Canadian-bred colt who remains the last winner of the British Triple Crown, ridden by Lester Piggott and trained by Vincent O'Brien in a career considered one of the greatest in the sport's history.
Nijinsky was foaled in 1967 in Canada, a son of the influential stallion Northern Dancer, and was purchased as a yearling by trainer Vincent O'Brien, who had developed a prescient belief in Northern Dancer's bloodline before it became fashionable. Sent to O'Brien's Ballydoyle stables in County Tipperary, Nijinsky was ridden throughout his three-year-old campaign by Lester Piggott, one of the most successful jockey-trainer-horse partnerships in racing history. In 1970, Nijinsky achieved what no horse has managed since: winning the British Triple Crown, sweeping the 2,000 Guineas, the Epsom Derby, and the St Leger Stakes in a single season, a feat that had not been accomplished since Bahram in 1935 and has not been repeated in the more than five decades since. His Epsom Derby victory was widely considered among the most authoritative in the race's history, and he was later ranked the best-ever winner of the Derby by a panel of experts assembled by the Daily Telegraph in 2018. Nijinsky's dominance made him the yearling that helped validate O'Brien and Robert Sangster's early investment in Northern Dancer bloodstock, a strategy that would go on to define the modern Coolmore breeding empire. After his racing career, Nijinsky became one of the most influential stallions in thoroughbred history, remaining the only sire to have produced winners of both the Epsom Derby and Kentucky Derby in the same year, with Shahrastani and Ferdinand both triumphing in 1986. His Triple Crown success and subsequent stud career cemented his status as one of the most significant horses of the 20th century, and he was posthumously honored as part of the inaugural QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame induction alongside trainer Vincent O'Brien.
Winning the British Triple Crown in 1970, a feat no horse has achieved since, in a career trained by Vincent O'Brien and ridden by Lester Piggott
How They Played
Powerful, versatile colt capable of winning at distances from a mile to nearly two miles, combining speed for the 2,000 Guineas with the stamina needed for the classic distance of the Derby and St Leger
Lasting Impact
Regarded as one of the greatest racehorses of the 20th century, whose Triple Crown remains unmatched over five decades later and whose stud career helped establish Northern Dancer's bloodline as the foundation of modern thoroughbred breeding
Career Honours
- 1970 British Triple Crown Winner - the last horse to achieve the feat
- 1970 Epsom Derby Winner - ranked the best-ever Derby winner by Daily Telegraph experts (2018)
- 1970 2,000 Guineas and St Leger Stakes Winner
- Inducted into the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame