59 Facts About Seattle Slew

Seattle Slew was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who became the tenth winner of the American Triple Crown.

Seattle Slew is one of only two horses to have won the Triple Crown while being undefeated in any previous race; the second was Justify who won the Triple Crown in 2018 and is descended from Seattle Slew.

Seattle Slew was the 1977 Horse of the Year and a champion at ages two, three, and four.

Seattle Slew later became an outstanding sire and broodmare sire, leading the North American sire list in 1984 when his son Swale won the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes.

Seattle Slew was a dark bay horse with a small white patch of hair by his left rear hoof.

Seattle Slew was bred by Ben S Castleman, a Kentucky racing commissioner, and was foaled at White Horse Acres near Lexington, Kentucky.

Seattle Slew was the first foal out of My Charmer, a stakes-winning daughter of the otherwise obscure sire Poker.

Seattle Slew was not considered particularly attractive as a foal, leading some to say he looked like a mule.

Seattle Slew was so awkward that his first nickname was Baby Huey.

Seattle Slew was purchased for just $17,500 at the 1975 Fasig-Tipton yearling auction.

Seattle Slew's owners sent the colt to Billy Turner, a friend and former steeplechase rider who had trained horses seasonally in Maryland since the early 1960s.

Seattle Slew would stand back and just look at you.

Seattle Slew would let you do whatever you wanted him to do, but only if he wanted to do it.

Seattle Slew's debut was delayed by his initial awkwardness, but he started to attract attention over the course of the summer at Saratoga with some fast workouts.

Seattle Slew finally made his first start in a six-furlong maiden race on September 20,1976, the fifth race at Belmont Park.

Seattle Slew gave the public its first look at what was later called his "war dance" and won by five lengths.

Seattle Slew's biggest rival was For the Moment, who had won four straight races including the Belmont Futurity and was a full-brother to champion Honest Pleasure.

Nonetheless, Seattle Slew went off as the almost even-money favorite.

Turner scheduled three races for Seattle Slew leading up to the Kentucky Derby, which was then considered to be a light campaign.

Turner felt that the main threat to Seattle Slew was his health, because the horse ran so fast and hard every time.

Seattle Slew's first start came as a three-year-old in an allowance race on March 9,1977 at Hialeah Park Race Track.

Seattle Slew kept up the pace, completing the half-mile in 44 seconds and six furlongs in 1:08 flat.

Seattle Slew set his own pace and opened a large lead moving into the final turn.

Seattle Slew then shipped north to Aqueduct Racetrack in New York, where he became the subject of intense media scrutiny.

Seattle Slew's training did not go entirely to expectations however when he posted an uncharacteristically slow workout the Sunday before the race.

In reaction to the crowd noise, Seattle Slew washed out in the paddock and again during the post parade.

Seattle Slew had drawn post position three, and had to wait in the starting gate for the rest of the field to load.

Seattle Slew reacted slowly at the break then swerved nearly sideways and found himself trapped near the back of the field.

Seattle Slew reacted by charging through the field, bumping several other horses who were in his way.

Seattle Slew broke from post position 8 with Cormorant to his inside on a track with a definite bias for runners on the rail.

Seattle Slew trained well during the three weeks between the Preakness and Belmont Stakes, showing a new level of determination according to Turner.

Seattle Slew responded to the challenge in the final quarter-mile when he opened up daylight between himself and the rest of the field.

Down the stretch, Cruguet tapped him with the whip a few times to keep the colt's mind on the race and Seattle Slew won comfortably by four lengths over Run Dusty Run.

Seattle Slew became the tenth American Triple Crown winner and was the first Triple Crown winner to finish the series undefeated.

Seattle Slew, boxed in for much of the race with Text to his side, eventually broke free but tired badly in the stretch.

In early 1978, Seattle Slew was stabled at Hialeah and was expected to make three or four starts in Florida, followed by a full campaign in New York's major stakes races.

Seattle Slew was scheduled to make the first start of his four-year-old campaign on January 16,1978 in the Tallahassee Handicap.

Seattle Slew went straight to the lead and set fast early fractions.

Seattle Slew tried to fight back but lost by a neck in a major upset.

Seattle Slew sent Seattle Slew to the lead and completed the first quarter in an easy 24 seconds, then picked up the pace down the backstretch to complete the half-mile in 47 seconds with Affirmed two lengths behind.

Affirmed's trainer, Laz Barrera, did not want Seattle Slew to get an easy lead and dictate the pace as he had in the Marlboro Cup, so Barrera entered a "rabbit" in an attempt to tire Slew.

Seattle Slew fought back and lost by a nose in a photo finish.

Seattle Slew was assigned the high weight of 134 pounds, conceding his rivals from 19 to 27 pounds.

Seattle Slew retired with 14 wins in 17 races and earnings of $1,208,726.

Seattle Slew was named Champion Older Horse in 1978 but lost the Horse of the Year balloting to the horse he defeated in the Marlboro Cup, Affirmed.

An asterisk before the odds means that Seattle Slew was the post-time favorite.

Seattle Slew stood at stud at Spendthrift Farm in Lexington for seven years, before moving to Three Chimneys Farm in Midway in 1985.

Seattle Slew was the leading sire of 1984, when his son Swale won the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes.

Seattle Slew sired 1,103 named foals, of which 537 were winners and 111 were stakes winners.

Seattle Slew City Seattle Slew was a good sire, whose sons include California champion Lava Man.

California Chrome was the second Kentucky Derby winner in a row who was a sire-line descendant of Seattle Slew, following Orb in 2013.

Seattle Slew was a notable broodmare sire, leading the North American list in both 1995 and 1996.

Seattle Slew's daughters produced Cigar, the leading North American money-earner of his day.

Seattle Slew underwent spinal fusion surgery at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital for a neurological condition in 2000, followed by a second surgery in 2002.

On May 7,2002,25 years to the day after he won the Kentucky Derby, Seattle Slew died in his sleep at age 28.

Seattle Slew was buried whole at Hill 'n' Dale, the highest honor for a winning race horse, with his favorite blanket and a bag of peppermints.

Seattle Slew was one in a million, and showed us there is that possibility in a game of impossibilities.

Seattle Slew was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1981.

In 2015, the state of Kentucky starting issuing a license plate bearing Seattle Slew's image, based on a photograph by Tony Leonard.