Nelson Clemmens serves as founder and CEO of AmWest Entertainment, LLC, and guides the online horse race betting platform AmWager. Knowledgeable about all things equestrian, Nelson Clemmens developed his next-generation, high-speed wagering platform out of his love for the sport of horse racing.

At the center of the horse racing calendar each year is the Triple Crown, which begins with the Kentucky Derby and proceeds to the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. Interestingly, the Triple Crown concept predates equestrian sports and extends back to the 18th century, when the Pope donned three crowns on top of each other (a triregnum) for significant occasions.

In the 19th century, English racing enthusiasts adopted a Triple Crown format for its three major races: the St. Leger Stakes, the Epsom Derby, and the Two Thousand Guineas. The first horse to achieve victory in all three was West Australian in 1853. This was followed by Gladiateur a bit more than a decade later.

In the early 20th century, three New York races that emulated the British track lengths (the Lawrence Realization, the Withers Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes) were planned as a Triple Crown in the US. However, anti-gambling legislation and the impracticability of transporting top horses from Maryland and Kentucky shelved that idea.

This changed in 1919, when Sir Barton won all the events that currently make up the Triple Crown, as well as the Withers Stakes. This led to the evolution of a classic schedule that would give other exceptional horses the opportunity to equal Sir Barton’s accomplishment. It was only in 1930, with Gallant Fox’s winning of all three events, that the concept of the Triple Crown formally took hold and became a standard in the American horse racing world.