>If I remember correctly the last 6 furlongs went in 1:18.<

That sounds about right.

I think Slew had a breather after the 45+ 109+ and that's where Exceller made up the gap to collar him at the quarter pole. The final quarter may not have been all that bad.

I have a big bias towards the horses of the late 70s. I remember handicapping races with 7 fairly sharp multiple Grade I winners and a few up and comers all entered in the feature at Belmont. The horse that finished last beaten 15-20 was a tiger.

These days, you see horses with big speed figures jump up out of limited allowance races and get the cash.

In the old days your horse was carted off in the van if you tried that. :-)

That's the one problem I have with the faster horse theory. I believe they may be running faster speed figures in today's races, but I have a very difficult time believing they are better. The depth and quality of most Stakes fields is a lot lower these days and you can do things now you could not do back then. (other than the Breeder's Cup)