Horses to Watch in the 2017 Triple Crown

Archive note: The selections below were made before the 2017 Triple Crown. The completed results appear after the original analysis.

This is one of the most exciting times of the year for horseracing fans. All across the world trainers are preparing their young champions to make a run at the 2017 Triple Crown. If recent years are any indication, this year’s crop of potential champions could present many opportunities for handicappers to make money, and EZ Horse Betting is here to help you find the best contenders. Here is a list of horses to watch in the weeks leading up to the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes.

Classic Empire

Owned by John C. Oxley and trained by Mark Casse, Classic Empire currently tops the field of Triple Crown hopefuls. This Kentucky-bred colt has been impressive since making his debut at Churchill Downs around the time of the 2016 Kentucky Derby. With four wins in five starts during 2016, Classic Empire has managed to earn 30 points toward entry into the 2017 Derby with wins in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity Stakes. His current lifetime earnings are almost $1.5 million, but the biggest question is will he be able to overcome the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Jinx. In most years, the winner of the BC Juvenile has been less than impressive on the Triple Crown trail.

Practical Joke

With a third place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile behind Classic Empire, Practical Joke could be peaking at just the right time to make a serious run at the Triple Crown. The horse is owned by Klaravich Stables, Inc. and William H. Lawrence. Perhaps the most interesting thing about this colt is his trainer, Chad C. Brown. This young horse trainer has been steadily moving up in the standings over the past few years and now seems poised to win his first Triple Crown event with this Kentucky-bred colt. With three juvenile wins, including the Hopeful and Champagne, plus his third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile across four 2016 starts, Practical Joke is no laughing matter and may make the other contenders shed tears in May.

Gunnevera

Gunnevera made headlines by capturing the Delta Downs Jackpot last November after a 5th place finish in the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity Stakes in October. Gunnevera was owned by Peacock Racing Stables, whose name came from the owners’ Peacock Trading business; the stable was not an NBC venture owned by broadcaster Tom Hammond. The horse is trained by Antonio Sano and was bred in Kentucky. The relevant racing questions were his preparation, pace and ability to handle the classic distances, rather than an imagined conflict with television broadcasting duties.

Lookin At Lee

Steve Asmussen makes his return to the Triple Crown trail with the Kentucky-bred Lookin At Lee. The colt had won his maiden and the Ellis Park Juvenile Stakes during 2016 and also ran a respectable 4th in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile behind Classic Empire and Practical Joke. The horse is owned by L and N Racing, LLC and completed six juvenile starts with two wins and two runner-up finishes. He was already a stakes winner, so the question entering 2017 was whether he could improve enough in the prep races to compete with the strongest classic contenders. The late-running colt’s position and pace setup deserved attention. EZ Horse Betting recommends keeping an eye on this talented colt in his next race.

What the 2017 Triple Crown Field Revealed About Pre-Race Assessment

Looking back at a pre-race preview like this one after the season has concluded provides one of the most instructive exercises available to developing handicappers. This watch list included horses that reached the classics and others whose campaigns changed. Always Dreaming, the eventual Derby winner, was not among the five selections above; a retrospective must acknowledge that omission instead of crediting the preview with selecting him. Analysing the gap between pre-season assessment and actual performance reveals both what the preview got right and, more instructively, what it missed.

The horses that underperformed pre-season expectations typically did so for reasons that were present but underweighted in the original assessment — fitness issues that subsequent events revealed, pace scenarios that did not develop as projected, or class demands that exceeded what their prep form had prepared them for. The horses that overperformed typically had specific advantages that the original assessment underweighted — the freshness of a targeted preparation, a jockey change that proved more impactful than anticipated, or a pace scenario that happened to suit them perfectly. For more on 2017 Triple Crown action, our articles on 2017 Kentucky Derby recap and 2017 Preakness Stakes recap cover the actual results. And our guide to the key to winning Triple Crown bets covers the systematic approach to these races.

Mastery

Trainer Bob Baffert is no stranger to the Triple Crown trail, and Mastery seems to be Baffert’s best chance for taking home a win in one of the events this year. The colt completed an unbeaten three-start juvenile campaign with his win in the Los Alamitos Cash Call Futurity and has earned 10 points toward qualifying for the Kentucky Derby. If Baffert remains true to his training agenda for Triple Crown horses, Mastery could well be headed for the Arkansas Derby later this year on his way to Kentucky. Keep an eye out to see if Baffert places him in this race and consider a bet!

As the months pass more Triple Crown contenders will emerge, and EZ Horse Betting is the site for staying abreast of the latest developments.

This is a great time to create an account with BetAmerica or any of our recommended online horse betting sites. The signup language reflects the 2017 preview. For a current account, check the operator’s present identity, regional eligibility, available racing coverage and promotion terms before registering; no bonus or winning outcome is assured.

What the 2017 Triple Crown actually produced

This January 2017 watch list is an archived snapshot, not a current list of runners. Always Dreaming won the Kentucky Derby, Cloud Computing won the Preakness, and Tapwrit won the Belmont Stakes. The three different winners show why an early juvenile ranking could not identify a single inevitable Triple Crown champion. Churchill Downs’ Derby recap records the first leg; later race records complete the series.

Use the list to study forecasting: which horses reached a classic, how their preparation changed, and whether an injury, distance, surface or pace altered the original case. Keep what was known in January separate from the final result. A promising two-year-old may become a serious contender, but that prospect is not a guaranteed or timeless betting angle.

What happened to two of the watch-list horses?

America’s Best Racing’s Lookin At Lee profile records his juvenile wins and classic finishes. Claiborne’s retirement announcement explains why Mastery’s campaign ended. Use those records to separate a forecast made before the season from events that occurred afterward.