Slew was very underrated and such a BEAST, i think he would have even given the great secretariat a run for his money, THAT would have been an awesome race to have seen.
Slew was very good, yet Secretariat was better, and as you say it might have been a good race but Big Red would prevail. Educated guess Red would have had Slew by 2 to 3 lengths based on his history.
@@captainamericaamerica8090 No. I love Seattle Slew. No horse could ever beat Secretariat at the Belmont stakes. Secretariat still has all 3 derby track records. How is he overrated?
@@walkawaycat431 Many horses would have not been beaten in their Best Race, you have no real point here.! Slew never lost to some bums. But sec did! 3= slew beat better horses than sec did. See how easy it is! When you're a expert like me! Slew was a better sire too
@captainamericaamerica8090 I love "Seattle Slew" he's my 2nd favorite horse. No one could have beaten Secretariat at Belmont. He is definitely not overrated. I happen to like Zenyatta as well. Secretariat is the greatest of all time.
This horse was a monster with a giant heart-his loss in the JCGC, after an impatient ride by Cordero, who later admitted that he should not have gone out in 1:09+ on a sloppy track in a 1 1/2 mile race, was a testament to his greatness. Affirmed was a great horse also but Slew beat him handily this day as Cordero ran him to the front in reasonable fractions, allowing for that killer final 5F sprint. This horse should never have lost but was mistrained and mismanaged after the Triple Crown, as owner-trainer controversy was a constant companion. Nonetheless he overcame much of this and demonstrated that he was an ALL-TIME GREAT.
Great horse. All boy.. all the time. Like it is said, Slew's loss in the JCGC may have been his most impressive race of them all. He couldn't have had anything left at the end of that race... but somehow found something to come back with and almost won it.
Kenneth, The time Slew posted was beyond most horse's capabilities. To me, was the greatest horse I saw. I was there that day and the electricity in the air was unspeakable at post time.
@@LongshotEddiehis jockey club race was the greatest performance in a loss in american history. But i was also at the Meadowlands when Slew lost to the average Dr Patches...
Had Seattle Slew had seasoned race horse owners there is no telling how much Seattle Slew could have won....He was a meal ticket more than a LEGEND to them...No disrespect just telling the truth.
I think the Taylors legitimately loved the horse, but didn't know what the h**l they were doing. The only owner I've disliked more was California Chrome's owner Steve Coburn, also a newbie owner.
@@TimesUp777 Owners do matter. Seattle Slew's owners were interfering with what Turner wanted to do with the horse. They're the ones who demanded Slew go to CA after the Belmont, for instance; Turner didn't want him in the Swaps. And I'm sure Billy Turner didn't approve of the horse being repeatedly sedated while being used in a Xerox advertising campaign. Most owners listen to their trainers, but at the end of the day, it's the owners who have the final say. They are the ones paying the bills, after all. Another example -- Ruffian's owners are the ones who sent her to the fatal Match Race, Whitely didn't want her participating but acquiesced to the Janneys' wishes.
Not to say the outcome would have been different, but why didn’t Affirmed’s jockey push him early? Letting a horse of Seattle Slew’s caliber set a slow pace with a 4 length lead is suicidal.
@@Steve-ff3xx Both rides were awful...I'll forgive Cordero in the JCGC, he even admitted he let Slew get away from him bc he didn't think anyone could catch him. Cordero also admitted he never noticed Exceller until it was too late. Cruget, eh, there were so many riders better than him, but what can ya do or say- owners make the decisions and Slew's owners were amateurs.
@@@bishlap Why am I replying to your post. Because apparently you DON'T LISTEN to well. Angel Cordero NEVER said what you claim in your post. What he said, what actually happened was that he LOST the STIRRUP IN THE FIRST TURN and Seattle Slew got away from him. And your take on Jean Cruget and Seattle Slew's owners aren't worth the time it would take to set the record straight.
