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Seattle Slew (February 15, 1974 – May 7, 2002) was an American thoroughbred race horse who won the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing in 1977, only the tenth horse, among eleven, to accomplish the feat. He remains the only horse to win the Triple Crown while undefeated. In the Blood-Horse magazine List of Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century, Seattle Slew is ranked ninth.
By Bold Reasoning out of My Charmer, he was foaled at Ben Castleman's White Horse Acres Farm near Lexington, Kentucky. Not expected to be a great racehorse, he was sold to Karen and Mickey Taylor of White Swan, Washington. They named him for the city of Seattle, and for the sloughs loggers once used to transport heavy logs. But Karen felt that the spelling of slough—a slow-moving channel of the Pacific Northwest—would be too hard for people to remember, so the spelling was changed to Slew. The colt's co-owners were Jim and Sally Hill. Another co-owner was Glenn Rasmussen, the Certified Public Accountant for the horse partnerships.
Slew began his career on September 20, 1976 in the the fifth race at Belmont Park on Long Island, New York: the Maiden Special Weight six furlong (1,207 m) event. He was a big, strong, nearly black two year old, and he was almost unknown to handicappers since his previous impressive trial runs were not accurately reflected in the daily racing form. The morning line odds on him were 10 to 1, and none of the racing form selectors had picked him to win. However, the public knew better, and as the bets were tallied, the odds lengthened, finally settling at 2 to 1. By the time he reached the gate, Seattle Slew was the favorite by 5 to 2. He gave the public its first look at his "War Dance," the prancing on tiptoe that typified his pre-race behavior, and won by five lengths. Seattle Slew started only two more times as a two-year-old, winning an allowance race by 3½ lengths on October 5, 1976, and the Champagne Stakes just 11 days later by 9¾ lengths. That stunning performance, a mile in 1:34 2/5 while drawing away from the highly regarded For The Moment, earned the dark bay or brown colt leading two-year-old honors, and had racing fans daring to dream of a second Triple Crown winner in just four years.
Billy Turner, Slew's trainer, was considered cautious and patient. Slew didn't make his first start as a three-year-old until March 9, 1977, when he won an allowance race by nine lengths at Hialeah in track record time for seven furlongs. On March 26, 1977, Seattle Slew won the Flamingo Stakes by four lengths in the third fastest time in stakes history, despite being eased by jockey Jean Cruguet down the stretch. Seattle Slew then added the Wood Memorial Stakes on April 23, 1977 by 3¼ lengths. In the Wood, his jockey used similar tactics to the Flamingo, easing up after Slew opened a six length advantage.
Seattle Slew went off as the prohibitive 1-to-2 favorite in the Kentucky Derby on May 7, 1977. Slew normally broke well from the gate, but in Louisville he swerved and was sharply taken up by Cruguet. "Seattle Slew broke slowly," said track announcer Chic Anderson. For a speedball like Slew to be stuck behind a wall of horses at Churchill Downs would have forced a radically different style than any other race in his young career, but Cruguet quickly hustled Seattle Slew to the front and he bullied through a narrow opening to join For The Moment on the lead. The two colts dueled for the first mile of the race. At the top of the stretch, Seattle Slew put away his racelong rival, then cruised home a 1¾-length winner over Run Dusty Run. Slew was eased down the stretch after looking like he would win by open lengths. "He's going along easily now," said Anderson as Slew approached the wire.
Two weeks later, in the Preakness Stakes, Seattle Slew faced a new and dangerous rival, multiple stakes winner Cormorant. Many handicappers believed the likely speed duel with Cormorant would jeopardize Slew's chances. Seattle Slew dueled Cormorant on the front end into submission, then pulled away for a 1½-length victory over the late closing Iron Constitution.
The Belmont Stakes was an easy coronation for Seattle Slew, as the colt dominated the race, winning by four lengths with Cruguet standing in the saddle and waving his whip in celebration, as the two crossed the finish line. Turner had spoken of "sending" Slew in the Belmont if the track had been fast, saying, "it would have been awesome." When the track was off that day, Slew instead turned the Belmont into a glorified workout.
