Slew o’ Gold was a regally bred son of Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew, however a case could possibly be made that there was a contact of Alydar in him.

Just like the Calumet Farm runner who completed second to Affirmed in all three legs of the 1978 Triple Crown, Slew o’ Gold had a second-place end that overshadowed a powerful checklist of accomplishments throughout a profession wherein he received 12 of 21 begins and earned $3,533,534.

Slew o’ Gold, in some ways, performed a key position within the progress and success of the Breeders’ Cup. He was a central determine within the race that erased any doubts in regards to the viability of the collection and 38 years later stays considered one of its biggest moments.

But that appropriately named Breeders’ Cup Traditional of 1984 was a duel wherein Slew o’ Gold made the race well-known, however needed to accept runner-up honors as he misplaced to 31-to-1 longshot Wild Once more after an epic three-horse stretch battle wherein he was moved up from third to second through disqualification.

That loss in his closing begin finally value Slew o’ Gold Horse of the 12 months honors and a lofty spot in racing historical past, however didn’t mood the idea in these closest to him that he was an distinctive expertise.

“He was by far the most effective horse I’ve ever been round,” John Hertler, who skilled Slew o’ Gold through the colt’s 1984 marketing campaign, stated in a 2014 interview. “He was such a powerful and majestic trying horse. He was so large and good-looking, folks have been all the time stopping by the barn to see him.”

There was little doubt that Slew o’ Gold was bred for greatness. He was a son of 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew out of the Buckpasser mare Alluvial, whose earlier offspring included 1979 Belmont Stakes winner Coastal.

Bred by Claiborne Farm, he was owned by Dr. Jim and Sally Hill and Mickey and Karen Taylor – the 2 {couples} that additionally owned Seattle Slew – and raced below the banner of Equusequity Secure.

He was initially skilled by Sid Watters and began his profession late in his 2-year-old season. Given his breeding, it was little shock that Slew o’ Gold was despatched off as a 3-to-5 favourite in that Oct. 15, 1982, race at Aqueduct. He needed to work more durable than his odds indicated however Slew o’ Gold managed to win by a neck. He then captured an allowance race by 1 ¾ lengths however dissatisfied within the Grade 1 Remsen Stakes, ending sixth, 11 3/4 lengths behind the victorious Pax in Bello.

That disappointing loss capped his 2-year-old marketing campaign, and 1983 began with a 3rd within the Sam F. Davis Stakes and a troubled second within the Tampa Bay Derby.

A powerful 7 ¾-length win in an allowance race at Aqueduct below jockey Angel Cordero Jr. received Slew o’ Gold again on the successful observe and he adopted that up with a neck victory in a division of the Wooden Memorial Stakes, the race his sire used as a closing prep for the Kentucky Derby.

That components didn’t work as nicely for Slew o’ Gold as he completed fourth behind Sunny’s Halo within the run for the roses. The sting of that setback didn’t final for lengthy as he skipped the Preakness and rebounded to put up a 12-length romp within the Grade 2 Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park.

That lopsided win set the stage for Slew o’ Gold to be despatched off because the 5-to-2 favourite within the Belmont Stakes, however he completed second to Caveat.

In a yr with three separate Triple Crown race winners, the race for the 3-year-old championship was up for grabs and it was Slew o’ Gold who seized the chance. After ending sixth within the Haskell Invitational Stakes, he was second within the Travers Stakes after which closed out the yr in opposition to older horses with Grade 1 wins within the Woodward Stakes and Jockey Membership Gold Cup and a second within the Marlboro Cup Invitational Handicap.

An Eclipse Award because the champion 3-year-old of 1983 was Slew o’ Gold’s reward for his stellar late-season surge, and positioned him properly for a memorable and monumental yr for racing.

The Breeders’ Cup was launched in 1984 and the hope was that stars like John Henry and Slew o’ Gold could be there at Hollywood Park to make it a hit.

Turned over to Hertler, Slew o’ Gold received off to a late begin in 1984, opening the yr with an allowance win on July 2. Cordero then guided him to 4 straight Grade 1 wins, taking the Whitney after which turning into the one horse to brush the New York Racing Affiliation’s Fall Championship Sequence of the Woodward, Marlboro Cup and Jockey Membership Gold Cup.

When an harm prevented John Henry from racing within the Breeders’ Cup, the Traditional turned the car that might cap an undefeated season and crown Slew o’ Gold as Horse of the 12 months. Within the Jockey Membership Gold Cup, Slew o’ Gold received by 9 ¾ lengths as a 1-to-10 favourite and appeared sure to cap his profession with a win within the inaugural $3 million Breeders’ Cup Traditional – besides that Hertler was battling a hoof drawback with the champion.

Three weeks after his win within the Jockey Membership Gold Cup, Slew o’ Gold was despatched off because the 3-to-5 favourite within the 1 ¼-mile Traditional and appeared poised so as to add a fifth straight Grade 1 win to his résumé.

Destiny had completely different plans.

Positioned off a three-way velocity duel, Slew o’ Gold made his transfer on the backstretch and drew alongside the front-running Wild Once more halfway on the ultimate flip. A couple of months earlier in New York, that transfer would have propelled Slew o’ Gold to a simple victory, however in California, the ailing hoof and a comparatively brief however demanding marketing campaign caught up with him.

As exhausting as Slew o’ Gold ran, he couldn’t get previous Wild Once more. In midstretch, the duo was joined from the surface by Preakness winner Gate Dancer and so they raced in unison to the end line. Sandwiched between his two rivals, below fierce urging from Cordero, Slew o’ Gold saved battling till the ultimate strides when Gate Dancer got here in and squeezed him.

On the end line, it was Wild Once more by a head over Gate Dancer with Slew o’ Gold a half-length again in third.

A disqualification that moved Slew o’ Gold as much as second and dropped Gate Dancer to 3rd offered little solace for a race that might have made Slew o’ Gold the most important star of all on racing’s largest day ever.

“It’s too dangerous to finish this manner, however individuals who noticed him in New York understand how good he’s, how significantly better he’s than these horses,” Cordero stated after the race to the New York Instances.

Whereas operating within the Breeders’ Cup was a sporting gesture, the defeat had its penalties within the year-end voting for champions. Although Slew o’ Gold was named champion older male, Horse of the 12 months honors went to John Henry, who had six stakes wins, 4 of them in Grade 1 races.

“Once I heard the emcee on the Eclipse dinner announce Horse of the 12 months by saying, ‘and like tremendous wine … ,’ I knew John Henry was Horse of the 12 months, nevertheless it was nonetheless surprising to me. Slew o’ Gold had a yr that was virtually good,” Hertler stated.

Because it turned out, neither Slew o’ Gold nor John Henry raced once more. They have been the most important stars of 1984 and each have been later enshrined within the sport’s Corridor of Fame. However by way of forsaking a legacy, it’s John Henry who’s extra simply recalled – even when it was Slew o’ Gold who helped make the Breeders’ Cup an establishment.

Word: This story was initially printed in 2014 and has been up to date.

Enjoyable Info

• He entered the Nationwide Museum of Racing and Corridor of Fame in 1992
• In BloodHorse journal’s ballot of the highest thoroughbreds of the twentieth Century, Slew o’ Gold completed 58th.
• Since 1983-84, Slew o’ Gold is considered one of six horses to win the Jockey Membership Gold Cup in back-to-back years.
• Among the many Grade 1 winners sired by Slew o’ Gold have been Awe Inspiring, Dramatic Gold, Beautiful, Thirty Six Purple and Tactile.