En la malboro cup o mejor dicho la batalla d triplecoronados lo ganó Seattle slew y con solvencia y con quien más con el mejor del mundo ángel cordero jr derrota al también triple coronado affirmed con Steve caugthen no fue Enemigo en la carrera
Slew was a great horse who ran slow KD and Belmont times. His aggregate TC times were slower than Affirmed’s but the thing about him was he nearly always finished in front. Says a lot about him. Deceptively talented. Despite the record, of the three great colts of the late 70s I’d rate them Bid, Affirmed and Slew.
He was eased up at the end of the Derby and the Preakness -- that was by plan. Affirmed had to run all out to win those from Alydar. The Belmont that year was run in the slop.
@@jackrgerson I remember! Slew was awesome and despite what I said he beat Affirmed on the track in near world record time and then again (but Affirmed had equipment troubles, IIRC). That Bid was something else too
Dumbass would actually rate Slew behind both Bid and Affirmed. Guess beating Affirmed twice doesn't matter. In fact I will rate Sham ahead of Big Red even though Big Red beat his ass. Since head to head apparently don't matter
@@jackrgerson .and the way Slew broke and had to run through a wall of horses lenghts ahead of bim in the Derby. That alone was a great performance...I can't see Secretariat or Affirmed having that courage.
@@tyronebrown9936 Wrong race. Affirmed may have had equipment issues in the JCGC, not the Marlboro. In the JCGC Slr2w had issues too. He broke thru the gate and had to be reloaded and then Cordero lost his left iron all around the first turn...and just bounced on Slew's back, trying to not fall off. So....he had his own issues but showed great courage and regained the lead very very shortly after the last jump at the wire....which just came up slightly too soon. Slew had Exceller despite the official finish. .
@@Steve-ff3xx Affirmed beat 3-year-olds. When he stepped up in class he got thumped by Seattle Slew and Exceller. Meanwhile Exceller won 7 out of 10 against open company on both grass and dirt. The one time Affirmed got a shot at Exceller he needed binoculars to find him.
@@Steve-ff3xx Affirmed was great at 4, slam dunk horse of the year and beat Spectacular Bid. He was great at 3 too, but there were two horses better than him that year.
@@sl7293 Seattle Slew ran in 3 huge races against the toughest possible competition and had 2 wins and a second, was clearly stronger than Exceller or Affirmed but ran only half a season. Exceller had the best overall record against top-notch competition on both grass and dirt and probably deserved Horse of the Year based on his overall accomplishments. Affirmed was a sensational 3-year-old who came up a step short in the 3 fall races, and was clearly nowhere near Seattle Slew or Exceller's class in the two races against open company. Affirmed fully deserved his Horse of the Year in 1979 which was much better than his 1978 season and was better than any single season Seattle Slew had. He was followed by Spectacular Bid, who maybe had one of the 5 best seasons ever in 1980.
Affirmed was a great horse, he was great in 1978 and 1979, just there were two horses just a little better in 1978. Considering how ridiculously good both Seattle Slew and Exceller were that season that's no shame. Probably deserved Horse of the Year most years but 1978 wasn't that year.
@@chuckemeade You forgot Nijinsky, the last English Triple Crown winner, in 1970. As far as I can tell, the British are a lot more sensible than Americans about their Triple Crown, they don't seem to agonize because no one is winning it, or even trying for it. I think there is WAY too much emphasis on the American Triple Crown.
as a kid Affirmed was my horse and when Seattle Slew all but ate him up and spit him out in the Marlborough Cup I stopped following horse racing and going to the track with my uncles and Dad... That passed but you are right what a decade the 1970's was for horse racing 🤠🌞☮
@@etodd568 The race was over at the quarter pole when Slew went an easy 24 seconds, followed by a half in 47. After that Slew turned it on & the others simply couldn’t keep up. Affirmed was a good horse, but as a three year old, I felt Slew had the clear advantage being a super 4 year old horse. Slew had blazing speed & on the lead he was tough to beat. My father was really surprised that Slew wasn’t the favourite. He was your horse, he got beat by one of the all time greats. No need to reject him because of that. The next year Affirmed easily beat Spectacular Bid, who went on as a 4 year old to be undefeated ( 30 races- 26 wins career). He still holds record for the fastest 1 1/4 miles on dirt 1:57 4/5.