At this stage of the season, Seattle Slew's owners had a number of different options to take. Turner suggested rest. His owners, however, chose to send Seattle Slew out to Hollywood Park Racetrack in early July to compete in the Swaps Stakes. The race, California's first chance to see the undefeated champion up close, was a masochistic fiasco. Seattle Slew finished a tired fourth, beaten 16 lengths by J.O. Tobin, and didn't run again the rest of the year. It was the only race in his career Slew finished worst than second. (Interestingly, J.O. Tobin's performance that day would have posed a challenge for even a healthy and rested Seattle Slew-- under Hall of Famer Willie Shoemaker, he ran astoundingly fast fractions (1:08 4/5 for 3/4 of a mile and 1:33 3/5 for a mile) en route to the fastest 1 1/4 miles ever run by a 3 year old, on dirt or turf, 1:58 3/5.) Despite the season ending loss, Seattle Slew was honored at year's end as leading three-year-old and the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year.
In early 1978, Seattle Slew was stabled at Hialeah and was expected to make three starts in Florida before contesting the Metropolitan Mile in New York. In Florida, the horse, who had recovered from his cough as a three year old, took a turn for the worse in January 1978. He stopped eating and sometimes broke into sweats, which lasted for hours. At times, he fell when he tried to stand. Hill diagnosed a viral infection and feared Slew might die.
Slew recovered slowly. When he finally made it back to the races on a sloppy track at Aqueduct in May, Seattle Slew had a new trainer, Douglas Peterson. Turner was replaced late the previous year when Slew's owners thought he had been drinking too much.
Slew won that allowance race at Aqueduct easily, by eight and a half lengths on a sloppy surface, and later another seven furlong allowance race by six lengths at Saratoga Race Course in August. In preparation for a heralded matchup against the 1978 Triple Crown winner Affirmed, Seattle Slew was sent to the Meadowlands for a night time race, the Paterson Handicap. Slew narrowly lost to Dr. Patches in a major upset. Cruguet lost the mount after that race, after expressing doubt the horse was trained sufficiently for the race.
In the Marlboro Cup, the first ever matchup of two Triple Crown winners, Seattle Slew was not the favorite, for the first and only time of his career. Angel Cordero, Jr. took the reins as Slew's new jockey. The 1-2 favorite, Affirmed had lost only once in nine starts. Seattle Slew was the 2-1 second choice. Affirmed's arch rival, Alydar, was scratched the week before the race. Many believed a speed duel between Seattle Slew and Affirmed would have set up the race for Alydar to possibly steal. Seattle Slew broke first and stayed there into the homestretch. Cordero took Slew somewhat wide off the final turn and Affirmed came up on on him for a moment, before Slew poured it on to beat him by three lengths in the excellent time of 1:45 4/5 for a mile and an eighth. Reporters indicated the Belmont Park crowd seemed stunned when Slew rolled home in front of Affirmed.
Two weeks later, Slew easily won the Woodward Stakes over Exceller by four lengths at a mile and a quarter. (Affirmed skipped the race.) Then, in October, Slew and Affirmed met again at the mile and a half Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont. Affirmed's trainer, Laz Barrera, didn't want Seattle Slew to get an easy lead and dictate the pace like the Marlboro Cup, so Barrera entered a high priced rabbit named Life's Hope. Unexpectedly, Seattle Slew and Affirmed took off at a torrid pace along with Life's Hope, before Affirmed—already well beaten—backed off further when his saddle slipped. Slew ran the first six furlongs in under 1:10, virtually unheard of going a mile and a half. When they turned into the stretch. Exceller had roared from back of the pack to wrest a half length lead over Seattle Slew. Many observers thought Slew would fade to a lopsided defeat, considering the suicidal fractions. But Slew fought back gallantly to return to Exceller's head. The pair crossed the line together, but it was Exceller who was judged to be the winner by a nose. This stretch drive is still recalled by many to be among the all-time best—right up there with Sunday Silence and Easy Goer's Preakness in 1989. Despite the defeat, many analysts called this Seattle Slew's greatest performance. Washington Post racing columnist Andrew Beyer, always a Seattle Slew skeptic as a three-year-old, wrote for his lead; "Exceller won Saturday's Jockey Club Gold Cup. Seattle Slew was its hero."
