Triple Crown has more often been lost than won--It's very tough

After Muscles Yankee had dispatched the rest of his competitors with ease in last week's Transylvania Stakes, there were those who said he was a lock for this week's Kentucky Futurity and the Triple Crown. True, it looks like it would take a minor miracle for Muscles Yankee to lose his date with destiny this Friday, but be warned that winning the Triple Crown of trotting has proven to be a very tough task.

Since the introduction of the Triple Crown in 1955, only six trotters have won it, and twelve others have won two of the three legs. However, of that dozen, only seven had a shot at winning the Triple Crown.

We will review the group first that won at least two legs, but did not really contend for a Triple Crown. In 1958, Emily's Pride won the Hambletonian and the Kentucky Futurity, but did not start in the first leg at the Yonkers Trot; in 1959, Diller Hanover took the same route; in 1961, Duke Rodney won the Yonkers Trot and the Kentucky Futurity, but lost the Hambletonian, the middle leg, to Harlan Dean; in 1970, Timothy T. won the Hambletonian and the Kentucky Futurity, but did not start in the Yonkers Trot; in 1977, Green Speed won the Yonkers Trot and the Hambletonian, but was not eligible to the Kentucky Futurity. In 1993, Bullville Victory took the Yonkers Trot, lost the Hambletonian to Victory Dream, then won the Kentucky Futurity in a dramatic and memorable, three-heat struggle with Victory Dream.

THE "OH-SO-CLOSE" CLUB

The remaining members of the "oh-so-close" group include a pretty stellar group of trotting talent.. Continentalvictory, Mack Lobell, American Winner, Steve Lobell and Speedy Somolli have all had legitimate Triple Crown aspirations since Super Bowl's 1972 triumphs. It will be my mission this week to examine each of these recent near misses to see if there are any common threads.

After Super Bowl in 1972, the first horse with a shot at the Triple Crown was Steve Lobell in 1976. Steve Lobell's Hambletonian triumph was a costly one. If you will recall, this was one of those four-heat Hambletonians. Steve Lobell, Armbro Regina and Zoot Suit all won heats of that Hambletonian, and Steve Lobell and the filly Armbro Regina both recorded world records in their heats. In the final, Steve Lobell prevailed by the narrowest of margins over Zoot Suit and the filly, but then collapsed and nearly died while being cooled out after the race. Many thought he would never race again. But he was a tough colt, and he returned for Billy Haughton to contest the Futurity. However, that Futurity was won by a Haughton, but not Billy. His son, Peter, driving Quick Pay, won a dramatic three-heat Futurity, with Steve Lobell second in all three heats. Each heat of that race was decided by a photo finish, a neck being the greatest margin.

Speedy Somolli was the next trotter to chase the Triple Crown and he looked like a lock after his stakes record Yonkers Trot and his world record Hambletonian, where he was the first trotter of any age to race in 1:55. However, Speedy Somolli came to the Futurity unsound, and he was simply not a factor in a race won by Doublemint and Peter Haughton in straight heats. It was the second time in just three years, that the talented young Haughton had derailed a horse's pursuit of the Triple Crown. Speedy Somolli was, in fact, not much of a factor on Futurity day, as he finished seventh and fourth, and was clearly off form.

MACK LOBELL'S TRIPLE CROWN ODYSSEY

Nearly a decade passed before Mack Lobell came to Kentucky with a Triple Crown dream. Mack Lobell trotted around Yonkers Raceway nearly two full seconds faster than any trotter ever had when he won the Yonkers Trot in 1:57, defeating Sir Taurus and Go Get Lost. In the Hambletonian, despite battling a hard track with sore feet, Mack Lobell trotted to a stakes record of 1:53 3-5. After the Hambletonian, he ventured to Springfield for a 1:52 1-5 all-age world mark in a heat of the Review Futurity for John Campbell.

Then, it was off to Du Quoin, and there Mack Lobell lost the World Trotting Derby to Napoletano and Bill O'Donnell in 1:53 2-5, equaling the world mark. In those races, Mack Lobell was still bothered by sore feet, and made breaks near the end of both heats. Mack's defeat at Du Quoin was considered a fluke by most observers, but it was clear to me at the time that Napoletano was a horse who was very dangerous and a real threat to Mack's Triple Crown aspirations.