We also have a great grandson of Seattle Slew, "Synbad" He's very athletic and smart. He learns very quickly (smart) and has a sweet sociable disposition. Couldn't ask for mre in a horse.
The God of Truth the only way that will ever happen again is if racing focused the BIG money on the older races. They need to reduce the purses in the big races for three year olds and have the big money in the races for older horses. They need to also create a four race Grand Slam for older horses with the Breeders Cup being the final race. They could have four race Grand Slams for fillies/mares sprinting/routing dirt/turf....and the same for the boys. At the end of the year, any horse capable of winning all four events in their division would win a huge bonus and most likely an eclipse award. The industry really needs to start focusing on older racing and keep these horses on the track.
I was there and at the Belmont. That is amazing, to have two triple crown winners, Remember this was a handicap so Seattle Slew carried more weight. Both were great horses but I was a big fan of Seattle Slew.
Seattle Slew was a phenomonon in the same class as Secretariat. We will never see those kind of horses again. It was a unique time. Just like the great heavyweight boxers of that period.
Seattle Slew beat the gritty Affirmed "2 times", shows you the kind of beast of a competitor Seattle Slew was. If Slew raced Secretariat in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, Slew would have won at least one of those races - for sure. These were the 2 best horses I've seen in my era.
@@edwardwong654 You may have misunderstood my question. My apologies if you did understand and know the following, but I find your answer ambiguous. In weight-for-age, any older horse would automatically have to carry more weight than a three-year-old. In weight-for-age (WFA) races, horses all carry a set weight in accordance with the WFA Scale. The weight allocated depends on the horse's age, sex, time of the year and (I think) distance. The Breeders' Cup Classic, for instance, is weight-for-age, with 3-year-olds getting an automatic weight advantage against the older horses, and females getting an automatic weight advantage against males of their own age. But that doesn't make the Breeders' Cup Classic a handicap race. In true handicap races, a racing steward or secretary assigns weights to horses individually, based on how good they think the horse is. In a handicap, a hugely talented three-year-old could be assigned more weight than the older horses, or a hugely talented mare more weight than males. Stewards used to pile weight on the great horses. Forego, for instance, was sometimes assigned weights of 135 and 136. True handicaps were still conducted in the 1970's, but they are rare or nonexistent now in top stakes races. Since the Marlboro Cup was not titled "Handicap," it was probably weight for age, but I am not honestly sure. If it was a handicap, Seattle Slew would have been carrying more weight than horses of his own age such as Cox's Ridge, and not just more than the 3-year-olds in the race.
Easily the most underrated thoroughbred legend ever, and with such a Hollywood soap opera story involving everyone around him that the script would be thrown out except that it all happened.
@@billviola7884 that horse cast a large shadow,A good looking ,big beautiful speedster setting records wherever he went.Sorry but I lose myself talking about that horse.lol!!
Also, Bill Viola, remember that Seattle Slew accomplished something that no other horse did before him: win the Triple Crown undefeated. Not even the great Secretariat did that.
Slew had this race won as soon as the first quarter of :24 was posted. As great as Affirmed was, he would have had have been the GOAT to beat Slew that day as Slew went the remaining seven-eighths of a mile in 1:21 3/5 AFTER that first quarter. Slew REALLY showed his greatness four weeks later in the rematch in the Jockey Club Gold Cup when Slew and Affirmed battled through insane fractions and STILL almost came back on Exceller in the stretch.