Seattle Slew's last race was an easy victory in the Stuyvesant Handicap in November at Aqueduct, by three and a quarter easy lengths while carrying the unusually high impost of 134 pounds. He retired with 14 wins in 17 races and earnings of $1,208,726.
Slew was a champion every year he raced. Along with his two-year-old title in 1976, he earned best three-year-old and the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year honors for 1977, best older horse in 1978 (he was denied Horse of the Year honors despite twice handily defeating Affirmed, who was named Horse of the Year), and was elected to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1981.
In retirement, Seattle Slew stood at stud at the Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Kentucky. Slew was the leading sire of 1984, when his son Swale, who died later that year, won the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. His other best progeny include the talented, but ill-fated 1982 champion two-year-old filly, Landaluce, Slew o'Gold, winner of the 1983 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Three-Year-Old Male Horse and the 1984 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Older Male Horse, the 1992 Horse of the Year A.P. Indy, sire of the brilliant 2006 Preakness Stakes winner Bernardini, and the 2000 champion three-year-old filly Surfside. In 2002, just months after Seattle Slew's death on the 25th anniversary of his Kentucky Derby triumph, his son Vindication went undefeated in four races to become the 2002 champion two-year-old colt and the favorite for the 2003 Kentucky Derby. Trainer Bob Baffert was devastated when Vindication suffered an injury early in 2003, ending his racing career. Baffert has said he thinks Vindication could have ended the Triple Crown drought.
A primary conduit for Seattle Slew's continuation of his male line has been through A.P. Indy. A.P. Indy has done very well at stud in Kentucky, getting, among others, the 2003 Horse of the Year Mineshaft. Currently, one of Seattle Slew's most successful grandsons is the California champion Lava Man, sired by Slew City Slew. 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. Seattle Slew was also a leading broodmare sire, his daughters producing, among others, the all-time leading money earning American Thoroughbred, Cigar.
Rags To Riches, a granddaughter, won the 2007 Belmont Stakes, the third filly to win the race following Ruthless in 1867 and Tanya in 1905. The win earned jockey John Velazquez and trainer Todd Pletcher their first wins in any Triple Crown race. Rags To Riches was the 22nd filly to ever run in the Belmont.
By Bold Reasoning out of My Charmer, he was foaled at Ben Castleman's White Horse Acres Farm near Lexington, Kentucky. Not expected to be a great racehorse, he was sold to Karen and Mickey Taylor of White Swan, Washington. They named him for the city of Seattle, and for the sloughs loggers once used to transport heavy logs. But Karen felt that the spelling of slough—a slow-moving channel of the Pacific Northwest—would be too hard for people to remember, so the spelling was changed to Slew. The colt's co-owners were Jim and Sally Hill. Another co-owner was Glenn Rasmussen, the Certified Public Accountant for the horse partnerships.
Slew began his career on September 20, 1976 in the the fifth race at Belmont Park on Long Island, New York: the Maiden Special Weight six furlong (1,207 m) event. He was a big, strong, nearly black two year old, and he was almost unknown to handicappers since his previous impressive trial runs were not accurately reflected in the daily racing form. The morning line odds on him were 10 to 1, and none of the racing form selectors had picked him to win. However, the public knew better, and as the bets were tallied, the odds lengthened, finally settling at 2 to 1. By the time he reached the gate, Seattle Slew was the favorite by 5 to 2. He gave the public its first look at his "War Dance," the prancing on tiptoe that typified his pre-race behavior, and won by five lengths. Seattle Slew started only two more times as a two-year-old, winning an allowance race by 3½ lengths on October 5, 1976, and the Champagne Stakes just 11 days later by 9¾ lengths. That stunning performance, a mile in 1:34 2/5 while drawing away from the highly regarded For The Moment, earned the dark bay or brown colt leading two-year-old honors, and had racing fans daring to dream of a second Triple Crown winner in just four years.
