"[8], After the Triple Crown, Seattle Slew was sent to Hollywood Park Racetrack, which increased the purse for the Swaps Stakes to over $300,000 to lure him to run on July 3. "[8][24], Going off at odds of 2-5, Seattle Slew went to the early lead. Could Seattle Slew, a Triple Crown winner of 1977 have defeated Secretariat? Jockey Jean Cruguet sent him straight to the lead and opened up a lead down the backstretch. Seattle Slew later became an outstanding sire and broodmare sire, leading the North American sire list in 1984 when his son Swale won the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. It is the only case where three generations in a row won the Belmont Stakes. Secretariat was a two-time Horse of the Year and swept the Derby, Preakness and Belmont, winning the last race by a record 31 lengths, in 1973. Seattle Slew is the only horse in history to beat another Triple Crown winner. I'd never seen him like that before. "Even now," said Cruguet, "he should be undefeated. After his two-year-old successes, expectations which would have weighed heavily on a lesser athlete, seemed to fuel the stallion's fire. Secretariat, Man o War, Seattle Slew, Seabiscuit. He would let you do whatever you wanted him to do, but only if he wanted to do it. WebSeattle Slew was the heavy favorite at odds of 1-2 but still faced a large field as many felt the colt would be vulnerable at the Derby's distance of 1 + 1 4 miles. The track was rated as fast despite showers earlier in the day. [53] California Chrome was the second Kentucky Derby winner in a row who was a sire-line descendant of Seattle Slew, following Orb in 2013. I could see that when (98-year-old retired veterinarian) Dr. (William) McGee was there at the barn at Churchill Downs in his wheelchair feeding him carrots, added Seaman, who spent many mornings observing the colt. Seattle Slew finished the Belmont Stakes with a record of 9-0. WebSeattle Slew was the heavy favorite at odds of 1-2 but still faced a large field as many felt the colt would be vulnerable at the Derby's distance of 1 + 1 4 miles. After planning to stick to a budget of $10,000- $15,000, Karen convinced her husband to keep bidding as she admired the spirited colt. Affirmed, the 1978 Triple Crown winner, was fourth, followed by American Pharoah. Andrew Beyer (a Seattle Slew skeptic when the horse was a three-year-old) wrote for his lead, "Exceller was the winner of yesterday's Jockey Club Gold Cup, Seattle Slew was its hero. There are so many factors, tangible and intangible, that combine in the making of a great racehorse, from the lightning interaction of genes at the time of conception to the blades of grass and grains of oats consumed, to basic luck in avoiding injury. That battling final furlong remains [Seattle Slews] most enduring legacy as a racehorse.. Indy (1992) who in turn sired Rags to Riches. In the Swaps, Seattle Slew was unable to get to the front as jockey Bill Shoemaker sent J.O. Seattle Slews most notable achievement from his three-year-old year was winning the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes to secure the title of Triple Crown champion. Before shipping to California, Seattle Slew had been sedated repeatedly to be used in a Xerox advertising campaign for a new X-ray machine, then was sedated again during the flight. Man O' War was retired to stud as a four-year-old, siring the likes of Crusader , Battleship, and War Admiral . WebSeattle Slew breaks first and is quickley settled along the rail as Affirmed nudges to an early lead as Secretariat gallops along 4 lengths back entering the first turn. Seattle Slew died on May 7, 2002, exactly 25 years after his Kentucky Derby win. The two colts then dueled around the first turn before Cruguet got Seattle Slew to relax down the backstretch, under a tight restraint, allowing For the Moment to open up a lead of a length. Babe Didrickson Zaharias or Jackie Joyner-Kersee? In January 1978, he fought off a life-threatening collapsed left jugular vein due to an injection that missed the vein. All four possessed outstanding biomechanics, according to Seamans system. If happenstance had placed the two stallions in the same time warp, it would have seemed as if twins were sent to thrill the sporting world for a few brief, magical years and settle the issue once and for all. Cordero was a master at getting in the heads of the other jockeys, Christine says. The race lacked the cavalry charge to the first turn that is typical of the usual 20-horse Derby field. [21] For the first time, Turner chose to have the colt given butazolidin before the race, fearing that Seattle Slew might suffer a minor injury in his final workout. Also, read about the 13 Triple Crown winning horses. He was then sedated again for a fourth time during his flight to California for the Swaps Stakes, which was just three weeks after the Belmont. Indy sired the 2003 Horse of the Year, Mineshaft, Preakness Stakes winner Bernardini and Belmont Stakes winner Rags to Riches. Just five years later, Affirmed and Alydar would battle stride for stride, nostril for nostril for the length of the Belmont Park stretch in the 1978 Belmont. Seattle Slew, boxed in for much of the race with Text to his side, eventually