24 opening quarter to Slew all alone. You're absolutely right. Cordero turned this into a 7f sprint race. Slew was tough enough to beat anyway, see the JCGC where he blazed early and still barely lost by a nose in the soup.
Wasn't it Cordero that rode Slew that day? I'll have to google it - anyway, Why did Angel let slew get away from him, he was a great rider who knew how to rate a horse. I'm going to search it now... but I do remember Slew being extremely valiant that day, and all over the track if memory serves me correctly.
He was slowed down on the turn as was proven..and two weeks earlier Slew Smoked Exceller by 4! ;) He went way wide slow fractions in this race & Still almost tied Secretariat's world record!
Seattle Slew beat the gritty Affirmed "2 times", shows you the kind of beast of a competitor Seattle Slew was. If Slew raced Secretariat in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, Slew would have won at least one of those races - for sure. These were the 2 best horses I've seen in my era. Slew beat Affirmed here quite easily , and Affirmed was a gritty Triple Crown winner.
@@michaelrichardson6051 Slew did match Secretariats winning time at the Kentucky Derby, but it was in a different race. If Slew was pushed hard, it be neck and neck at the finish line. The Belmont, you'd have to say that Secretariat would be very hard to beat, his Belmont record of 2:24 is not a world record, as it's 2:22 by another horse. Secretariat was a Beast tho, and few if none could beat him. Slews son AP Indy ran the Belmont in 2:26 along with Easy Goer, so they would be there at the finish.
Slew has the race won as soon as the :24 to the quarter was shown. He ran the remaining seven-eighths in 1:21 4/5 and there was no way Affirmed had any chance after the opening quarter.
@@brockjamison6274 Not possible. But how about a 5 yrs old Slew 4 yr old Affirmed 4 Coastal 3yr old Spectacular Bid. All in the same race and maybe also 3 yr old Believe it.
To whom it may concern: saying Slew was better than Bid or Affirmed Is not a put down of either horse, or any horse that's been mentioned here (ie., Damascus). It's many people's opinion that Slew was better than WHOMEVER. Affirmed was great, Sp. Bid was great, we all agree. Stop getting emotional over a learned opinion, no one is insulting any horse by comparisons w/ other great horses. I've seen every great thoroughbred since 1966 and Dr. Fager is the greatest race horse I've seen in person -- doesn't mean I'm tearing down Secretariat/Affirmed/Alysheba/Justify and on and on.
Affirmed could never get within striking distance of being competitive again Slew...Affirmed enjoyed to be on the lead or close to the lead...Slew was just too fast and Talented for Affirmed
@@DanielSong39 Possible, certainly. I don't find it a particularly persuasive argument, though. At the time Discreet Cat started losing, he had won 1 G1. Flightline had won 4 G1s in a row. Flightline won twice at 10 furlongs; Discreet Cat was out of the money in his sole race at that distance. I'll admit I don't remember Discreet Cat well. Was he as accident prone as Flightline? Had he won anywhere near as impressively as Flightline? Arrogate might be a better example. In truth, no one knows what Flightline would or would not have done, raced more.
A truly great champion 4 yr old has an advantage over a truly great champion 3 yr old. In any case, Slew was a superior horse, and that's saying a lot considering Affirmed is still the all-time grade 1 stakes winner.
@@Steve-ff3xx Obviously Seattle Slew was not sound enough to compete that often. However Exceller did compete that often in 1978 and had the best overall record that season, winning 7 out of 10 vs. open company on both grass and dirt. As for Seattle Slew's 3 year old season, he was done after the Belmont, he finished almost 1/16 of a mile behind J.O. Tobin.
