Triple Crown Horse Races: The 2020 horse racing has largely come to a close with the completion of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships this past weekend. What a 2020 it was, with the calendar turned on its head by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Triple Crown shuffled, beginning with an abbreviated Belmont Stakes and then continuing with the Kentucky Derby on Labor Day weekend and the Preakness Stakes a month later.
Let’s look at the latest updates for next year’s signature series in horse racing, but before we do that, check out the Early Future Odds on the upcoming 2021 Triple Crown cycle of races, courtesy of online racebook JAZZSports.ag:
Horses Futures*
| Will There Be a Triple Crown Winner in 2021? | Odds |
| Yes | +600 |
| No | -1000 |
| Odds to Win – 2021 Kentucky Derby | Odds |
| Essential Quality | +1250 |
| Freedom Fighter | +3500 |
| Jackies Warrior | +4000 |
| Reinvestment Risk / Whiskey Double / Golden Pal / Highly Motivated | +4500 |
| Founder / Vanishing Point / Upstriker / Hot Rod Charlie | +5000 |
*Odds are subject to change. See complete list of 2021 Kentucky Derby Odds to Win at JAZZSports.ag.
The Latest Triple Crown 2021 News
Shifting the Triple Crown horse races meant a longer prep season – and more attention on the three-year-old class in the fall, usually a time for the two-year-old horses to start getting more notice. So when it comes to predicting next year’s 20-horse field at Churchill Downs (with the Derby set for May 1, 2021), the futures wagers are up and running, but bettors come in with less information than they would normally have.
One horse considered an early favorite for the 2021 Kentucky Derby is Essential Quality. This colt of Tapit won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile by ¾ of a length, starting off the pace but then pushing by Hot Rod Charlie in the last 1/16. He went four wide in the backstretch and through the far turn, but once he hit the stretch, he made an epic run to the finish, posting a career-high 103 Equibase Speed Figure, a significant improvement from the 85 he posted in a four-length victory in his debut in September at Churchill Downs.
He has 30 points for the 2021 Kentucky Derby to lead the field. However, he does not have the pedigree for distance, as his dam (Delightful Quality) excelled more at sprints. However, the 2020 Japanese Triple Crown winner, Contrail, is a close relative and won the Japanese St. Leger, over approximately 1 7/8 miles.
Jackie’s Warrior went into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile as the favorite but went down along the way; Hot Rod Charlie passed him early, and then Jackie’s Warrior ran out of gas in the last furlong. He had won the Hopeful Stakes and the Champagne Stakes convincingly, both on one-turn courses, but here he could never settle into the lead and never seemed comfortable. Watch his next prep race over two turns.
Give an EDGE to your horse-betting with the help of JAZZ Horse Racing’s expert racing advice. Stay tuned for more special coverage on the upcoming Pegasus World Cup 2021.
