Z – #10 – Seattle Slew – horseracing20thcentury99.com

Top Ten Horses Overall Twentieth Century

#10

Seattle Slew

(1976 - 1978)

America’s 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew, with Jean Cruguet riding, winning the Preakness Stakes over Iron Constitution and Run Dusty Run.

Photo: Pinterest

PEDIGREE

Dk B/Br H (USA) 1974

OWNER

Tayhill Stable

TRAINER

W. Turner Jr. / D. Peterson

BREEDER

Ben Castleman

Some Facts

Seattle Slew was born at White Horse Acres near Lexington, Kentucky, on February 15th, 1974. He was bred by Ben Castleman, a Kentucky racing commissioner. His sire was Bold Reasoning, a grandson of Chef de Race Bold Ruler. However, the first-year sire was not Mr. Castleman’s original choice. He had initially planned to breed his mare to Jacinto, a son of Bold Ruler, but when the stallion’s book was full, Seth Hancock, the owner of Claiborne Farm, suggested Bold Reasoning, a lightly raced colt that had won eight of his twelve career starts including the 1971 Dwyer and the Withers Stakes, the latter over that year’s Belmont Stakes winner, Pass Catcher.
Seattle Slew was the first foal of the mare My Charmer, a daughter of Poker out of the Jet Action mare, Fair Charmer, who in turn was a daughter of Myrtle Charm, the two-year-old champion filly in 1948. In 1980, My Charmer produced the 1983 Two Thousand Guineas winner Lomond (by Northern Dancer), and in 1984, Seattle Dancer (by Nijinsky), who would be purchased at the 1985 Keeneland summer auction by the partners Stavros Niarchos and Robert Sangster for a record $13.1 million ($33 million in 2021 US dollars).
In 1975, Seattle Slew was a yearling and was offered for sale at the Fasig/Tipton yearling auction. He was not considered an attractive foal, and his right front foot was slightly turned out, which was a concern to many prospective buyers. Karen and Mickey Taylor, who were from White Swan, Washington, partnered with Jim and Sally Hill and went to the auction intent on buying a yearling. Their budget was $12,000, but for some reason, they were attracted to Slew and eventually were the successful bidders, purchasing the colt for $17,500. They then turned him over to trainer Billy Turner.
After his two-year-old campaign, Seattle Slew stood 16.1 hands at his withers and weighed 1,120 pounds. He was an awkward colt early on, so he didn’t make his first start until September 20th, 1977.
Despite having gone to the post only three times that year, and winning just one stake, the prestigious Champagne, Slew was voted the two-year-old colt champion. He was also the top-weighted two-year-old in the Experimental Free Handicap, his 126 pounds one more than Run Dusty Run.
Seattle Slew was an easy winner of each Triple Crown race and was the first undefeated winner of American racing’s iconic series.
With the Triple Crown behind him and against Billy Turner’s wishes, Slew was sent to Hollywood Park to run in the $300,000 ten-furlong Swaps Stakes on July 3^rd. He did not seem to be himself in this one and appeared somewhat sluggish. The result was that he became boxed in for a good part of the race while J. O. Tobin set unrealistic fractions of :22 2/5; :45 2/5; 1:09 1/5; 1:33 and finished in 1:58 3/5, just two-fifths of a second off the world record. Dropping back steadily from the start, Slew struggled and finished fourth, beaten sixteen lengths as the odds-on 1-5 favorite.
Slew was set to return to the races in late August, but he was not allowed to race again that year because of an ownership suspension. When he returned, he had a new trainer. Billy Turner was often critical of how the colt was managed and was especially vocal about the Swaps because he did not want the colt to run in it. He was fired and replaced by Doug Peterson.
Seattle Slew’s first race at four was to be the Tallahassee Stakes at Hialeah on January 16th, 1978, but he was scratched because of a fever. He then suffered through a fluke accident when a needle caused his jugular vein to collapse, leaving him sick and weak for an extended period, during which there were thoughts of retiring him. However, he remained in training, and during the time that he was recovering, he was syndicated for stud duty for $12 million and was to stand at Spendthrift Farm.
Seattle Slew’s first race in 1978 was a seven-furlong allowance at Aqueduct on May 14th. The track was sloppy, but the almost black colt dominated anyway, winning by 8 ¼ lengths in 1:22 4/5. He was then pointed to the Metropolitan Handicap, but a slight filling in his leg resulted in his remaining in the barn.
In Seattle Slew’s next start, the nine-furlong Marlboro Cup, he finally confirmed his greatness. In the first-ever meeting between Triple Crown winners, Affirmed, the current Triple Crown holder, was sent off as the odds-on 1-2 favorite, while for the first time in his career, Seattle Slew (2-1) was not the betting favorite. Slew’s performance was spectacular as he wired the field, running the nine furlongs in 1:45 4/5 and defeating Affirmed by three lengths.
There would be one more race in Seattle Slew’s brilliant career, the nine-furlong G3 Stuyvesant Handicap at Aqueduct on November 11th. In this one, he carried 134 pounds and led most of the way in the two-turn race, winning it by 3 ¼ lengths in 1:47 2/5, just two ticks off Riva Ridge’s track record (which the Meadow Stable colt still holds).
In 1979, Seattle Slew began his stud career at Spendthrift Farm, where he remained for seven years before transferring to Three Chimneys Farm in 1985. He was the leading sire in 1984 and broodmare sire in 1995 and 1996.
Seattle Slew sired several of the sport’s greatest runners. Notables include A P Indy, Landaluce, Slew o’ Gold, Surfside, Swale, and Vindication etc. His daughter, Solar Slew, produced the great Cigar.
Seattle Slew died in his sleep on May 7th, 2002, twenty-five years after he won the Kentucky Derby.