[Steve] Reading your non-sense I get the impression you have NEVER broken open and read a "Daily Racing Form". In the entire year Affirmed raced Alydar, that is all there was. In other words that year was short on quality horses. And that gave Affirmed the edge. When he ran up against Seattle Slew I bet everything I could afford on Slew because all of a sudden Affirmed had competition on the front end. Affirmed had speed for the front end but not real barn burning speed like Slew. And running close to a REAL speed horse would cook his goose and that is what happened here. Affirmed would and could NEVER beat Seattle Slew. And I tell you, at 1/2 (do you know what the payout is on 1/2?) Affirmed was a terrible bet while Seattle Slew was a gift. What I will say about Affirmed was late in his 4 year old season he put some very good races together which I didn't expect. Oh, by the way, you show your ignorance (that is why I posted this comment) when you stated "older horses are NOT necessarily better then younger ones". I would classify you as a no better than an average handi-capper. (I edited this to give you a lesson on handi-capping. Slew ran the 1st quarter in 24 flat, not real fast for a quality horse, even at 1 1/8 miles, but not a crawl either; he ran the 2nd quarter in 23 flat, um that is 5 lengths faster than the 1st quarter, really picked up the pace; 3rd quarter ran in 23.1 (there isn't an owner or trainer in the country who wouldn't love to have a horse who could run a 1:10.1 for 6 furlongs and this is 1 1/8 miles); no time for the mile and I forget what it was but he finished the race in 145.4 which is a closing time of under 12 seconds for each 8th mile and only 4 ticks off the track record.
@@Steve-ff3xx To be fair the saddle came loose because Affirmed was out of control. Cordero's feet came out of Slew's irons too. Obviously they were both out of control that day but that's part of racing and staying under control is part of a horse's ability too.
@@Steve-ff3xx I see I missed your reply but I will rectify that now!!! Congratulations on your discerning my INTENDED statement concerning the quality of the horse flesh Affirmed ran against in the "Triple Crown" compared to the quality of horse flesh Seattle Slew ran against in his "Triple Crown" bid but just the same I will repeat myself. That is exactly what I am saying. Comparing both fields in those 3 races with each other, the 1977 crops overall record after the "Triple Crown" is better. And I see your STILL stuck on "older horses are not necessarily better then younger ones". Don't show up at ANY race track with REAL money. I hate to see people cry when they lose it all or you could take some handi-capping lessons.I'll even volunteer and pass on my expertise in that field.
So many great horses from the 70s.Slew would have been a tough competitor for greats like Secretariat,Citation & man o war.Thats my top 4 right there maybe through Zenatta in their at 5..
Slew raced in the center of the track just to demonstrate just how much better he was. Even so, he raced (1:45 4/5), just two ticks off of Seretariat's track and world record (1:45 2/5)....had Slew not stayed so far out in the track, who knows.......
@@Steve-ff3xx Slew almost died, came back, was injured....limiting his campaign. I would not characterize him as "fragile." Unlucky fits his sutuation. He was a very tough competitor. Affirmed would never have gotten past Slew, no matter how many times they raced against each other. No matter their ages. Slew was a better race horse than Affirmed. Nothing changes that.
@@Steve-ff3xx You missed the part where Slew coughed the night before before the race in California and should have been scratched. Poor management leading into that race....tranquilized several times after the Belmont for Xerox commercials and then to fly across country..and coming down with something not diagnosed did him in . He was sick then and for the remainder of the year....and then almist died in early 1978. Read Steve Haskin and others on this. I am NOT wrong. A healthy competitive Slew would never have lost to Affirmed. Ever.
@@Steve-ff3xx We will just have to agree to disagree. (Incidentally, J O Tobin was a chsmpion in Europe as a 2-year old snd co-champion sprinter in America in 1978. The other co-champion was Dr. Patches. Exceller was a champion in Europe. Text and Affiliate don't matter. The real Slew slaughteted them and Tobin in the Triple Crown races. He trounced Exceller after triuncing Affirmed...twice. One more jump in the Gold Cup and he wiuld have beaten Exceller twice.Hiw many champiin hirses dud Affirmed beat...aside from Spectacular Bid, which despite that ranks above Affurmed in the all-time greats as well.) Maybe you don't know what you're talking about. I will not respond to you again. We disagree. That's it!!! The experts rank Slew above Affirmed in the all time greats. I'll go with them. They know what they are talking about. And Slew sired many many msny chsmpions. Affirmed????
