[poconopundit]

Real nice article to post... and I like your expert commentary.

As it turns out, females have already had a few successes in triple crown wins: From a story on Sport List of the Day:

Most horses that run (and win) in the triple-crown races – Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes – are colts. Colts are male horses under the age of four. Past four, male (adult) horses are called “stallions” or just plain old “horses.” All 11 triple-crown winners have been colts.

Fillies are female horses usually under the age of four, but for the sake of horse racing, that limit is pushed up a year to five. Adult female horses are called “mares.”

Compared to the number of colts, very few fillies have raced in the Derby or the two Stakes, and even fewer have won. The number of filly entrants for each are noted below along with the winners.

Rachel Alexandra was the last filly to win any of the three races – she won the Preakness in 2009. In 2007, Rags to Riches won the Belmont.

The story is highly interested with a couple pics...

[ml/nj]

Actually fillies do successfully compete against colts, more so outside North America, but they always get a weight allowance.

To their credit, female jockeys do not get a weight allowance. It is the only sport I know of where a level playing field is tolerated. (I.e. no races for female jockeys only.)

ML/NJ