That fall in Lexington, Mack Lobell did not race the week before the Futurity, but Napoletano did, raging home full of trot in the Transylvania Stake in a stakes record 1:54 3-5. The stage was set for one of the most memorable races in the history of the breed.

Napoletano and Mack Lobell drew into separate eliminations for the 1987 Futurity, with Mack Lobell winning his elimination in 1:55 and Napoletano capturing his in 1:56 2-5, with a final half in :56 2-5. The stage for the climactic final heat was set. The field included Mack Lobell, who had the rail, then Napoletano, Waikiki Beach, Nevele Olympian, Whata Speed, Sir Taurus, Crown's Best and Cotton Hanover. This race is remembered by many as a raceoff, but it was not, there was a full eight-horse field for the deciding heat.

Mack Lobell took the early lead from the rail, and John Campbell elected to set slow early fractions (:29 4-5--1:01 1-5--1:31 1-5.) Campbell was confident that no trotter in the world could outbrush Mack Lobell for a quarter of a mile. At the head of the stretch, he asked Mack Lobell to get it in gear, and Mack took off like a rocket. However, Napoletano did not disappear in the pocket. Bill O'Donnell pulled just before the eighth pole, and was immediately alongside Mack Lobell. The two great colt trotters came to the wire together, blistering The Red Mile with trotting speed never before seen anywhere. Napoletano gained the advantage between the tunnel and the wire, winning by a head in 1:57 3-5, the final quarter blitzed in :26 2-5, with the final eighth trottted in :12 2-5 seconds.

It was a heroic effort for both colts, but Mack Lobell had lost his Triple Crown bid. That defeat still haunts John Campbell and Chuck Sylvester, and is the spectre of that defeat they wish to erase this Friday.

TWO MORE FAILED ATTEMPTS

In this decade, two other horses have come to Lexington with a chance at the Triple Crown. In 1993, American Winner brought his Holy Grail pursuit to the historic clay track, and was upended by his chief protagonist, the splendid Pine Chip, ironically trained by Chuck Sylvester and driven by John Campbell. These two wonderful trotters waged many a memorable battle as 3-year-olds, but Pine Chip was clearly the better horse on Futurity Day with a decisive straight heats score.

In 1996, the great filly Continentalvictory also saw her Triple Crown dreams disappear without ever having the opportunity to race in the Kentucky Futurity. She was entered in the historic stake, but was too unsound to start.

The wondrous black filly had captured the Yonkers Trot and Hambletonian with the kind of performances that sent writers to the thesaurus, looking for the right words to describe her awesome abilities. Her Hambletonian heats in 1:52 1-5 and 1:52 4-5 were the most amazing displays of pure, trotting efficiency this writer has ever seen. However, the "fabulous filly with the flying tail" was injured in her torturous, three-heat, World Trotting Derby victory at Du Quoin for Mike Lachance, and could not risk further injury by racing in the Futurity.

The one thing that all of these near misses have in common is that every horse came to the Futurity off form. Steve Lobell was never quite the same horse after his 4-heat Hambletonian, and his situation brought about a revision of Hambletonian conditions. Further, Speedy Somolli's naturally aggressive nature had finally caught up with him prior to the 1978 Futurity. Mack Lobell's sore feet had been stressed by his world record assault at Springfield, and his losses to Napoletano at Du Quoin; American Winner came to the Futurity unsound and put in a gallant effort, but had no chance to defeat Pine Chip.

MUSCLES YANKEE LOOKS UNBEATABLE--BUT........

Muscles Yankee appears to be coming into the race with no appearance of unsoundness. He looked as fresh and willing last week as a horse could on the eve of his biggest race. This is no doubt the result of Sylvester's cautious handling of his charge between the Hambletonian, the Yonkers Trot and this week. There was no record assault at Springfield--no draining heats at Du Quoin--just preparation for the Triple Crown. Sylvester's experience with Mack Lobell, and that of others since, have no doubt influenced his careful handling of Muscles Yankee. He has taken a lot of heat from the press for not racing at Du Quoin, but Sylvester was on a mission. Another factor is that the Kentucky Futurity often provides some serious surprises. In just the last decade, longshots Sugarcane Hanover, Huggie Hanover, Star Mystic and CR Track Master have found their way behind the hedges and into Victory Lane at The Red Mile.

Only history awaits to see if Chuck Sylvester's cautious handling of Muscles Yankee, and judgment are vindicated. I can't wait!