Secretariat was impeded in his race on the far turn by Riva Ridge. After giving most of the field a significant start, in typical Sec fashion he rounded them all up on the far turn but had to slam on the brakes when he caught WR holder Riva Ridge faster than he apparently expected.
Bill Brower...I was at Hialeah when Slew made his 3 yr. Old debut in a 7 fur. Race. There was an undefeated colt in that race called White Rammer. The first flash of the tote board showed $2 & $5 for a few horses. But thete was already $20,000 on Slew. The first flash !! I bet $80 to place as i was young and had not much money. I got back $88 . i think he won by 7 in a time of 1.20 and change.
@@unclebillmusic Hell , i KNEW something as well as everybody at the track for the 2yr old champion making his 3yr old debut. Only i didnt have thousands to bet on him. His greatest race was the 1 1/2 race where Exceller came from far back to beat him. But what makes it his greatest race was that he ran triple crown Affirmed into the ground with blistering fractions and when Exceller passed him by a length in the stretch, he fought back, tired as he was, and just lost by a nose.
We can appreciate Slew's accomplishment without hating on Affirmed. Affirmed was a triple crown winner and he deserves respect. To me, its very similar to American Pharoah and Justify.
No one should have been surprised that Slew beat Affirmed since 4 year-olds are generally better horses than 3 year-olds. This might have been a different race if they both were the same age...
@@Steve-ff3xx So what. Slew beat Exceller and he beat Affirmed twice. It doesn't matter it wasn't in the same race. Why do you think it matters? Do you think I'm going to change my mind?
I loved Slew, and loved him beating Affirmed, though it was hard not to like either horse. As a racing fan, you have to love getting to see the first time two Triple Crown winners faced off. Cordero knew the bias of the NY tracks as well as anyone, and outrode Cauthen here with the 24 first quarter - you cannot take anything away from Affirmed, who was among the toughest horses ever to pass in the stretch, but he died by the sword he won by many other times, slow early fractions. Even the best 3 YO's are a bit worn down by the fall after a tough Triple Crown campaign - how many different tracks and how many miles traveled by September, even with a post-Belmont break...Affirmed was likely feeling it here just as Spectacular Bid was a year later in the JCGC. That said, I don't think a fresh Affirmed beats Slew, either. Just some talking points. At the end of the race, Affirmed finished the same 4 lengths behind Slew that he was 70 yards out of the gate.
Affirmed was a great horse ,he put away Spectacular Bid in his prime.but Slew at his peak ..Was the best horse I've ever watched race ,he was a monster
4 year old Seattle Slew was better than 3 year old Affirmed. 4 year old Affirmed was better than 3 year old Spectacular Bid. 4 year old Spectacular Bid was probably the best of them all.
Cordero was riding Slew that day. He purposely left room on the rail for Affirmed to challenge Slew but Affirmed could not catch the beast. I loved Secretariat but Seattle Slew was my boy. I was only 8 when Secretariat won the crown and I really didn’t understand what I was witnessing at the time. When Slew came around, 4 years later, when I was 12, I fully understood what the triple crown was and had a better appreciation of a great race horse.
The most underrated horse ever is neither of these two, my vote goes to KELSO. He won Horse of the Year 5x, in 1960,61,62,63,64. No other horse has won it more than 3x. Kelso also ran a faster 12f than Secretariat (but on grass, not dirt).
