Seattle Slew

Seattle Slew (February 15, 1974 – May 7, 2002) was an American Thoroughbred race horse who won the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing in 1977, the tenth of eleven horses to accomplish the feat. He remains the only horse to win the Triple Crown while undefeated. In the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century, Seattle Slew is ranked ninth.

A descendant of the great sire Nearco through his son, Nasrullah, Seattle Slew was sired by Bold Reasoning and out of My Charmer.[1] 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 the sloughs which 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 accountant for the equine partnerships.

Seattle Slew made his first start in a six-furlong maiden race on September 20, 1976, the fifth race at Belmont Park on Long Island, New York. The big, nearly-black colt was bet down to the 5–2 favorite. 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), and won by five lengths. Seattle Slew started only twice more as a two-year-old, winning an allowance race on October 5, 1976 by 3½ lengths and the one-mile Champagne Stakes 11 days later by 9¾ lengths in a fast 1:342/5. Despite starting just three times, Seattle Slew was named Champion 2-Year-Old of 1976.

Billy Turner and Paula Turner (http://www.paulaturnertrainingstables.com/), "Slew's" trainers, waited to start Seattle Slew as a three-year-old until March 9, 1977 when he set a seven-furlong track record at Hialeah Park Race Track in winning an allowance race by nine lengths. On March 26, Seattle Slew won the Flamingo Stakes by four lengths in the third-fastest time in the stakes' 51-year history. On April 23, he completed his Kentucky Derby preparation with a 3¼-length victory in the Wood Memorial Stakes.

Seattle Slew went off as the odds-on 1-2 favorite in the 1¼-mile Kentucky Derby on May 7. A "speed horse", who normally broke well and went right to the lead, he swerved at the start and was taken up by jockey Jean Cruguet. However, Cruguet and Seattle Slew recovered and got to the lead, dueling with For the Moment for the first mile of the race. At the top of the stretch, Seattle Slew pulled away to win by 1¾ lengths over Run Dusty Run.

Two weeks later, in the 13/16-mile Preakness Stakes, Seattle Slew faced a new rival in multiple-stakes- winner Cormorant. Many handicappers believed the predicted speed duel with Cormorant would jeopardize the Derby winner's chances; Andrew Beyer picked Cormorant to win in his Washington Post column. Seattle Slew outstayed Cormorant, holding off Iron Constitution to win by 11/2 lengths.

The Belmont Stakes was a coronation for the Triple Crown champion, who won by four lengths before a large, enthusiastic crowd. He became the tenth American Triple Crown winner, and (with his nine-for-nine record) was the first Triple Crown winner to finish the series undefeated.

After the Triple Crown Seattle Slew was sent to Hollywood Park Racetrack, which offered a $400,000 purse to lure him to run in the Swaps Stakes on July 3. In the Swaps Seattle Slew (who normally broke on the lead, as noted above) was unable to get to the front. Jockey Bill Shoemaker sent J.O. Tobin (whom Seattle Slew had defeated in the Preakness) to the lead. J.O. Tobin set fast early fractions for a 1¼-mile race – 22.40 for the first quarter-mile, 45.40 for the half, 1:09.20 for six furlongs and 1:33.60 for the mile. Seattle Slew could not keep up and tired badly in the stretch, finishing fourth, 16 lengths behind J.O. Tobin. J.O. Tobin won by eight lengths in 1:58.40, less than half a second off the American record for the distance at the time. After this loss, rest and physical problems would sideline Seattle Slew for almost a year. Despite the season-ending loss, however, Seattle Slew was honored at year's end as champion three-year-old and the Eclipse Award for American 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 one-mile Metropolitan Handicap in New York. In Florida the horse (who had recovered from a cough as a three-year-old) took a turn for the worse in January. He stopped eating, occasionally broke into hours-long sweats and sometimes fell when he tried to stand. Co-owner Jim Hill diagnosed a severe viral infection, and feared for Seattle Slew's life.

"Slew" recovered slowly. By the time he made it back to the races on a sloppy track at Aqueduct in May, Billy Turner had been replaced as his trainer by Doug Peterson. Seattle Slew won that allowance race at Aqueduct by 8½ lengths, and won another seven-furlong allowance by six lengths at Saratoga Race Course in August. In preparation for a matchup against the 1978 Triple Crown winner Affirmed, Seattle Slew was sent to the Meadowlands for a night race, the Paterson Handicap. He lost to Dr. Patches, in a major upset. Jean Cruguet lost his mount after that race, after expressing doubt that the horse was sufficiently trained for the race.

