Triple Bend (March 20, 1968 – January 31, 1995) was an American

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

racehorse who set a world record time of 119.80 for seven furlongs on dirt in winning the 1972

Los Angeles Handicap The Los Angeles Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California during the spring racing season. It was previously run at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California), which closed in 20 ...

Background

Bred by

Leslie Combs II Leslie Combs II (1901–1990) was an American equestrian. He was the founder and owner of the Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. Biography Early life He was born in 1901.Edward L. Bowen, ''Legacies Of The Turf: A Century Of Great Thoroughbr ...

, Triple Bend was sold at the 1969 Keeneland summer yearling sales for $100,000 to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

industrialist Frank McMahon, the owner of

Majestic Prince Majestic Prince (March 19, 1966 – April 22, 1981) was a Thoroughbred racehorse. One of the leading North American horses of his generation, he won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in 1969. Background In September 1967, Majestic Prince ...

who won that year's Kentucky Derby and

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs () o ...

. Unfortunately, soon after McMahon purchased Triple Bend, while on a farm he became caught in a fence and his struggles left him partially paralyzed and his euthanasia became a possibility. Nursed back to health, Triple Bend raced once as a juvenile in 1970.

Racing career

Under trainer Vance Longden, in 1971 his best results races was a win in the Contra Costa Stakes plus four second-place finishes in other stakes races. A rapidly improving horse at age four, in 1972 Triple Bend ran second to

Unconscious Unconscious may refer to: Physiology * Unconsciousness, the lack of consciousness or responsiveness to people and other environmental stimuli Psychology * Unconscious mind, the mind operating well outside the attention of the conscious mind a ...

in the Strub Stakes then beat him in winning California's richest and most prestigious race, the

Santa Anita Handicap The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early March at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses four years old and up and was once considered the most important race for o ...

.http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1085903/index.htm ''Sports Illustrated'' article on Triple Bend winning the 1972 Santa Anita Handicap Triple Bend dead heated with Autobiography for first in the

San Fernando Stakes The San Fernando Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in mid January at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Open to four-year-old horses, it is contested on at a distance of miles (8.5 furlongs) on Pro-Ride synthetic ...

and in winning the

Hollywood Park Racetrack Hollywood Park was a thoroughbred race course located in Inglewood, California, about 3 miles (5 km) from Los Angeles International Airport and adjacent to the Forum indoor arena. In 1994, the original Hollywood Park Casino was added to t ...

, set a world record time of 119.80 for seven furlongs. In the late fall, Triple Bend won the

Vosburgh Stakes The Vosburgh Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Run at the end of September/early October, it is open to horses three-years-old and up of either gender. A Grade II sprint race, it is ...

at Aqueduct Race Track in the

New York City borough New York City is composed of five boroughs: The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. Each borough is coextensive with a respective county of New York State, making New York City the largest U.S. municipality situated in mult ...

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

Stud record

Retired to

stud Stud may refer to the following terms: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay ba ...

duty, Triple Bend's progeny met with only modest racing success. He died on January 31, 1995, at the age of twenty-seven. He was standing at stud at Jackson Farm, owned by Gary L. and Christine Jackson, in Yakima, Washington.

Honors

In 1979, Hollywood Park Racetrack renamed the Lakes And Flowers Handicap in honor of Triple Bend. Since 2004, the

Triple Bend Handicap The Triple Bend Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for horses age four years and older over a distance of seven furlongs on the dirt held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California in June. The race currently offers a purse of ...

has been a

Grade 1 First grade (also called Grade One, called '' Year 2'' in England or Primary 2 in Scotland) is the first grade in elementary school and the first school year after kindergarten. Children are usually 6–7 years old in this grade. Examples by ...

event.

References

{{reflist 1968 racehorse births 1995 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Horse racing track record setters American Grade 1 Stakes winners Thoroughbred family 3-o