For the fifth year in a row, the race for the Triple Crown is over well attention even turned to the Belmont Stakes.
Despite entering Saturday's race at the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore as the favorite with 8-5 odds, Mage -- winner of the 2023 Kentucky Derby -- came in third. He was upset by National Treasure, who edged out Blazing Sevens by a narrow margin.
Since the introduction of all three races in 1875, only 13 horses have swept and claimed the Triple Crown. The longest dry spell came after Affirmed won in 1978, a feat unmatched for nearly 40 years. During that stretch, 13 horses won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness States, but weren't able to seal the deal at the Belmont Stakes.
That drought finally ended in 2015 with American Pharoah, who also added a win at the Breeders' Cup Classic to earn the honor of winning the first ever Grand Slam of Thoroughbred racing. Three years later, Justify joined the list of Triple Crown winners with his 2018 sweep.
While the race for the Triple Crown ends with Mage's third-place finish, the field will return on June 10 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. for the third and final race of the series -- the Belmont Stakes.