In the Marlboro Cup, the first matchup of two Triple Crown winners, Seattle Slew was not the favorite (for the only time of his career). Angel Cordero, Jr. took the reins as his new jockey. Affirmed was the 1–2 favorite, and Seattle Slew the 2–1 second choice. Affirmed's arch-rival Alydar was scheduled to run, but was scratched the week before the race.

Affirmed and Seattle Slew were both speed horses. Seattle Slew broke on top, and stayed there into the homestretch. Cordero took him away from the rail off the final turn; Affirmed came up on on him for a moment, but Seattle Slew responded to beat Affirmed by three lengths in the good time of 1:45.80 for 11/8 miles, .40 second off the track record set by Secretariat. Two weeks later, he easily won the 1¼-mile Woodward Stakes over Exceller by four lengths.

In October, Seattle Slew and Affirmed met again in the 1½-mile Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont, which was televised nationally on the CBS network. Affirmed's trainer, Laz Barrera, did not want Seattle Slew to get an easy lead and dictate the pace as he did in the Marlboro Cup, so Barrera also entered a "rabbit" (Life's Hope) in an attempt to tire the horse. Barrera's plan was compromised; Seattle Slew set a blistering pace, chased by Affirmed and Life's Hope. "Slew" drew away; Affirmed's saddle then slipped, eliminating him from contention (he would finish 5th). Seattle Slew ran in fractions of 22.60 for the first quarter, 45.20 for the half and 1:09.40 for three-quarters – unheard-of early times for a long race.

Sitting far back, Willie Shoemaker (on Exceller) was able to take advantage of the fast pace. Exceller made a strong move on the far turn, and was able to save ground by moving inside Seattle Slew as the tiring horse bore out turning for home. Exceller took the lead at the top of the stretch, but Seattle Slew gamely fought back and lost by a nose in a photo finish. This stretch run is still remembered as among the all-time best, ranking with Sunday Silence and Easy Goer's Preakness in 1989 and the battles between Affirmed and Alydar. Despite the defeat, many analysts considered this to be Seattle Slew's greatest performance. Andrew Beyer (a Seattle Slew skeptic when the horse was a three-year-old) wrote for his lead, "Exceller won Saturday's Jockey Club Gold Cup. Seattle Slew was its hero."[citation needed]

Seattle Slew's last race was an easy victory under the high weight of 134 pounds (61 kg) in the Stuyvesant Handicap in November at Aqueduct Racetrack by 3¼ lengths. He retired with 14 wins in 17 races and earnings of $1,208,726. Seattle Slew was named Champion Older Horse in 1978 but lost the Horse of the Year balloting to the horse he defeated in the Marlboro Cup, Affirmed. He was elected to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1981.

Seattle Slew stood at Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Kentucky and later at Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Kentucky, where he was stabled across from Point Given. He was the leading sire of 1984, when his son Swale (who died later that year) won the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. His other progeny include the talented, 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 2006 Preakness Stakes winner Bernardini), 2000 champion three-year-old filly Surfside, and 2007 Belmont Stakes winner Rags to Riches. He is also the only Belmont Stakes winner to sire a Belmont Stakes winner (A.P. Indy), who in turn sired a Belmont Stakes winner (Rags to Riches).

A primary conduit for Seattle Slew's continuation of his male line has been through A.P. Indy. A.P. Indy has done well at stud in Kentucky, siring (among others) the 2003 Horse of the Year Mineshaft. One of Seattle Slew's most successful grandsons is the California champion Lava Man (sired by Slew City Slew). Seattle Slew's son, Slewacide, was the broodmare sire of 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Funny Cide. 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) Cigar (leading North American money-earner of his day). Races in honor of his dam (My Charmer) include the My Charmer Handicap held at Florida's Calder Race Course annually and the My Charmer Stakes held at Kentucky's Turfway Park.

Rags to Riches, a granddaughter, won the 2007 Belmont Stakes – the third filly to win the race, after Ruthless in 1867 and Tanya in 1905. The victory earned jockey John Velazquez and trainer Todd Pletcher their first wins in any Triple Crown race. Rags To Riches was the 22nd filly to run in the Belmont. In 2002, ESPN telecast a "SportsCentury" on Seattle Slew.

25 years to the day after he won the Kentucky Derby, Seattle Slew died in his sleep at age 28. He is buried in a courtyard at Hill 'n' Dale Farms near Lexington, Kentucky. Three Chimneys Farm erected a statue of Seattle Slew near the stallion barn in his honor. Since fellow Triple Crown winner and rival Affirmed had died the year before, he was the sole living Triple Crown winner. Ironically, Smarty Jones (the first undefeated Kentucky Derby winner since Seattle Slew) now occupies his predecessor's former stall. In 2008 (when Big Brown was syndicated), racing fans wanted Big Brown to have the stall; Three Chimneys denied the request.