Why Not a "Triple Cup"?

Arrogate made the impossible possible the moment he swept past Gun Runner in the Meydan stretch and soared to Dubai World Cup glory. With the world watching, he rocketed to the title of North America’s richest racehorse, a title he received in less than one calendar year.

One could say the patience to get Arrogate to the racetrack has certainly paid off. Having not made his first start until April of his 3-year-old season, “The Big A” was allowed the time to come into his own. Unlike many, there was no rush to make the hallowed Triple Crown. Arrogate and his connections waited, and perhaps patience was the ultimate component to the world’s best racehorse’s recipe for success.

One could mull over whether or not Arrogate would have given the racing world and Bob Baffert the gift of back to back Triple Crowns. At the end of the day, late developing horses, or even those with illness or injury, miss out on the chance of ultimate glory with the Triple Crown. It’s one shot, now or never, and many eventual stars missed their chance to crack what many deem to be horse racing’s greatest accomplishment.

Believe it or not, there was a day and age that presented older horses with a chance to have their own “triple” glory. The New York Handicap Triple was a series of three handicap races run in New York for older horses. The Met Mile, Brooklyn, and Suburban Handicaps offered the unique challenge for older horses to reign victorious over three of the most prestigious handicap races in the nation while carrying challenging weights. Four horses completed the New York Handicap Triple, starting with Whisk Broom II in 1913, the legendary Tom Fool in 1953, five time Horse of the Year Kelso in 1961, and Fit to Fight in 1984. Many other racing greats, such as Forego, Buckpasser, Assault, and In Excess, tried and failed to complete the sweep. The Triple eventually faded into oblivion, and today it is literally impossible to complete, with both the Met Mile and Brooklyn run on the Belmont Stakes undercard.

Four consecutive Grade 1's and $17,000,000 later, Arrogate has set a new precedent. He reeled off victories in three of the world’s richest races: the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic, the $12 million Pegasus World Cup, and the $10 million Dubai World Cup. Three races, three “cups”...so, why not a Triple Cup?

How else to make three of the most lucrative races on earth even more lucrative than to brand them together? Similar to the Triple Crown, all three races are challenging to win in their own right and offer their own individual accolades. While the Belmont Stakes offers difficulty through its grueling 1 ½ mile distance, the Dubai World Cup asks horses to run their best against some of the best the world has to offer after traveling thousands of miles. A Triple Cup is marketable, and the combined glory (and the purses) should be a big enough incentive to encourage horses and their connections to accomplish such as feat.

As aforementioned, Arrogate has set a new precedent. For a horse who never had his shot at the Triple Crown, he still managed to dazzle worldwide racing fans with his own “Triple Cup”. Where Tom Fool and Kelso were allowed the chance to take home the Handicap Triple, a Triple Cup allows horses such as Arrogate their chance at their own sweep post-Triple Crown.

Some horses take longer to develop, some miss the spring classics due to unfortunately timed illness or injury, while others simply get better with age. A series of races for older horses offers their own chance at glory, and a possible incentive to stick around racing a little longer.

While it never reached Triple Crown level, the Handicap Triple is proof a different series of races is able to get some spotlight as well. The Breeders’ Cup Classic, Pegasus World Cup, and Dubai World Cup are a monster pairing, so why not a Triple Cup?