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What do the horses Citation, Secretariat, Seattle Slew or Affirmed all have in common? They all are Triple Crown Champions along with Sir Barton, Gallant Fox, Omaha, War Admiral, Whirlaway, Count Fleet and Assault. Only eleven horses have managed to capture the ever so elusive Triple Crown since 1919 with the last being Affirmed in 1978. So exactly what is the Triple Crown? The Triple Crown is a series of three races that starts with the Kentucky Derby which is held on the first Saturday in May and is also referred to as the "Run for the Roses" due to the winning horse being draped with a blanket of 554 red roses. This tradition was started by New York socialite E. Berry Wall when he presented roses to the ladies during a post derby party in 1883. The Kentucky Derby is also associated with an iced drink of bourbon, sugar and mint which is known as the Mint Julip. The first Kentucky Derby was held in 1875 and won by a horse named Aristides. Since then it has become the single greatest horse race in the world. Many have tried to win this elusive race which is the gateway to the Triple Crown. The race is held at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky and is 1 miles over a dirt track. The race is open to 3 year old colts, fillies, or geldings. The colts and geldings carry a weight of 126lbs while fillies carry a weight of 121lbs. The current purse for the Kentucky Derby is 2 million U.S. dollars. But more importantly is the prestige and the breeding opportunities that will follow a Kentucky Derby winner. The fastest time ever recorded for the Kentucky Derby was set by Secretariat in 1973 with a winning time of 1:59.40. Monarchos came close to besting the record in 2001 with a final time of 1:59.97. These are the only two horses to win the race in under 2 minutes. The slowest winning time was way back in 1891 when Kingman ran the race in 2:52.25. The entire atmosphere of the Kentucky Derby experience is party like with thousands that crowd the infield and it becomes a wild throng of humanity. This is in stark contrast to "millionaire's row" where the extremely rich and often very famous pay thousands of dollars for seats. Another derby tradition is the elaborate and lavish outfits and hats worn by the ladies in attendance. The song "My Old Kentucky Home" fills the track as it is performed by the University of Louisville marching band. It has become such a spectacle that even the media reports some of the more unusual hats seen on derby day. If you love horse

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