Past Triple Crown winners ready to welcome a new one (The Associated Press)

Steve Cauthen says it’s long past time for a new horse to join the exclusive club of Triple Crown winners. The jockey who rode Affirmed to a sweep of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes in 1978 believes horse racing needs a victory by American Pharoah in the Belmont on June 6 to boost flagging interest in the sport. Since Affirmed’s sweep, 14 horses have won the first two legs only to fail or not run in the 1 1/2-mile Belmont, the longest and most grueling of the three races that are run over a five-week span.