Triple Crown Champions – Nevele Pride

With this week’s thoroughbred running of the Belmont Stakes and the first potential Triple Crown winner since 1978, we’re looking back at some of the past winners of harness racing’s own Triple Crown. Kicking it off is a standout in the history of the sport, Nevele Pride, driven and trained by Stanley Dancer.

The team-up of Pride and Dancer led to 57 wins and Horse of the Year honors from 1967 through 1969. They captured the Triple Crown in 1968, winning the heats of Hambletonian by four and five and one-half lengths and the Kentucky Futurity by an incredible seven and two and three-quarter lengths.

He was called by many one of the meanest horses in history, but Nevele Pride was known to relax off the track and enjoy a sneaked hot dog here and there. Originally named Thankful’s Major, he retired with $873,238 in total winnings and went to sire horses leading to Hambletonian champion Duenna and top performers Incredible Nevele, Pershing and Flying Irishman.