Not really reasonable to expect even a champion 3yo to beat a legendary 4yo. Really good horses are much faster at 4 and 5 than they were at 3, we just never see them run past 3 anymore because of the economics of the modern day racing to breeding pipeline. It's a shame, American Pharoah at 4 and 5 would have been a Godzilla horse, maybe even better than Flightline was recently-and we only saw him briefly at 4yo because he started so late and had minor injuries that prevented him running the triple crown races in his 3yo year. Really damages the sport.
The only thing we can do as fans is to praise the connections of California Chrome and heavily criticize the connections of American Pharoah and Flightline
Seattle Slew was very underrated. He was so strongly built. Did you take notice of his bone? Well, he showed everyone what he was made of when he retired to stud
"Nunca he dejado ganar a nadie; incluso cuando juego bingo, damas chinas o ludo con mis hijos ¡siempre juego a ganar!" Ángel Cordero Jr. (1942 - ) Jinete retirado
You don't know anything about racehorse,seattle slew was a real competitioner,not Like secretariat,that never ran against quality horses,man o war,ruffian and seattle slew were the best racehorse of all times,un my opinion,thanks.
All things being equal, a 4 year old beats a 3 year old in a weight-for-age race (e.g. Affirmed the next year against Spectacular Bid). Having said that, I believe Slew was the better horse, and a true all-timer.
Folks dont quite remember how great the Slew was, that was Affirmed he smoked in this race, the same Affirmed that beat Alydar and the Spectacular Bid.
sl7293 Blaming it on the jockey? Really. I loved Affirmed he was not as good as Slew simple as that. And he was younger obviously. And Secretariat lost races, what is your point? Not every horse is going to be perfect.
sl7293 I meant Slew smoking him twice and that was sarcasm. And as I said I absolutely loved Affirmed, his performance that year in the Belmont to me was legendary, my eyes tell me he was not as good as the Slew, is all I am saying.
sl7293 That is your prerogative, I myself just thought Slew the better horse. There is nothing wrong with disagreement, and I loved Affirmed he had the heart of a champion, it was just about impossible to past that horse, but head to head says a lot, and I should also say that there are respected racing guys that I know who think that Affirmed may have been better. I just disagree. Seattle Slew was a beast. There are not 15 horses in history better then either of them. Do they both make your all time top 15?
Alydar was very good horse but he's not in the same class as the Slew! Affirmed was 4 when he beat a 3 year old Spectacular Bid, Affirmed was in his prime while Spectacular Bid didn't hit his prime until the following season.
This race was over at the quarter- 24 seconds & a half in 47. No one was catching Slew with those fractions. He was also a four year old racing a 3 year old Affirmed. Affirmed was a good horse, but he wasn't beating Slew.
Sorry, none better then the great Secretariat. Remember Slew was 4 then. Can you imagine Big Red racing at 4. Would have kick everyones ass and take no prisoners. Dont get me wrong. Slew was great, Affirmed was great. But.....Secretariat they were not!!!!
they could have run around again and Seattle slew would have still won. No way were they going to catch him that day. great great horse and so beautiful
I was there that day. I think that the announcer was referring to the odds (he says "wins the big one at 2 and a half", not "wins the big one by 2 and a half.") Affirmed was the odds-on favorite (something like one to five, I think.) Prior to this race, Affirmed was considered a superhorse and Seattle Slew was very underrated. Slew had lost his previous race to Dr. Patches (the sprint Eclipse winner that year), almost surely because of turmoil around Slew's handling and management. Given better management, and if the great training done by Billy Turner up through the Triple Crown had continued, Slew might never have lost. A great, great horse. Only 2/5 of a second off Secretariat's world record for a mile and an eight in this race, despite Cordero taking him to the outside in the stretch.
@TMS2021 Camilla J Well, this I believe is a fact. It wasn't Seattle Slew. Slew was great, but the only two you might could argue are Man O' War and Secretariat. I'd put Secretariat 1 and Man O' War 2 for reasons I won't get into here.
@@boswindle9050Secretariat had a mouth abscess when he lost the Wood Mem. that Turcotte was not made aware of. And Secretariat had diarrhea the day he lost to Onion.
