How Many English Triple Crown Horse Racing Winners Have There Been? As Guineas Winner Ruling Court Bids To Be Latest 3r526q

Godolphin’s Ruling Court supplied trainer Charlie Appleby with his third 2000 Guineas in the last four years and will now bid to become the next horse to try and win the Triple Crown.

But just how many horses have won the English Triple Crown, what races is it made up from and which horse was the last to achieve the trio of wins?

What Is The English Triple Crown In Horse Racing? 34ph

There are many ‘Triple Crowns’ in sport – but when it comes to horse racing this term refers to a horse trying to win three races as a 3 year-old in it’s native land.

In the US, their Triple Crown is made up of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes – but in England their Triple Crown races consist of the 2000 Guineas, Epsom Derby and St Leger.

With all three races only for 3 year-olds – meaning a horse will only have one crack (one season) to try and win them all.

Unlike the US Triple Crown, where their three races are all staged over a 4-5 week period, the English Triple Crown is more spaced out.

With the 2000 Guineas run in early May, the Derby in early June and the St Leger in the middle of September.

This unique series on the British horse racing calendar also tests the their ability to win over three different trips – with the 2000 Guineas run over 1m, the Derby 1m 4f and the St Leger 1m 6 1/2f, which therefore means a mixture of speed and stamina in their breeding is often essential.

So, having won this season’s 2000 Guineas the next horse to try and etch his name as a Triple Crown winner will be Ruling Court, who is as short as 4/1 for the second race in the series – the Epsom Derby on 7th June.

Who Was The Last English Triple Crown Winner? 5o362g

Winning the UK Triple Crown is not an easy business.

Don’t forget these horses are still young at just 3 years-old so to be kept at peak fitness from May to September – not to mention trying to win over trips ranging from 1m to 1m 6 1/2f – is very difficult for their trainers.

This is backed-up with the last English Triple Crown winner being in 1970, when the Lester Piggott-ridden NIJINSKY landed all three races for trainer Vincent O’Brien.

Meaning there HASN’T been a Triple Crown horse racing winner in the UK for 55 years.

However, it’s worth pointing out Oh So Sharp won the Fillies’ Triple Crown in 1985.

This consisted of winning the 1000 Guineas, the Epsom Oaks and St Leger.

How Many English Triple Crown Winners Have There Been? 3zsr

In total there have been just 12 English Triple Crown winners – which again shows just how hard winning the 2000 Guineas, Derby and St Leger is.

The first Triple Crown horse racing winner in England was West Australian in 1853 – he was the first of eight triple winners in the 1800’s.

However, since then these trio of races have been much harder to win – with only four horses in the 1900’s winning the English Triple Crown, and two of these came in the first three years of the century.

And none (so far) in the 2000’s.

In fact, the already mentioned Nijinsky, who was the last Triple Crown winner in 1970, has been the only one in the last 89 years.

That said, some horse racing fans will claim there are actually 15 English Triple Crown winners as there were also three during the First World War – Pommern (1915), Gay Crusader (1917) and Gainsborough (1918).

However, with these races ALL held at Newmarket during this period – the home of the Guineas – many feel this period shouldn’t be counted with racing very much disrupted.

Of course, the Derby is normally held at Epsom and the St Leger at Doncaster – which are two totally different tracks to Newmarket.

English Triple Crown Winners (12) h3u6x

Is 2000 Guineas Winner Ruling Court Bred To Stay The Longer Trips? 1y3g6m

Having already shown enough speed to win the 2000 Guineas over a mile – the big question is there enough stamina in Ruling Court’s pedigree to see him last out of the Epsom Derby trip of 1m4f?

The answer to that is – yes, there should be.

In fact, Ruling Court’s sire is a horse called Justify – who was also the last horse to win the US Triple Crown in 2018.

Justify is a US-bred horse that won all six of his career starts – including the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes.

He was also the sire of last year’s Epsom Derby winner City Of Troy – so the bloodline for the Derby is there for all to see.

His dam – Inchargeofme – also gives hope he’ll stay as she is by 2002 Derby winner High Chaparral.

With all of these Triple Crown races only for 3 year-olds – this means the answer to the question, how many times can a horse win the Epsom Derby? is just once.

But whether Ruling Court will have enough staying power in his pedigree to then last out the 1m 6 1/2f St Leger trip – the final leg of the Triple Crown – we’ll have to see.

Ruling Court Horse Profile 481em

Note: Stats correct as 6th May 2025

WATCH: Ruling Court Winning The 2000 Guineas 5c4b4e

2025 English Triple Crown Odds 162y3c

Before the Epsom Derby on June 7th, the best horse racing betting sites in the UK are offering around 65/1 that this year’s 2000 Guineas winner Ruling Court can be a Triple Crown winner – and also take the Derby and St Leger.

Individually, Ruling Court is 4/1 for the Epsom Derby and 12/1 for the St Leger.

The last horse to go close to winning the Triple Crown was an Aidan O’Brien Derby runner called Camelot in 2012. He won the Guineas and Derby – but was only second in the St Leger.

When Is The 2025 Epsom Derby? 2h5n16

📅Date: Saturday 7th June 2025
⌚Time: 3:30pm
🏇Racecourse: Epsom
🔄Trip: 1m 4f
💷Winner: £850,650
📺 TV: ITV / RTV

When Is The 2025 St Leger? 5z21

📅Date: Saturday 13th Sept 2025
⌚Time: 3:40pm
🏇Racecourse: Doncaster
🔄Trip: 1m 6 1/2f
💷Winner: £421,355
📺 TV: ITV / RTV