AS MEATLOAF ONCE SAID…

Two out of three ain’t bad…

Here are the recent Triple Crown near misses...

Twenty horses have come up short in their bid to win the Triple Crown, including Smarty Jones (right), in 2006 the sixth horse in eight years to enter the Belmont with a Triple Crown shot. Smarty Jones had won the Preakness by a record 11 1/2 lengths and led the Belmont by more than a length with a furlong to go, but suffered his first ever loss at the hands of a 36-1 long shot, Birdstone (left).
(Photo: Bill Frakes/SI)
Funny Cide (top right corner) became the first gelding to win the Derby since 1929 and ran away with the Preakness by 9 3/4 lengths, but slipped to third place on a wet Belmont track when jockey Jose Santos ran him along the rail, the muddiest part of the track.

(Photo Bill Frakes/SI)

After a four-length, wire-to-wire Derby win and a close victory at the Preakness, War Emblem (middle) quickly lost his Triple Crown chances by stumbling out of the Belmont gate. Though the horse came back to take the lead late in the race, he faded into eight place on the back stretch -- the worst Belmont finish for any winner of the first two Triple Crown legs.

(Photo: Bill Frakes/SI)


In 1998, Real Quiet (right) had held off charges from Victory Gallop (left) in both the Derby and Preakness, but Bob Baffert's second straight Triple Crown contender lost a six-length lead in the stretch in a photo finish.

In 1999, Charismatic was the third straight horse with a chance at the Triple Crown, but lost the lead in the final furlong after injuring his leg.

(Photo: Bill Frakes/SI)

"He will win the Triple Crown, I guarantee it," jockey Gary Stevens said of Silver Charm (right) in 1997 after winning the first two legs by a head and a nose, respectively. Into the Belmont homestretch, the guarantee looked good, but Touch Gold (with a patched quarter crack) ran down Silver Charm and won by a half-length.

Photo: AP