Seattle Slew

1977 Triple Crown Winner Profile

Sire: Bold Reasoning
Dam: My Charmer

Owner: Mickey and Karen L. Taylor, Tayhill Stable/Jim Hill, et. al.
Breeder: Ben S. Castleman
Trainer: Billy Turner Jr., later Douglas Peterson
Primary Jockey: Jean Cruguet

Race record: 17 starts, 14 wins, 2 seconds, 0 thirds
Earnings: $1,208,726

A brilliant speedster with stamina to match, Seattle Slew achieved a couple of noteworthy firsts during his Hall of Fame career. In 1977, he became the first horse to win the Triple Crown while undefeated, and these victories simultaneously made Seattle Slew the first horse sold at public auction to sweep the spring classics

Bred in Kentucky by Ben S. Castleman, Seattle Slew sold for just $17,500 as a yearling, which turned out to be a bargain for owners Karen Taylor, Mickey Taylor, Jim Hill, and Sally Hill. Under the care of Billy Turner Jr., Seattle Slew only raced three times as a juvenile, but in less than a month he staked his claim as the champion 2-year-old of 1976. Effortless maiden and allowance victories at Belmont Park were followed by a scintillating 9 3/4-length triumph in the Champagne (G1), in which Seattle Slew blazed the 1-mile distance in a stakes-record 1:34 2/5.

Seattle Slew exhibited similar dominance early in his 3-year-old campaign. He broke a track record in his seasonal bow, winning a 7-furlong allowance race at Hialeah Park in 1:20 3/5, then cruised to unchallenged victories in the Flamingo (G1) and Wood Memorial (G1), emerging as an overwhelming 1-2 favorite to beat 14 rivals in the Kentucky Derby.

A dreadful start nearly derailed Seattle Slew’s chance at Churchill Downs, but under an aggressive ride from Jean Cruguet, Seattle Slew bulled his way through the field to press a fast pace around the first turn. Showing no signs of tiring despite his hectic early efforts, Seattle Slew stayed on strongly down the homestretch to win by 1 3/4 lengths.

Having overcome adversity to claim the Run for the Roses, Seattle Slew enjoyed a relatively easy time in the Preakness and Belmont Stakes. He survived another speed duel to win the Preakness in a quick 1:54 2/5, while in the Belmont he led from the start to score by four lengths over a muddy track, with Cruguet standing in the stirrups to celebrate before the finish line.

Seattle Slew’s season came to an abrupt end in the Swaps (G1) three weeks later. Perhaps worn out from his busy spring campaign, Seattle Slew finished a dull fourth behind runaway winner J.O. Tobin and didn’t race again as a 3-year-old. Even still, Seattle Slew was voted Horse of the Year at the Eclipse Awards.

With Douglas Peterson taking over training duties, Seattle Slew embarked on an abbreviated, but ultimately successful 4-year-old campaign. A winter illness and a minor leg injury limited Seattle Slew to a single allowance win during the first half of the year, but he eventually bounced back with a series of powerful efforts in the fall. In a historic first meeting between Triple Crown winners, Seattle Slew defeated younger rival Affirmed in the Marlboro Cup H. (G1), clocking 1 1/8 miles in a brilliant 1:45 4/5. Victories in the Woodward (G1) and Stuyvesant H. (G3), plus gallant runner-up efforts in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) and Paterson H. (G3), stamped Seattle Slew as the champion older male of 1978.

Seattle Slew thus retired to stud with the rare distinction of winning division titles at age 2, 3, and 4. Remarkably, he was as successful a stallion as a racehorse, counting 1984 Kentucky Derby winner Swale and 1992 Horse of the Year A.P. Indy (himself a breed-shaping sire) among his best foals. Though Seattle Slew passed away in 2002, his legacy lives on through his descendants.