Affirmed vs. Alydar - 1978 Belmont Stakes (9th Meeting)

[jmom54]

My crowning glory in handicapping. I knew Affirmed would win the triple long before the Derby.

[MelC54]

Not likely to ever see as exciting a chase for the Triple Crown as this turned out to be. For pure excitement and closeness of all 3 races, this had to be the best ever. Secretariat's was great for his absolute dominance, but his was more of Secretariat vs. the clock. This one was absolutley the most competitive.

[BarbaroFan08]

Seems like this Triple Crown was the hardest ever!

[hexiconned]

I loved Alydar, that TC was a brutal one for me, but amazing. I remember people at the time saying winning the Triple Crown was going to happen so often it would lose meaning... which was understandable when when we'd seen 3 of them in 6 years, but seems quite funny now.

[bigjoetube]

The greatest horse race ever. Noone mentions Affirmed without mentioning Alydar. The triple crown in 1978 in some ways belongs to both.

[joelok48]

@bigjoetube I agree completely. To this day still the best race I've ever seen. With every birthday I appreciate this race even more. If this doesn't get your heart beating fast nothing will!

[JustAintthatWay]

@bigjoetube well said friend, alydar earned the right to be remembered

[jodes015]

wowowowowowowowowowow!!!!!!!!!­!!!!what a race

[Tammicat21]

@dun per your advice, I went to 86 Cox plate...nice..but it led me to 1987 Australian Cup Flemington...WOW ,,now that's a nailbiter..still don't know who won that one..lol..and 96 Cox plate is dang good too!! Just one question..why is Moonee Valley's track built around a "Carmax",,gosh that is SO tacky..can you say Saratoga, Hollywood,Belmont-beautiful :)

[dunsta69]

this race and 1886 Cox Plate the two best races I think I have ever seen

[stevibee47]

this was a great race,but you can't forget the sunday silence/easy goer preakness stakes race.That was my favorite race

[brianclough]

Alydar went for it early after the 2 previous defeats, but Affirmed refused to be beaten. Great jockeyship by Steve Cauthen, a worthy winner in a great race, to be the Triple Crown Champion

[bf160001]

I have always thought that Velasquez lost the race in the run to the first turn. Why take back from your inside position in a 25 sec 1st quarter, if you are going going to come right back and challenge from the outside?

[wingowonk888]

Excellent, thanks. My Pal Alydar still doesn't win, but he had the guts. Didn't remember how bad it hurt at the time, that was a tough loss. Folks, no forgetting Alydar, okay? Thanks again for the post

[Vydio]

No, Alydar won't be forgotten, as he was one of the most successful studs ever.

[joefederico]

Classic confrontations between 2 great horses. Who cares who is better as both proved they were outstanding. I think it is the only time there was the same 1-2 placing in all the Triple Crown events.

[dcddjc]

Alydar I will always all ways remember you! Thank you!!!!

[earthshine2k]

For my money, all three of the triple crown races between Affirmed and Alydar came down to how the jockeys rode them. Each time, Jorge Velasquez had Alydar running outside of Affirmed. Alydar never got to the rail that i can see in all three races. If Steve Cauthen is ridiing Alydar instead of Affirmed, would the triple crown winner have been different in 1978?

[RoninTXBR549]

I remember being glued to the television during this race... One for the ages!

[brianclough]

I agree with the caption, a race for the ages.

[MelC54]

For it's suspense, this probably is the most exciting Belmont Stakes....Secretariat took the suspense out of his....the only question with Secretariat was how badly he was going to beat them.

[ramon3964]

Too bad they don't have Horse racing like this anymore. I remember this race and I was only 14 years old. Can't believe there has not been another triple crown champion!!

[starzinliberty]

i'll remind all again, the great Slew was a year older than Affirmed and Exceller older than Slew... they all came along in a cluster of greats in the decade of champions. but this Belmont, in my opinion is the most thrilling, second only to Secretariat's Belmont in thrilling-ness, regardless of who was running, where they ended up, who beat who later on and so forth. Cauthen started the pace off brilliantly slow because he knew what Alydar was going to do. And they did it! So great was this!

[coolfoxywolf]

Affirmed and Alydar are awesome. Alydar is very unique, since he was the only horse to place second in all three Triple Crown races, and of course all of the Triple Crown winners are awesome, I couldn't pick favorites.

;P Gotta love horses!!

