KENTUCKY — By Bob Ehalt

In terms of excitement and drama, the 2024 Triple Crown season was a smashing success.

It started with the pageantry of the 150^th Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve, where trainer Ken McPeek sent out Mystik Dan to record an 18.61-1 upset in an sensational finish that saw the top three horses each separated by a nose. The victory filled out McPeek’s résumé, giving him a win in each Triple Crown race and capped a fabulous weekend in which he won both the Kentucky Derby and the Longines Kentucky Oaks with Thorpedo Anna.

Two weeks later, beloved 88-year-old trainer D. Wayne Lukas won the Preakness Stakes for 2,570 owners when MyRacehorse’s Seize the Grey captured the middle jewel of the Triple Crown at odds of 9.80-1, the sixth betting choice in an eight-horse field.

Finally, the five weeks culminated with the splendor of the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets held at racing’s upstate New York oasis, Saratoga Race Course for the first time.

Not a bad spring at all.

Except for determining a clear-cut leader of the 3-year-old male division. Once again, the Triple Crown came up empty on that front, as 17.70-1 longshot Dornoch completed a series of upsets with a Belmont victory.

Read the full story on America’s Best Racing here.