OT: Greatest Triple Crown Rivalry of All Time - Affirmed v. Alydar 1978
Kentucky Derby - Affirmed defeats Alydar by 1 1/2 lengths.
Preakness - Affirmed defeats Alydar by a neck.
Belmont Stakes - Affirmed defeats Alydar by a head.
The YouTube videos are imbedded in the article below.
The Sport’s Great Rivalries: Affirmed and Alydar | America's Best Racing (americasbestracing.net)
This has to be one of my earliest sports memories. Was just about 10.5 years old at the time.
My recollection is that the rivalry dominated the sports sections and sports reports during that May and June.
Kind of bums me out that nothing will ever again capture an entire nation's imagination like this did...due to the multitude of things happening...and the way everything is covered and rehashed instantaneously.
Poor Alydar. And poor Sham.
Pick any other year and Sham is probably a triple crown winner everyone would still be talking about.
The transition of this website from MGoBlog to HorseGoRacimg has been seamless and imperceptible
It's once a year - deal with it.
I think it's great that the people on this website appreciate all kind of championship athletic achievement, human or equine.
I've read that, adjusting for lifespan (which was very short in his case), Alydar was a way more impressive "daddy" than Affirmed (winners sired).
Timely, as Alydar was bred by Calumet farm same as Rich Strike. Although technically totally different ownership now. For anyone interested in white collar crime and fast money of the 80s the book "Wild Ride" by Ann Hagedorn Auerbach is a good read.
The 1989 rivalry between Sunday Silence and Easy Goer was an epic triple crown battle as well. They may have battled for the Breeder’s Cup as well.
Yes, they finished 1-2 in all 3 Triple Crown races and in the Breeder's Cup Classic, with Sunday Silence winning 3 of the 4 (Easy Goer won the Belmont Stakes).
Alydar was one of the top sires of all time. Affirmed a was a very good sire, and an especially good influence on the dam side but well below Alydar.
Affirmed lost a race to Seattle Slew in a race that was the only time that two Triple Crown winners faced each other.
The Japanese horse from this years Derby, Crown Pride, has Sunday Silence on both sides of his pedigree. American breeders had no interest in Sunday Silence as a stud and he ended up in Japan were he became a foundation of the racing program. Really wanted things to come full circle in this years Derby but it wasn't in the cards.
The '89 Preakness may be the best finish ever. I can still hear Dave Johnson's call
My wife owned one of Alydar’s offspring as a show jumper. What a great horse. Looked just like Alydar. Unfortunately not a ton of people these days know the name or how amazing those races were. Makes one feel a bit old. Now … get off my lawn!
We are a horse school now!
Sure, why not? Horses, satellite launches, movie casts, perfect albums, Friday night beverages, soccer, baseball, basketball, fencing, lacrosse, various coaching moves, football, golf, hockey, etc...
We're an interesting group!
Nothing like the first Saturday in May, except maybe the last Sunday in May. My two favorite non-ball related sporting events.