[WildWhitePony]

I agree, Alydar very special, but as I recall, "Sham" placed second behind Secretariat in all three Triple Crown races as well...but, by many lengths :-) Horrifying tragedy about what happened to Alydar at Calumet farms...

[jcvelina]

Sham finished second to the great Secretariat in both the Kentucky and Preakness. He finished last at Belmont.

[jdman270]

By far the best horse racing rivalry of all time - Affirmed vs Alydar - awesome races

[MelC54]

Put Affirmed or Alydar up against Secretariat and you have 2 ordinary horses.

[eckythimble]

@MelC54 Put them up against Sham and they lose also, at least in the Derby (official time) and Preakness (unofficial time) and probably even the Belmont, if Sham runs his natural "stalker" style instead of being forced into a front-running style he's not used to. This was still a great race though! Even though Alydar placed second he clearly covered more ground being on the outside and his average speed here must have been - ironically - slightly higher than Affirmed.

[xmi11]

@eckythimble Disagree they lose to Sham, '73 race tracks were known to be faster than other years so you can't go by time, also other considerations such as Alydar being stuck in traffic in the derby affected his finish and time, with a clear trip he would've pressed Affirmed resulting in a faster time.

[Dannykeith46]

@xmi11 - It would have been a coin toss. Sham was equally as fast as both Affirmed and Alydar and all 3 would have tested each other right to the wire. Unfortunately for poor Sham, in 1973 he was matched against the greatest race horse ever who chose the 3 TC races to display his most remarkable unparalleled performances.

[XxXYoUrNaMeXXXXx4456]

Anyone know what the yellow number mean that are at the bottom of the video?

[cf1970]

They are the assigned numbers of given horses (i.e. Affirmed #3, Alydar #2), and what position they are in at different points of the race; in this case the first time past the start/finish line and at each successive quarter pole. Hope that helps.

[joeyjoey444]

I don't think Alydar ever made the move early enough

[jurankin]

Affirmed was great but I rate him behind Seatle Slew and the greatest of all Secretariat.

[Wowweefilms]

Allydar won:(

[up4046]

Three long races in five weeks in insane. This should be changed. Most grade one horses might run one race in afive week period.

[manwithoutaroom]

Today's horses, like today's men, are pussies. Maybe the answer is to make the Belmont 1 1/8 miles so we can have a modern triple crown winner. They've dumbed down everything else to be accomodating.

[74sodapop]

We wait 30 years and Affirmed still hasn't been topped.I wish Big Brown would have won.That's how hard it is.1978 Belmont the race for the ages.

[mookienme]

big brown, boo hoo. watch the real thing.

[HockeeGurl]

At first it was anybody's race but then they pulled away and the others were just in it for the placing money haha it was Alydar and Affirmed's race then!

[silverscreenname]

I was only 10yo when these races were run and I still remember them. I was pulling for Alydar in the Belmont, it broke my heart.

[derkommissar1917]

If Alydar had won, he'd just be the horse who kept Affirmed from winning the Triple Crown. Instead, everyone remembers him because he would have been the Triple Crown winner if Affirmed hadn't been born the same year. Sometimes history remembers you better if you lose gloriously.

[macbeth361]

This is not only the greatest rivalry in horseracing but maybe one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports.

[warblerab]

the only race I've seen that had something to this happening was the Preakness between Sunday Silence and Easygoer

[thegrouper1]

race was won in the first quarter,it was over with those fractions .alydar ran a monster race. he had to race closeup and force the pace,which was not his game. affirmed was a great horse and was not going to lose after a25 first quarter and a half in 50.but it was a different story when he ran against seatle slew,who had speed to spare and would never allow affimed to set such a slow pace. pace makes the race, it sure did here

[jhordanian]

That's exactly why Affirmed was the better horse. He simply had more tactical speed than Alydar. The same was true of Sunday Silence in his rivalry with Easy Goer. Speed proved decisive.

[bbmtge]

@thegrouper1 I realize your comment is from quite a while ago, but...you must remember that Affirmed was 3YO when Slew was 4YO...huge difference. Check Affirmed's accomplishments as a 4YO...they were really great.

[suhdf]

search ttg 1977

[F1LotusFan]

Best Triple Crown race I ever saw until Real Quiet was beaten by a nose in 1998.

[ALYSHEBANDTHEBID]

many expert believe that Alydar was beating by "training" he had more strength and better pedigree, his sons and daughters showed that, sad, he was the leading sire at the time of his death (producing big horses), but for sure affirmed earn that TC.