People overlook that fact. They shouldn't. Affirmed was also coming off a grueling 3YO triple crown winning campaign, whereas Slew was lightly raced as a 4YO coming into the Marlboro. His narrow loss to Dr. Patches in the Paterson was just the tightener he need for the races to follow. No knock on either horse, they were both champions.
@@all66books Yup, just like Affirmed was a year older than Spectacular Bid. Actually Spectacular Bid's 4 year old season was probably better than any season Seattle Slew or Affirmed had.
That's your opinion. Remember, Slew was in retirement and hadn't raced for a year. The consensus was Slew never raced against a good horse, well, he did and the rest is history. Slew hasn't been given the credit he deserves. He was a super horse that should have retired undefeated. But alast, money and greed destroy that horses's reputation.
Slew was certainly dynamite in the breeding shed, producing more champions (and eventual top class sires) than Secretariat, Affirmed, and Spectacular Bid. He continues to be a great sire of sires as the AP Indy line shows. They just continue on as the others fade out. Although let's not forget Weekend Surprise (sired by Secretariat) dropped AP Indy.
I was born in 1978. Thought I might go a lifetime without ever getting to see a Triple Crown winner. Then American Pharaoh & Justify did it so close together. That being said, without Baffert's performance enhancing drugs, I believe that drought would still be going.
I have no inside information, but I feel American Pharoah's accomplishments were untainted--he was the real deal, in my opinion. Justify, however, will always have an asterisk next to his Triple Crown. He's in a group with Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens (and Big Brown).
I am old and saw ruffian and slew and was so glad to see the drought broken and loved AP but. buffers cheating has me doubting if it would still be a rough t if they ran clean
(English) For me, Affirmed was a Throughbred that I will never forget even if I have dementia. He was a beautiful Chesnut horse, the last Triple Crown Horse in the history of horse racing in the USA on the 20th century, and the last Triple Crown Horse until American Phoroah achieved it. He is also the only horse to date in the Triple Crown Horse showdown in the USA.(VS Seatle Slew on 1978) I live in Japan now, but when asked what my favorite horse was, I immediately answered Affirmed and Dainana-Houshu, who was supposed to be a Triple Crown Horse in Japan on 1954. (German) Für mich war Affirmed ein Vollblut, das ich auch mit Demenz nie vergessen werde. Er war ein wunderschönes Chesnut Horse, das letzte Triple Crown Horse in der Geschichte des Pferderennens in den USA im 20. Jahrhundert und das letzte Triple Crown Horse, bis American Phoroah es erreichte. Außerdem ist er das bislang einzige Pferd beim Triple Crown Horse Showdown in den USA. Ich lebe jetzt in Japan, aber als ich gefragt wurde, was mein Lieblingspferd sei, antwortete ich sofort Affirmed und Dainana-Houshu, die 1954 in Japan ein Triple Crown Horse sein sollte. (Hungaria) Számomra az Affirmed egy telivér volt, akit soha nem fogok elfelejteni, még akkor sem, ha demenciás vagyok. Gyönyörű Chesnut ló volt, az utolsó Triple Crown Horse a lóversenyek történetében az Egyesült Államokban a XX. században, és az utolsó Triple Crown Horse, amíg az amerikai Phoroah el nem érte. Ő az egyetlen ló a mai napig a Triple Crown Horse versenyen az Egyesült Államokban. (VS Seatle Slew, 1978) Jelenleg Japánban élek, de arra a kérdésre, hogy mi a kedvenc lovam, azonnal válaszoltam Affirmednek és Dainana-Houshunak, aki 1954-ben Japánban hármas koronás lónak számított.
In the meanwhile Joe is destroying America. Spending 200 million a week giving illegals hotels food ,medical dental and schooling while 2 million Americans including Vets are homeless! Yeah...lets worry about Stormy! Idiot!