broke free but tired badly in the stretch. He had drawn post position three, and had to wait in the starting gate for the rest of the field to load. The 13 Triple Crown winners face off in a virtual race under the Twin Spires of Churchill Downs. Taylor later recalled that the colt had been timed in a brilliant time of 33.mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}35 seconds for three-eighths of a mile, but the clocker instead recorded the time as 36 seconds because he felt people wouldn't believe the right figure. Yes, Seattle Slew and Secretariat are related. For his last four races, Angel Cordero Jr. rode Seattle Slew. Life's Hope dropped back, then Affirmed also faltered, having raced too close to the pace. However, not every mystery will be solved this side of eternity. For over 28 years, Slew's accomplishments on and off the track, went unmatched by any other. Thats a winning percentage of 86.6%, better than Affirmed, Dr. Fager , Count Fleet and even Secretariat, who won only 76.1% of his races. Man O' War was half-a-hand taller and slightly more bulky in frameruggedly handsome. Seattle Slews name was chosen by his owner Karen, a Washington state native. Nevertheless, allow this writer to provide some pertinent facts concerning the two front runners for the title, Greatest Racehorse of All Time. All those horses ruled the turf at a different time than Secretariat. After the race, Jean Cruguet, winner of 11 of 13 races on Seattle Slew, angered the owners by saying the horse wasnt up to the matchup with Affirmed. [12], On October 16, Taylor stepped the colt up in class to enter the Grade I Champagne Stakes, then the most important race for two-year-olds in the United States. His Belmont Stakes victory is a landmark. His grandson, through Hard Tack , was the legendary Seabiscuit . His trusty groom Tom Wade traveled with him from Spendthrift Farm to Three Chimneys and even to Hill n Dale Farm. "He had the greatest heart," said Karen Taylor. We're left with finding solace and satisfaction only in the pursuit of facts and in our final subjective opinion. WebSeattle Slew was the heavy favorite at odds of 1-2 but still faced a large field as many felt the colt would be vulnerable at the Derby's distance of 1 + 1 4 miles. His stud fee was set at a whopping $800,000, though later it went down to $300,000. Seattle Slew underwent spinal fusion surgery at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital for a neurological condition in 2000, followed by a second surgery in 2002. grandson of Bold Ruler, who was Secretariat's sire. As his career as a stud, Seattle Slew sired the great A.P. [19] Seattle Slew was the heavy favorite at odds of 1-2 but still faced a large field as many felt the colt would be vulnerable at the Derby's distance of 1+14 miles. Neither horse would have met rejection from an amorous filly. Seaman, a Lexington-based bloodstock consultant who has measured over 108,000 Thoroughbreds under a system he developed to scientifically evaluate equine potential through biomechanics, gently extended his tape around American Pharoahs girth. From humble beginnings, Seattle Slew became one of the greatest Thoroughbred racehorses America has ever seen. For over 28 years, Slew's accomplishments on and off the track, went unmatched by any other. WebSecretariat won by so far, against such a small field of just five horses, that comparisons to other races is not germane. Seattle Slew (February 15, 1974 May 7, 2002) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who became the tenth winner of the American Triple Crown (1977). Down the stretch, Cruguet tapped him with the whip a few times to keep the colt's mind on the race and Seattle Slew won comfortably by four lengths over Run Dusty Run. Citation, the 1948 Triple Crown champion, came in second, while Seattle Slew finished third. March 1 (UPI) -- Veteran winger Patrick Kane says it was "bittersweet" to learn he was traded from the Chicago Blackhawks to the New York Rangers, but the move puts him in a "better spot" for a fourth championship. [9] He finally made his first start in a six-furlong maiden race on September 20, 1976, the fifth race at Belmont Park. In 2006, Lava Man became the first horse to win the Santa Anita Handicap, Hollywood Gold Cup and Pacific Classic Stakes in the same year. He went off as the 1-5 favorite despite being assigned 128 pounds. Churchill Downs analyzed the historical past performance of each Triple Crown winner and incorporated the opinions of horse racing experts who evaluated each contenders achievements and put them into historical perspective. After the race, he was sedated three times as part of an advertising campaign for a new X-ray by Xerox. He made a late charge, pulled ahead for a second, fell back and then was charging again as Exceller got his nose in front at the wire. [18], Seattle Slew was visibly upset after the race. He also spread the tape across the length of colts body, against his legs and under his throat. Seattle Slew died on May 7, 2002, exactly 25 years after his Kentucky Derby win. Despite the defeat, many analysts considered this to be Seattle Slew's greatest performance. Cruguet was fired, and the jockey who had ridden