Billy Turner, Slew's trainer, was considered cautious and patient. Slew didn't make his first start as a three-year-old until March 9, 1977, when he won an allowance race by nine lengths at Hialeah in track record time for seven furlongs. On March 26, 1977, Seattle Slew won the Flamingo Stakes by four lengths in the third fastest time in stakes history, despite being eased by jockey Jean Cruguet down the stretch. Seattle Slew then added the Wood Memorial Stakes on April 23, 1977 by 3¼ lengths. In the Wood, his jockey used similar tactics to the Flamingo, easing up after Slew opened a six length advantage.
Seattle Slew went off as the prohibitive 1-to-2 favorite in the Kentucky Derby on May 7, 1977. Slew normally broke well from the gate, but in Louisville he swerved and was sharply taken up by Cruguet. "Seattle Slew broke slowly," said track announcer Chic Anderson. For a speedball like Slew to be stuck behind a wall of horses at Churchill Downs would have forced a radically different style than any other race in his young career, but Cruguet quickly hustled Seattle Slew to the front and he bullied through a narrow opening to join For The Moment on the lead. The two colts dueled for the first mile of the race. At the top of the stretch, Seattle Slew put away his racelong rival, then cruised home a 1¾-length winner over Run Dusty Run. Slew was eased down the stretch after looking like he would win by open lengths. "He's going along easily now," said Anderson as Slew approached the wire.
Two weeks later, in the Preakness Stakes, Seattle Slew faced a new and dangerous rival, multiple stakes winner Cormorant. Many handicappers believed the likely speed duel with Cormorant would jeopardize Slew's chances. Seattle Slew dueled Cormorant on the front end into submission, then pulled away for a 1½-length victory over the late closing Iron Constitution.
The Belmont Stakes was an easy coronation for Seattle Slew, as the colt dominated the race, winning by four lengths with Cruguet standing in the saddle and waving his whip in celebration, as the two crossed the finish line. Turner had spoken of "sending" Slew in the Belmont if the track had been fast, saying, "it would have been awesome." When the track was off that day, Slew instead turned the Belmont into a glorified workout.
At this stage of the season, Seattle Slew's owners had a number of different options to take. Turner suggested rest. His owners, however, chose to send Seattle Slew out to Hollywood Park Racetrack in early July to compete in the Swaps Stakes. The race, California's first chance to see the undefeated champion up close, was a masochistic fiasco. Seattle Slew finished a tired fourth, beaten 16 lengths by J.O. Tobin, and didn't run again the rest of the year. It was the only race in his career Slew finished worst than second. (Interestingly, J.O. Tobin's performance that day would have posed a challenge for even a healthy and rested Seattle Slew-- under Hall of Famer Willie Shoemaker, he ran astoundingly fast fractions (1:08 4/5 for 3/4 of a mile and 1:33 3/5 for a mile) en route to the fastest 1 1/4 miles ever run by a 3 year old, on dirt or turf, 1:58 3/5.) Despite the season ending loss, Seattle Slew was honored at year's end as leading three-year-old and the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year.
In early 1978, Seattle Slew was stabled at Hialeah and was expected to make three starts in Florida before contesting the Metropolitan Mile in New York. In Florida, the horse, who had recovered from his cough as a three year old, took a turn for the worse in January 1978. He stopped eating and sometimes broke into sweats, which lasted for hours. At times, he fell when he tried to stand. Hill diagnosed a viral infection and feared Slew might die.
Slew recovered slowly. When he finally made it back to the races on a sloppy track at Aqueduct in May, Seattle Slew had a new trainer, Douglas Peterson. Turner was replaced late the previous year when Slew's owners thought he had been drinking too much.
Slew won that allowance race at Aqueduct easily, by eight and a half lengths on a sloppy surface, and later another seven furlong allowance race by six lengths at Saratoga Race Course in August. In preparation for a heralded matchup against the 1978 Triple Crown winner Affirmed, Seattle Slew was sent to the Meadowlands for a night time race, the Paterson Handicap. Slew narrowly lost to Dr. Patches in a major upset. Cruguet lost the mount after that race, after expressing doubt the horse was trained sufficiently for the race.
