It is said that money makes the world go round; it could do the same for the Triple Crown.
In Thoroughbred racing, it certainly makes owners and trainers go around the world to places such as Dubai and Saudi Arabia for purses in the opulent neighborhood of $12 million and $20 million.
Those purses should catch the attention of anyone thinking about remodeling the Triple Crown.
Owner/breeder Godolphin and trainer Bill Mott sparked the latest furor by deciding to skip the Preakness Stakes (G1) with Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Sovereignty. Widespread debate about the spacing of the three classics in a five-week time frame would follow. BloodHorse, in its What's Going On Here column, and others would call for a longer time frame to be considered.
But before there's any tinkering with the dates, racing can try an easier solution to keep quality horses competing in each of the Triple Crown races: Significantly raise the purses for the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes (G1) so that they are befitting of the series' stature as the sport's most popular series among both fans and the mainstream American sports scene.
Toss in a participation bonus for trainers, and the Triple Crown suddenly becomes as robust as it was about 40 years ago when enhanced purses, a bonus, and unity as reflected in the formation of Triple Crown Productions fended off a threat from Robert Brennan and the Jersey Derby (G3).
This time around, the thought is that financial rewards will be so great that horsemen will train their best 3-year-olds differently to better prepare for the possibility of running in all three races, just as Journalism did so successfully this year.
These days, adding one more week between the Kentucky Derby and Preakness will barely cause a ripple of change. In informal talks with several top trainers, a third week was viewed as having little influence on their decisions. A fourth week improved their outlook to "maybe." Five weeks would work for trainers but extending the Triple Crown to a monthly event could results in the loss of mainstream sports fans, who complain about a three-day gap between NBA playoff games.
A better answer is to make the classics lucrative enough that horsemen will focus on the tough, durable 3-year-olds in their barns such as Journalism for the Triple Crown. To do it, the combined purse value for the three-race series should be doubled to $18 million. That's an attention grabber.
It should start with the Kentucky Derby being America's richest race. It is the most famous and popular race, as illustrated by 18 million television viewers, and it should have a purse with a similar cachet. Make it $8 million.
Then the Preakness and Belmont should rise to $5 million each. With all due respect to the Breeders' Cup, the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) should not have the same $2 million purse as the final two jewels of the Triple Crown.
That would make the Preakness and Belmont the co-third richest races in America, along with the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T), which befits their status. As for the participation bonus, it should be for trainers who incur huge costs running their stables on a daily basis and shipping their staff to the Triple Crown venues.
It should be $1 million, divided in a way similar to a purse with the top four finishers getting $600,000, $200,000, $120,000, and $80,000. Points would be awarded for a top-four finish in the three races on a 10-5-3-1 basis. This way, if say, Bob Baffert trains the winner and the third-place finisher in a classic he gets 13 points.
There also should be provisions that encourage starting top horses in multiple Triple Crown races. The trainer of the Kentucky Derby winner would get an extra three points for starting in the Preakness, and the trainer of a top-three finisher in any of races gets an extra five points if that 3-year-old starts in all three races.
That second provision would have been the key to determining the finish this year, with Michael McCarthy, trainer of Journalism, getting 25 points and the $600,000. Mott would have had 20 points and earned $200,000. Next would be John Shirreffs for Baeza (6 points, $120,000) and Brendan Walsh for Gosger (5, $80,000).
Now let's factor in the total payoff to trainers with enhanced purses and the bonus money using a 10% share for trainers (though in some cases it can be 12% including money for stable help). McCarthy would get $1,150,000, an increase of nearly $900,000 from his payout this spring. Mott $986,000 (roughly $500,000 more than this year), Shirreffs $250,000 (about $180,000 more), and Walsh $180,000 (about $140,000 more).
Those types of payouts should spark a different focus among trainers competing in the Triple Crown, not just the Kentucky Derby. Especially those with a brilliant filly.
There will be fears of pushing horses too hard, but that's where the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority and enhanced vet checks come into play. If a horse appears off, he should be scratched.
The timing also is perfect to move forward with such a plan in two years. In 2027, the Preakness and Belmont will be contested in new, sparkling, state-of-the-art facilities. What better way to celebrate those new venues than creating a buzz for the Triple Crown and the concept of participation in the entire series.
This timeframe would give the tracks more than a year to work to together on new sponsorship and advertising models to make this happen and offset added costs. Anyone have John Stewart's cell number?
Of course, this also means tracks would be working together for their common good, which may be the biggest ask. Yet with something so vitally important to the sport as the Triple Crown, it needs to happen.
It's an answer that should excite all ends of the industry: owners, trainers, jockeys, breeders, and sales companies (through more interest in buying yearlings and 2-year-olds), and, best of all, fans and television networks.
And it can happen.
All it takes is money.
