THE TRIPLE CROWN TRILOGY by Kimberly Campbell
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The View From Behind the Starting Gate


The Triple Crown Club

The exclusive Triple Crown Club consists of 12 horses that had the speed, stamina, heart – and yes, racing luck, to achieve the greatest accomplishment in all of horse racing, and maybe of all sports. To win the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes at various distances in a span of five weeks is a rare feat for a three-year-old horse.

In their young life, they will contend against a field of twenty horses (the Derby), race two weeks later (the Preakness), and need to master a distance of a mile and a half (the Belmont), none … [read more]


A Terrapin Connection – Tim Keefe

I’ve been asked several times how I found Tim Keefe, the trainer currently working with my two-year-old, Height of the Storm.

To be frank, I didn’t know where to start. However I did know I wanted her to train at Laurel Park which is closer to my home so I could see her more often. Clovis and I had many conversations about what to look for in a trainer, but in the end it was my decision.

So a few months ago, I reached out to someone I had met while doing research for my second book, The Eye of … [read more]


What’s in a Name?

The month of July always brings a bit of a slowdown for me, only in that I find myself in hotels across the country in the name of Travel Baseball. Currently, I am in a hotel in Atlanta for two weeks waiting out the popup rain storms and the rescheduling of baseball games. What this does allow me to do is get away from the details of operating my everyday life and provide time to ponder important things, such as naming my filly!

I have a long list of potential names that I keep on my … [read more]


Galloping in the Hoof Prints of the Greats

In 2014, I had the wonderful opportunity to ride Lilly on the actual track that the Preakness will be held on this week. That year, the weekend before the race, a special event was held called Canter for the Cure to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation. It provided an opportunity for anyone to bring their horse and ride on the Pimlico race track and get your picture taken in the winners circle.

Two of my barn friends and I loaded up and drove an hour and half to have the opportunity to ride on the same … [read more]


Triple Crown Dreams – A New Chapter

I sat in the back row of the auction house, my hands clammy as I turned the pages back and forth in the sale catalog.  I was going to do it, actually do it.  In four horses, they were going to call Hip 125, and I was going to raise my hand and actually bid on one of the yearlings I had been looking at in the barns behind the sales pavilion. 

If you have been following my blog, you know I had attempted to breed my own Thoroughbred.  This had not gone according to my plan.

The path started in … [read more]


The Dream Derailed….

Hello again….

I haven’t written in this space in a while, as I tend to quickly update followers on my Facebook page, www.facebook.com/triplecrowndreams.    It has also taken me a while to come to terms with the derailment of my first Triple Crown dream of breeding a racehorse.

In October, Lilly aborted her foal, at seven months of gestation.

I received a call from Robin, the farm owner, that Lilly was in distress.  She was rushed to the Equine Medical Center in Leesburg.  No heartbeat could be found, and I fought back the tears.

Given the advanced nature of the pregnancy, Lilly would … [read more]


The Triple Crown races are over – Now what?

All the hype around a second Triple Crown winner in consecutive years has died down.  Nyquist didn’t fit the bill, and Exaggerator wasn’t a super horse.  However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t some exciting Thoroughbred racing on the horizon for 2016.

If you’re looking for a fun getaway weekend, look no further than the highly regarded Haskell Invitational July 31 at Monmouth Park in New Jersey, or the Travers Stakes on August 27 at Saratoga in upstate New York.  Both venues are beautiful, with a lot of history.

Many of the three-year-old horses will continue to try and … [read more]


The Art of Writing

There’s been a lot of curiosity about the release of Book Two in the Triple Crown Trilogy. At times, I too, would like to know when it will be done!

You see, I am not a writer by trade. My expertise is numbers, accounting specifically, and business management and analysis.

I stumbled into this arena due to my desire to educate the general public about Thoroughbred horse racing.

I live in the state of Virginia, and I was saddened to hear of the demise of Colonial Downs, the state’s only racetrack, located outside of Richmond. Virginia was once a pillar in the Thoroughbred … [read more]


Grey Is The New Bay

I am a huge fan of a grey horse. Smokey was my first grey Thoroughbred when I was young. He was a handful, but I loved his personality. Turned out into the field with the herd, he would stand on the top of the hill, look around, and determine it was time to start trouble. Taking off at a full run, he would chase after each horse until they were all happily galloping around. Then he would drop his head and eat, figuring his job was done.

Of course the assistant trainer at the my barn prefers the color bay given … [read more]


My Personal Thoroughbred Makeover

I am overwhelmed, no wait, I am excited….how can that be?

I spent my day working and revising my kids sports schedules for the week given that my husband would be out of town and I would be down one driver. Baseball, lacrosse (times two – two kids, two different practice schedule), horseback riding lessons, Pizza Day and the Science Fair. How am I going to get through the week?

Enter Spanish Affair aka “Briggs.”

In the midst of finding a suitable mate for Lilly and finding out if she is in foal, I have decided to take … [read more]