In the Marlboro Cup, the first ever matchup of two Triple Crown winners, Seattle Slew was not the favorite, for the first and only time of his career. Angel Cordero, Jr. took the reins as Slew's new jockey. The 1-2 favorite, Affirmed had lost only once in nine starts. Seattle Slew was the 2-1 second choice. Affirmed's arch rival, Alydar, was scratched the week before the race. Many believed a speed duel between Seattle Slew and Affirmed would have set up the race for Alydar to possibly steal. Seattle Slew broke first and stayed there into the homestretch. Cordero took Slew somewhat wide off the final turn and Affirmed came up on on him for a moment, before Slew poured it on to beat him by three lengths in the excellent time of 1:45 4/5 for a mile and an eighth. Reporters indicated the Belmont Park crowd seemed stunned when Slew rolled home in front of Affirmed.
Two weeks later, Slew easily won the Woodward Stakes over Exceller by four lengths at a mile and a quarter. (Affirmed skipped the race.) Then, in October, Slew and Affirmed met again at the mile and a half Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont. Affirmed's trainer, Laz Barrera, didn't want Seattle Slew to get an easy lead and dictate the pace like the Marlboro Cup, so Barrera entered a high priced rabbit named Life's Hope. Unexpectedly, Seattle Slew and Affirmed took off at a torrid pace along with Life's Hope, before Affirmed—already well beaten—backed off further when his saddle slipped. Slew ran the first six furlongs in under 1:10, virtually unheard of going a mile and a half. When they turned into the stretch. Exceller had roared from back of the pack to wrest a half length lead over Seattle Slew. Many observers thought Slew would fade to a lopsided defeat, considering the suicidal fractions. But Slew fought back gallantly to return to Exceller's head. The pair crossed the line together, but it was Exceller who was judged to be the winner by a nose. This stretch drive is still recalled by many to be among the all-time best—right up there with Sunday Silence and Easy Goer's Preakness in 1989. Despite the defeat, many analysts called this Seattle Slew's greatest performance. Washington Post racing columnist Andrew Beyer, always a Seattle Slew skeptic as a three-year-old, wrote for his lead; "Exceller won Saturday's Jockey Club Gold Cup. Seattle Slew was its hero."
Seattle Slew's last race was an easy victory in the Stuyvesant Handicap in November at Aqueduct, by three and a quarter easy lengths while carrying the unusually high impost of 134 pounds. He retired with 14 wins in 17 races and earnings of $1,208,726.
Slew was a champion every year he raced. Along with his two-year-old title in 1976, he earned best three-year-old and the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year honors for 1977, best older horse in 1978 (he was denied Horse of the Year honors despite twice handily defeating Affirmed, who was named Horse of the Year), and was elected to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1981.
In retirement, Seattle Slew stood at stud at the Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Kentucky. Slew was the leading sire of 1984, when his son Swale, who died later that year, won the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. His other best progeny include the talented, but ill-fated 1982 champion two-year-old filly, Landaluce, Slew o'Gold, winner of the 1983 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Three-Year-Old Male Horse and the 1984 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Older Male Horse, the 1992 Horse of the Year A.P. Indy, sire of the brilliant 2006 Preakness Stakes winner Bernardini, and the 2000 champion three-year-old filly Surfside. In 2002, just months after Seattle Slew's death on the 25th anniversary of his Kentucky Derby triumph, his son Vindication went undefeated in four races to become the 2002 champion two-year-old colt and the favorite for the 2003 Kentucky Derby. Trainer Bob Baffert was devastated when Vindication suffered an injury early in 2003, ending his racing career. Baffert has said he thinks Vindication could have ended the Triple Crown drought.
A primary conduit for Seattle Slew's continuation of his male line has been through A.P. Indy. A.P. Indy has done very well at stud in Kentucky, getting, among others, the 2003 Horse of the Year Mineshaft. Currently, one of Seattle Slew's most successful grandsons is the California champion Lava Man, sired by Slew City Slew. 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. Seattle Slew was also a leading broodmare sire, his daughters producing, among others, the all-time leading money earning American Thoroughbred, Cigar.
Rags To Riches, a granddaughter, won the 2007 Belmont Stakes, the third filly to win the race following Ruthless in 1867 and Tanya in 1905. The win earned jockey John Velazquez and trainer Todd Pletcher their first wins in any Triple Crown race. Rags To Riches was the 22nd filly to ever run in the Belmont.