Dr. Patches, Angel Cordero, was hired. The owners said that Turner had not raised objections prior to the race, and further that Turner's drinking problems were putting the horse at risk. Now, if there were Triple Crown winners close enough in time to be able to compete on the track, it still wouldnt happen. As he matured though, he developed a graceful front-running style with an acceleration that was compared to "a falcon in a dive. Seattle Slew had missed much of his 77 winter season because of a life-threatening ailment but had battled back and was pointed for this race. Bold Reasoning was a grand-son of Bold Ruler, whose descendants, including Secretariat, dominated the Kentucky Derby in the 1970s. One or both horses would be in the breeding shed, filling the pockets of syndication owners with stud-fee cash. WebSeattle Slew was foaled on February 15, 1974 at Ben Castleman's White Horse Acres Farm near Lexington, Kentucky. Not only is American Pharoah the largest of the last four Triple Crown winners, he also belongs to the most elite segment of athletes included in Seamans database. American Pharoah draws size and classic scope from his sire and sire line, being a grandson of Belmont Stakes winner and Kentucky Derby runner-up Empire Maker, who is by Kentucky Derby and Breeders Cup Classic winner Unbridled. WebSeattle Slew. #9 - Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century, National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, "Dark side to 'Slew' saga Horse racing: Seattle Slew won the Triple Crown 20 years ago, but then the trainer was fired and the owners feuded, tarnishing the story of the colt's Cinderella rise", "40 years ago, Seattle Slew 'em in remarkable Triple Crown run", "A legacy too great to forget as it's 40 years since Seattle Slew won the Triple Crown", "Seattle Slew, 15. Two of the 11 greatest horses in history had faced off, and one had gone wire to wire. After his inspiring wins, he kicked off the Slewmania craze, as people couldnt get enough of the beautiful bay. Seattle Slew, who won the 1977 Triple Crown, led for much of the virtual race before being overtaken in the stretch. . Turner felt that the main threat to Seattle Slew was his health, because the horse ran so fast and hard every time. And it happened again 28 days later. He is one of only two horses to have won the Triple Crown while being undefeated in any previous race; the second was Justify who won the Triple Crown in 2018 and is descended from Seattle Slew. 2023 horseyhooves.com, part of the Hopnetic network. Native Mexican Horse Breeds (History, Facts & Images), 10 Native Russian Horse Breeds (Facts, History & Images). He gave the public its first look at what was later called his "war dance" (his habit of tiptoeing on the track before his races)[10][11] and won by five lengths. Cruguet then eased up on the colt down the stretch, allowing Iron Constitution to close to within 112 lengths. Seattle Slew sired 1,103 named foals, of which 537 (48.7%) were winners and 111 (10.1%) were stakes winners. *Height measured to a point in the neck, not top of withers. However, he still managed to have a successful rest of his racing career. Learn More. The problem was thought to be minor,[39] but it was not until August that he made his next start. Instead, fans selecting the winning horse online were entered to win a VIP experience at the Derby this fall. "We've watched every one of his races this year and watched them carefully," he said. All four possessed outstanding biomechanics, according to Seamans system. War was foaled on March 29, 1917; Secretariat on March 30, 1970. First meeting of Rounding the final turn into the stretch, Cordero allowed Slew to swing wide. I said, I want you to feel his mechanics. He's just he's fast. Seattle Slew went on to win the Triple Crown, the first horse to do so since Secretariat in 1973. A crowd of 25,931 cheered while Seattle Slew was led around the paddock and then taken on track for a six-furlong workout, completed handily in 1:1015. I had to take him from the hotwalker and he ran over me a couple of times. Many experts saw Seattle Slews close defeat that day as a positive sign, because he carried 128 pounds, 14 more than Dr. Patches. Exceller had ridden mostly in California that year, and mostly on grass. Just five years later, Affirmed and Alydar would battle stride for stride, nostril for nostril for the length of the Belmont Park stretch in the 1978 Belmont. Indy's grandsons include Tapit. How did the world community respond to genocides after World War II? We may have our personal favorites such as Affirmed, Seattle Slew, Citation, etc., but the consensus top-two equine champions of all time are none other than Man O' War and Secretariat . Seattle Slew tried to fight back but lost by a neck in a major upset. Far back early, Exceller made a strong move on the far turn and saved ground by moving inside Seattle Slew as the tiring horse bore out turning for home. "Slew is such a nice horse and I was able to relax him on the backstretch. He won the U.S. Champion 2-Yr-Old Colt in 1976 and U.S. Champion 3-Yr-Old Colt in 1977, as well as the 1977 Horse of the Year. 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