1978 Jockey Club Gold Cup - Exceller

This excellent race is already on YouTube, courtesy of cf1970. I'm posting this version because it includes the additional footage of Seattle Slew breaking through the starting gate before the race. It also includes extra coverage at the end of the race, including a slow motion replay of the final sixteenth.

After breaking through the gate, Slew didn't go nearly as far down the track as my stunned memory from 1978. Still, it would be hard to spin it as a positive, especially in a race that was decided by inches. Nice athletic job by Cordero to reign in Slew, especially after he reared.

I wonder if the unnerving delay of nearly a minute contributed to the frantic pace, by Slew and Affirmed along with rabbit Life's Hope?

Someone on another site tried to claim the speed figure on this race was poor. That sounds preposterous to me. The final time was 2:27 1/5. You can see it was hardly an ideal dry and fast track. Check out the surface when Slew is being brought around and reloaded. Andrew Beyer wrote in his post race article that the time was "excellent."

The fractions themselves are intriguing. After the masochistic 1:09 2/5, the next quarter plummeted all the way to :26 flat. The horses in front were spent and Cordero was obviously trying to give Slew a breather, worried about Affirmed. If you look at the tape, Cordero looks to his inside entering the top of the stretch and sees Exceller and Shoemaker flying at him. Only then does he noticeably urge Slew, and the two horses quickly draw well clear of Affirmed. The fifth quarter was slow at :26 2/5 but the final quarter was a much faster and respectable :25 2/5.

BTW, I believe every Seattle Slew race has now been posted on YouTube, with the high profile exception of the 1977 Preakness. I have a tape of that race but it is flawed, a big missing gap of about 10-12 seconds at the top of the stretch. I have been unable to find a complete copy.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• 1978
• Jockey
• Club
• Gold
• Cup
• Exceller
• Seattle
• Slew
• Affirmed
• Life's
• Hope
• Bill
• Shoemaker
• Angel
• Cordero
• Steve
• Cauthen

[brunoaltimino]

I disagree with AwsiDooger that Affirmed was not in Slew's league. I understand his reasoning based on the two races between the two. But in this particular race, Affirmed somehow ran of with Cauthen, who was in the midst of a terrible slump. The way I see it, if Affirmed had been taken off the pace, Life's Hope would have pushed Slew through a similar 6 furlongs. Just off of basic handicapping we know that Affirmed was capable of a 2:26 and change 1 1/2 miles. Possibly too fast for Slew.

[AwsiDooger]

@brunoaltimino

I don't remember what I wrote. From your description it sounds like I may have exaggerated something during a back and forth debate. Luckily those have calmed down.

Billy Turner said after this race that Affirmed was not in Slew's league. I probably mentioned that quote.

Affirmed was an awesome horse. I always thought Slew was a small percentage faster and better. If Slew had died or never faced Affirmed, no doubt Affirmed would have been rated higher, and I'd seethed forever.

[brunoaltimino]

History has not judged Affirmed fairly. That he is rated behind Spectacular Bid after accomplishing more over a better rival (Alydar) and then beating Bid at weight for age in the '79 JCGC should have been enough to settle it. Slew was really strong as a 4 year old in the fall of '78. Moreover, Slew's frontrunning style makes it hard to envision Affirmed getting in front of Slew. Still, If Slew hung around for one more year it would have been much closer than it was in 1978.

[AwsiDooger]

@brunoaltimino

If Affirmed is rated behind Spectacular Bid by some analysts now, it won't last. The Triple Crown and head to head victory take care of it. But I understand the frustration.

[voodoobaby405]

An amazing drive by Exceller. A pox on the people who allowed him to be slaughtered for meat.

[bbmtge]

@renduke I could care less as to how long you CLAIM to have "been in the game". when an individual IGNORES factors/details,makes ridiculous comments,then, they DO need to be schooled. 1) Affirmed; tough campaign but...simply dismissive and prejudiced. 2) Affirmed got smoked; Affirmed gave weight by scale, was 3YO, which, AGAIN you REFUSE to acknowledge, had a throat infectino, Slew ran his FIRST G1 of the year, ran only 3 G1's for the entire year, Slew rested and ready. GET A LIFE!!!

[renduke]

@bbmtge PLEASE Do Not try to school me in the finer points of racing i have been in the game almost 40 years and have been an asst trainer on a major ciruit...I stand by what I said...Yes The 4 Yr Old has the advantage...Yes Affirmed came off a tough campaign...but he got smoked in their 1st meeting...AND was soundly beaten in this race up to the point where his saddle slipped.

If it makes you feel any better when Affirmed was 4 he did beat Spectacular Bid

[bbmtge]

@renduke That is not a correct statement. Further, you seem not to post that Slew was 4 and very well rested for this race as well as the MC. Affirmed was but 3YO and had not only come off of a TC season, but he did it being challenged as no other TC winner had ever been. To avoid detailed analysis of the facts and simply post opinionated rhetoric is parochial.

[renduke]

@bbmtge by the time affirmeds saddle slipped (top of the strecth) he was already beat....slew was just a better horse....would have loved to see slew go against dr fager going say 1 1/8th

[bbmtge]

@bbmtge ...at 3YO and winning. He won a lot of important races and was a better stayer than either Affirmed or Slew. He, thus, was a great horse just at distances that are not as popular with the public and the media. Remember, too, that Affirmed's 4 YO campaign was exemplary.

[bbmtge]

@MrRicknagy With respect to Affirmed...the great 4YO will, nearly always, defeat the great 3YO. Even a good 4YO can defeat a great 3YO. Did Affirmed's saddle slip? Of course it did and to say it was never proven is not accurate. Does it mean that Affiremd would have won. Probably not as Cauthen was slumping terribly. As far as Excller, while he does not show a great record, he WAS a great stayer having won many top races in Europe, the U.S and Canada. He was running 1 7/8th's mile races...

[MrRicknagy]

Exceller was a good horse, but not in their league. The race before, slew beat him clearly. This is the second best race by a racehorse outside of Secretariat's Belmont. First of all, Affirmed was only five lengths back at the head of the stretch and faded. The excuse of the saddle slipping was used but never proven....He obviously could not stay with the Slew. Affirmed was great, but not Slew...Slew also broke thru the gate before the start of this race and that takes a lot our of a horse.

[NotSoNeatFreak]

Exceller was never in Slew and Affirmed league...you must be kidding. He beat them both! Both were triple crown winners. Exceller was a great horse! Any one who thinks different is a dumb ass.

[bertsmom2011]

and who really knows how many great horses ended up like excellor and ferdinand. as jess4metoo said, it really is a disgrace on the industry. unfortunatelly, if what i read was right, excellors former owner was interested in finding him but it was a few months too late. what a shame.