luis Contreras became the first jockey to sweep the Triple Crown races with different horses.

Year	Person	Type	Queen's Plate	Prince of Wales Stakes	Breeders' Stakes
2011	Luis Contreras	Jockey	Inglorious	Pender Harbour	Pender Harbour

Winners of the Triple Crown

Individual Triple Crown winners

See also