From Santa Anita to the Belmont: How California’s Horse Racing Legacy Connects to the Triple Crown

There is few more exciting horse racing events on the calendar than the Triple
Crown series.
All fans of the sport will already be considering the Belmont Stakes contenders
for 2026 after this year’s Preakness Stakes, with many of the top finishers from
the Kentucky Derby likely to line up at Saratoga at the start of June.
Some of the most important prep races to consider are staged in California, with
Santa Anita producing countless winners of Triple Crown races throughout
history.

Affirmed
The eleventh winner of the American Triple Crown had deep roots in Californian
racing, with the 1978 and 1979 Horse of the Year winning three times at Santa
Anita before landing the Kentucky Derby.
His most eye-catching win in California would come in the Santa Anita Derby,
winning by a yawning eight-length margin. After winning the Triple Crown,
Affirmed continued to be a dominant force on track, winning the Jim Dandy,
before returning to Santa Anita with victories in the G1 Charles H. Strub Stakes
and the G1 Santa Anita Handicap.

Sham
It could be argued that Secretariat would have never been as good as he was on
track without a rival that was able to push him to his limits. Therefore, despite
coming up short in all three Triple Crown races, Sham is one of the most historic
Californian-campaigned horses to compete on track.
The Frank Martin-trained horse dominated on every start at Santa Anita,
winning the Santa Catalina Stakes and the Santa Anita Derby.

Silver Charm
Everybody loves a grey horse, and there were few more picturesque winners at
Santa Anita than Bob Baffert-trained Silver Charm. The son of Silver Buck
became a fan favorite in California after finishing second in the Santa Anita
Derby.
His form would go to a new level after winning the Kentucky Derby and the
Preakness Stakes, before he was beaten by under a length in his Triple Crown bid
in the Belmont Stakes. You can check the current Belmont odds here:
twinspires.com/belmont-stakes/odds/

California Chrome
With the name of the state in his name, California Chrome was always likely to be
a fan favorite at Santa Anita, and his form on track made him a very likeable
contender with bettors. Trained by Art Sherman, the colt was regarded as the
‘people’s horse’, with his adoring fans labelled the ‘Chromies’.
However, like Silver Charm, his bid for immortality would come up short when
finishing fourth in the Belmont Stakes. After a globe trotting campaign, which
included victory in the Dubai Gold Cup, California Chrome would return to Santa
Anita with wins in the San Pasqual Stakes and Awesome Again Stakes before
retiring in January 2017.

American Pharoah
After decades of trying, Bob Baffert would finally achieve his goal of saddling a
Triple Crown winner in 2015, as the legend of American Pharoah was born. The
colt would dominate on track throughout his career, winning the FrontRunner
Stakes on his way to winning the Kentucky Derby in dominant fashion.
Triple Crown glory would be achieved following wins in the Preakness and
Belmont Stakes, before adding the Haskell Stakes before the season-ending
target at Keeneland. American Pharoah’s career would end in history, becoming

the first Grand Slam Champion of Thoroughbred racing when landing the
Breeders’ Cup Classic in dominant fashion.

Who Could Join the Plethora of Greats in 2026?
Santa Anita is often regarded as the place to find Triple Crown race winners, and
it could once again lead to a Belmont Stakes victor in 2026.
So Happy came up short in his goal to win the Kentucky Derby for Mark Glatt,
eventually finishing ninth at Churchill Downs. However, the Santa Anita Derby
winner could bounce back to form at Saratoga in June.