forgive me, Lanolin, i forget not everyone is familiar with horse racing minutia.
but have you ever heard of the Kentucky Derby? or a horse called Secretariat?
the Triple Crown is so named based on three very specific races. the first is the Kentucky Derby, the second the Preakness, and the third the Belmont. if one horse wins all three in the same year, it wins the Triple Crown. not many have done it, as you may guess.
i haven't heard of thoroughbred horses being mistreated? they're VERY expensive (probably why horse racing is nicknamed the sport of kings). i hope it isn't so!
you might enjoy being in Saratoga in summer, not to attend the races, but you can go to the track for breakfast, if you don't mind getting up early, and watch the horses being exercised. they're really beautiful.