Affirmed

Affirmed, (February 21,1975 – January 12, 2001) was an American thoroughbred race horse that won the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing in 1978—only the 11th horse to ever accomplish the feat. As of 2006, he was the last horse to do so.

Harbor View Farm, established in 1960 by Louis Wolfson and his wife, Patrice, was a top breeding farm in earnings in 1970 and 1971 and again from 1978 to 1980, but Affirmed brought the farm much fame, earning it the 1978 Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year. As a four-year-old, Affirmed continued his brilliance, winning his second consecutive Horse of the Year honors.

Trained by Laz Barrera and ridden by Steve Cauthen, then an 18-year-old jockey, leading up to the 1978 Triple Crown races, Affirmed raced in California, winning the Santa Anita Derby and the Hollywood Derby. Affirmed narrowly defeated his arch rival Alydar in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes to claim the Triple Crown.

Affirmed and Alydar's stretch duel in the Belmont was one of the greatest in racing history. Alydar, with Jorge Velasquez up, briefly put a head in front in mid stretch and otherwise got so close to Affirmed that Cauthen had to switch his whip from his right to his left hand. (Some writers have questioned Alydar's brief lead, but Cauthen admitted to CBS's Jack Whitaker and Frank Wright after the race that his rival did just that.)

The CBS-TV call of the Affirmed-Alydar stretch drive -- by sportscaster and Belmont Park track announcer Chic Anderson -- became one of the landmarks of TV sports:

It's Alydar and Affirmed battling back along the inside! We'll test these two to the wire! Affirmed under a left-hand whip. Alydar on the outside driving! Affirmed and Alydar heads-apart! Affirmed's got a nose in front as they come on to the wire, and Affirmed has done it, he has won the Triple Crown!

Affirmed returned to the races in early August in the Jim Dandy Stakes, named for the upset winner of the 1930 Travers Stakes over Triple Crown winner Gallant Fox. Affirmed nearly became a upset loser himself to the front running Sensitive Prince but was able to close a seemingly unsurmountable gap in the last 100 yards in a race that Laz Barrera considered one of Affirmed's finest efforts.

The 1978 Marlboro Cup Invitational Handicap marked the first, and as of 2006, the only time in racing history that two Triple Crown winners ever met in a race. Seattle Slew, the 1977 champion, defeated Affirmed by three lengths.

The Affirmed-Alydar rivalry ended on a sour note in Affirmed's next race; the 1978 Travers Stakes at Saratoga. Racing before a then record crowd of over 50,000 fans Affirmed, piloted by Hall of Fame Jockey Laffit Pincay who was substituing for the injured Cauthen, cut off Alydar entering the far turn causing his rival to check suddenly. Affirmed crossed under the wire first but was disqualified and placed second. They would never meet again.

Affirmed earned a then record $2,393,818 with 22 wins, 5 seconds and 1 third from 29 starts. The only time he didn't finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd was when his saddle slipped in the 1978 Jockey Club Gold Cup racing against fellow triple crown winner, Seattle Slew.

Affirmed's Triple Crown accomplishment has not been repeated since, and his career has been honored with his election to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.

Affirmed's trainer, Laz Barrera, once said: "Affirmed is greater than Secretariat, or any Triple Crown winner, because only Affirmed had to face Alydar."

[edit] Career as a sire

At stud Affirmed sired 80 stakes winners, 9 champions with earnings in excess of $44,000,000 (through 2004) including Flawlessly and Peteski (Canadian triple crown winner in 1993). Though Affirmed never raced on the turf (grass) he was a noted sire of turf runners, most notably Flawlessly a multiple Grade 1 winner. His daughters are valued as broodmares.

Affirmed was the second US Triple Crown winner to sire a second generation Triple Crown champion. Affirmed's foal, Peteski, won the Canadian Triple Crown in 1993.

In 2001, Affirmed was euthanized after falling seriously ill with laminitis, a circulatory hoof disease. Years earlier, the same disease also led to the death of fellow Triple Crown winner Secretariat. He was buried whole--the ultimate honor for a race horse--at Jonabell Farm, wearing the flamingo pink silks of his original owners, Harbor View Farm. [1]

In the Blood-Horse magazine ranking of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century, Affirmed was ranked #12.

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