No matter what sort of horse racing fan you are, you probably have a list of horse races that you consider to be the best out there. We agree with that and our favorite top three horseraces in the United States have to be the Belmont State, Preakness, and the Kentucky Derby. We wait weeks and months for these races and follow betting odds, jockey careers, and can't wait for the visit to the track or the television show to entice us even more.

Why did we pick these three when there are so many? Because it is our list, not yours and we want to talk about them, where they are, the smell of the track, and the history behind these three events. First off, these three events make up the Triple Crown series and are run in this order:
• Kentucky Derby - Held the first Saturday in May
• Preakness - Run two weeks later
• Belmont Stakes - Runs three weeks later

Why do we enjoy the Triple Crown so much when we could, as horse wagers, make more money on perhaps other races? Because they're cool, celebrities attend them-heck, even Queen Elizabeth II came to the Kentucky Derby-those are races we like to talk about!

First, what's up with the Kentucky Derby? Well, beyond those taste bud tempting Mint Juleps we all sip or perhaps consume too many of, this Grade One race is for our favorite three year-old thoroughbreds and held each year in Louisville, Kentucky after the fun and exciting two week event of the Derby Festival. This event-filled race is one and a quarter miles at the spectacular Churchill Downs and has the old nickname, "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports!" If you haven't heard that term, what about "The Run For The Roses?" Sure, we know you've heard one of those terms. The thoroughbreds that run this race aim to beat the 1973 record of 1:59 2/5 set by Secretariat in 1973. Or, maybe as fans, they want to see which jockey will beat out the most winning jockeys-Eddie Arcaro and Bill Hartack-both won this race six times. Anyway, we love this race and dream of sitting with the wealthy ladies with hats, have a few Mint Julep's, and maybe sop up some great Burgoo Stew-a heck of a time.

We also love the Preakness-even the name is cool. The last three years have brought us horse names like Big Brown, Curlin, and Bernardini; all of these super horses won this race. Also a Grade One race for three-year old thoroughbreds held in Baltimore, Maryland at the Pimlico Race Course, this race has been called "The Run for the Black-Eyed Susans." We cheer here watching those horses run this 1-3/16 mile race and can't wait for that old black-eyed Susan to be hung around the winner's neck. Mostly, we like betting on this race and being forced to sing Maryland, My Maryland, even if we're not from there.

The Belmont Stakes, another amazing betting opportunity, oops, we mean horse race, is also a Grade One race and is held at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York and is the final leg of the Triple Crown-not to be confused with Crown Royal. This 1.5-mile race is also for those thoroughbreds we crave watching and what about all those Carnations? Well, they do call this race "The Run For The Carnations," so maybe those horses do like those flowers draped all over them, probably much more than the thorny roses at the Kentucky Derby. Here we all get to sing the theme from "New York, New York," even if we don't know the words. Most of us remember that Billy Shoemaker won this race five times and still love him, even if Eddie Arcaro has won it six times. We like it even more that Secretariat's time of 2:24 has never been beat as of yet, but there's always 2009.

Well, those are our favorite three and even if we can't get seats (we can't afford them), we sing, we laugh, eat, and all bet who will win, what will be the best time, and if we are holding the winning ticket. Check them all out next time-especially if you know the words to the traditional songs of each.