I was at Belmont Park that day. I was also at the track for the Marlboro Cup, in September, the preceding month. The Slew ran 1:45:80 (official time of race was measured in 1/5s back then) beating Affirmed in the Marlboro Cup. He was best that day. Frankly, I don't recollect him well enough to know whether he could be characterized as a need the lead type but he certainly possessed superior speed and could carry that speed great distances. He wired the field in the Marlboro Cup with Affirmed doggedly tailing him about 3 to 4 lengths behind almost the entire way. Horses don't often run 9 furlongs in less than 1:46, much less 1:46 and change, at least not on the dirt. It was an dynamic performance.

Paddock, post parade and warm-up inspections before a race can often provide clues to the savvy handicapper as to a horse's condition and likely performance in the upcoming race. Upon observing Slew for the first time before a race, one might relegate him to also-ran (just visual observation not a gleaning of his race record). He sweated profusely, teems of kidney sweat running down his legs and while not outright rank, he was always hard to handle in the post parade--always "on the muscle".

And indeed Jockey Club Gold Cup day, he looked no different, jumping around in the paddock and post parade with foamy sweat shielding his flank and glistening on his neck. Laz Barrera did run a rabbit in the race, a horse by the name of Life's Hope. Life's Hope was a pretty good horse, a minor stakes winner with about +200k of lifetime earnings. But more importantly, he was a speed horse and he was entered to engage the Slew setting the race up for Affirmed, a tractable sort. Exceller was deep, deep closer with no speed whatsoever. Here we were with what was generally conceded the best 3yo, 4yo and 5yo in the land, meeting in a Grade 1 race at the classic 12 furlong distance. As I recall 6 horses were entered in all. I believe Darby Creek Road was in there and so was Great Contractor to round out the field.

Off they go and lo and behold instead of Life's Hope going out with Slew, Affirmed was chasing him a length or two back in incredibly fast fractions (as fasteddie notes). What was going on? Even the great Cordero aboard Slew couldn't throttle the Slew's speed and Affirmed was stubbornly pursuing him. Forget Life's Hope, he about 6 to 8 lengths back after 5 furlongs and faltering. Exceller didn't even register on the periphery. You had turn your head a good deal to the right to pick him up. At the 3/4 and 5/8s pole, he was some 25 lengths in arrears.

Meanwhile, my group, and I surmise quite a few others, was questioning the kamikaze-like battle plan Affirmed was pursuing. Kamikaze-like it was, for at about the 3/8 pole, one could see Affirmed tiring visibly and on the radar screen one could see a blip, Exceller, steadily narrowing the gap and coming into the full picture. Obviously Slew was fatigued and shortening strides and Exceller with Shoemaker aboard was making up vast quantities of ground. Finally at about the 3/16s pole Exceller surged to the lead and may have gotten about a length in front before Slew recognized a competitor.(I was sitting at the extreme end of the grandstand and for those who know Belmont, that's akin to the bleachers and more so at a ballpark. Difficult to see and recall exactly where in the stretch Slew was passed and how soon it took for him to react.) But once Slew saw Exceller he came again shortening the gap between them all the way to the wire. He was beaten either a head or a neck.

By the way as I recall, it was overcast that day or at the very least, it turned overcast throughout the course of the race day. Sometime after the 7th race, before the feature, it started to drizzle, perceptibly. The drizzle increased in intensity as the minutes to race 8 ticked down. I do believe it was raining while the race was run. But the track itself was in good condition, still labeled as fast. These days the track might have been denoted as wet-fast.

Slew certainly gained stature in some people's eyes that day. True he had won the triple crown the prior year but Secretariat accomplished that feat just 5 years earlier, breaking the 25-year triple crown draught, and also won champion turf honors and horse of the year honors in addition to being named top 3yo. Also in the '70s racing secretaries were still assigning big imposts to older, handicap horses. And in New York in the mid-70s the star handicap horse was Forego, a champion sprinter and handicap horse, who raced out of the money (4th I think) in Secretariat's derby. Forego routinely toted 130 or more, giving 10 to 20 pounds to rivals, and beat them. "...coming like a freight train...."

The point is that while Slew's continued undefeated status throughout the triple crown placed him in elite company, his subsequent loss to J O Tobin in the Swaps at Hol in July pierced the veil of invincibility and lowered his stature to that of a mere mortal equine, albeit a very good one at that. Furthermore, he had physical problems and didn't race very frequently thereafter. In the inaugural (I think it was) Meadowlands Cup in September or was it late August (3yo or 4yo, I'm not sure) he was beaten by Dr. Patches a very good sprinter stretching out for John Nerud (the trainer of Dr. Fager). In the Marlboro Cup, Slew beat a top notch 3yo (and Affirmed was a top notch 3yo and older horse) but he won on the front end (but as a noted superior speed horse was suppose to) and this I don't recollect but Affirmed may have been weighted proportionately higher scale-wise (remember 3yo vs. 4yo--The Marlboro Cup was a handicap). As the saying goes Slew had it his own way in the Marboro Cup. In the Jockey Club Gold Cup he wouldn't rate and put away anything that ran or try to run with him. And despite the freakishly fast first 6 furlongs, this leg-weary head- strong, on the muscle runner, once collared, almost came back to beat Exceller, the beneficiary of a well-timed ride and suicidal pace.

Yes, Slew gained respect that day, losing.

I don't know if it's the best race I ever saw but it's ranks right up there with the '78 Belmont, '82 Gotham, '88 BC Distaff, '89 BC Classic, '98 Belmont and perhaps a few more I can't remember at this moment.

If you want to read more about the '78 Jockey Club and horse racing in general, pick up Steve Crist's book, The Horse Traders--I think that's the title but obviously he or the Drf can tell you the exact title.



TGAB