Amid Chaos, Seattle Slew Wears Triple Crown Well

BALTIMORE — It was an incomplete gathering at Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Ky., a few days before the Kentucky Derby to salute the 20th anniversary of Seattle Slew’s Triple Crown.

Naturally, Seattle Slew himself, the most robust 23-year-old stallion in the universe, was there; and also on hand were Mickey and Karen Taylor, who raced the hyperactive colt in a partnership during that incandescent year of 1977. But the former jockey who showed up at Three Chimneys was Angel Cordero, who rode Slew in only his last four races. Former rider Jean Cruguet, who lost only two races in 13 starts with Slew, was not invited. Nor were Billy Turner, who trained Seattle Slew through his Triple Crown year, and Jim and Sally Hill, the long-estranged former partners of the Taylors.

The Slew Crew, as they were dubbed when their horse was running roughshod over the opposition in the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont stakes, unraveled long ago amid acrimony and lawsuits, and the 20th-anniversary bash reopened old wounds.

Cruguet, now 58, was upset at the snub but more miffed that Cordero was there. “Sometimes I don’t understand people,” said Cruguet, who is starting a training career in Lexington, Ky. “These people have no shame.”

Jim Hill, the veterinarian who treated Seattle Slew’s sire, Bold Reasoning, and told Mickey Taylor that the son was worth at least a bid of $20,000 at a Keeneland auction, said he would have gone to Three Chimneys had he been invited. But the Hills are persona non grata, having sued the Taylors for misappropriation of funds. The Hills were given a jury award of $4.4 million four years ago.

If there is a consensus among Seattle Slew’s original owners about anything, it is that Turner had to go at the end of 1977, to be replaced by young Doug Peterson for the rest of the colt’s racing career. Turner was drinking heavily during Seattle Slew’s race to the Triple Crown, and his complicated financial affairs were worrisome for the Taylors and the Hills. Turner recently said he has been sober for six years.

“Billy had two checkbooks,” Karen Taylor once said. “A red one and a blue one. The red one was all right, but if he started writing checks from the blue one, you knew you were in trouble.”

Before the end of Camelot, Turner took a modestly bred Bold Reasoning-My Charmer colt, who was bought by the Taylors and the Hills for $17,500, harnessed his energy and turned him into a nonpareil. In a 1988 poll by the now-defunct Thoroughbred Racing Action, most of the country’s major turf writers voted for their greatest horses of this century, and Seattle Slew finished sixth, behind Man O’ War, Secretariat, Citation, Kelso and Native Dancer.

“We were very fortunate that we fell in love with the right horse,” Karen Taylor said.

The 1970s produced three Triple Crown champions, Seattle Slew’s coming in the middle of sweeps by Secretariat in 1973 and Affirmed in 1978. There have been 11 Triple Crown sweeps overall, but none since Affirmed as Silver Charm, the winner of this year’s Kentucky Derby, goes for the second leg here Saturday in the Preakness at Pimlico.

“After the Derby, the Preakness was a piece of cake,” Cruguet said of that golden year. “The only way Slew could have lost was for me to screw up.”

Seattle Slew was undefeated in his only three races as a 2-year-old, not getting to the races until Sept. 20, 1976, because of a minor injury during the summer at Saratoga. He began 1977 with three more wins and went into the Derby a 1-2 favorite.

“He was so awesome in the Derby, after what happened,” Karen Taylor said. “He was dripping wet in the paddock. It was like someone had taken a hose to him. Then he had the bad start. But he overcame all that.”

Seattle Slew was usually a handful in the gate, and on Derby day he turned his head away just as the official starter sprung the latch. Seattle Slew broke to his right, bumping with Get The Axe, and Cruguet was taken out of his game plan. Instead of going for the lead, as he had in all six of his previous wins, Slew found himself behind horses for the first time.

“We lost about three or four lengths,” Cruguet said. “So I had to go. I had to send him between horses going into the first turn.

Those roughhouse tactics put Slew in second place going down the backstretch, and he won by 1 3/4 lengths.

Turner was confident going into the Preakness two weeks later, but typically there were some rivals who had skipped the Derby.

“Cormorant was a very fast horse,” Turner said, “and the opening three-quarters was run awfully fast (1:09 4/5).”

With three-sixteenths of a mile left, Seattle Slew had been timed in 1:34 4/5, fastest mile in Preakness history. This time he won by 1 1/2 lengths.

Seattle Slew paid $3 for a $2 win ticket at the Derby and $2.80 at Pimlico. Three weeks after the Preakness, he faced seven opponents in the longest Triple Crown race, the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes.

On a muddy track, before 71,026--second-largest crowd in track history--Slew won by four lengths, with Run Dusty Run, second in the Derby and third in the Preakness, second again. The win price was $2.80.

“It was an unbelievable feeling for guys like us,” Jim Hill said. “This was the kind of thing that you always thought would happen to somebody else.”

Winning his ninth race in a row, Seattle Slew became the first undefeated Triple Crown winner. Cruguet believed his horse would get a rest, before running in the Travers at Saratoga in August, but Marje Everett at Hollywood Park doubled the purse and lured him to California for the $300,000 Swaps Stakes on July 3.

The story breaks down from here. The Taylors say that Turner wanted to run at Hollywood. Turner says that he told everybody that the horse was tired.

“Before we shipped to California, we had a meeting of all concerned,” Jim Hill said. “We asked if anybody didn’t want to run, and everybody wanted to go. It was an error on our part. The horse was not right. He was trying to get sick. He had a respiratory infection after the race, and it was coming on him before the race, but we didn’t know.”

Before 68,132, J.O. Tobin, fifth in the Preakness, won the Swaps as Seattle Slew struggled home fourth, beaten by 16 lengths.

“After the first quarter of a mile, I knew we’d get beat,” Cruguet said. “Believe me, that’s a bad feeling. It was a shame, because if he hadn’t been knocked out by that race, I think he could have gone on to be unbeaten.”

Seattle Slew, now trained by 26-year-old Peterson, was stricken by a blood infection early in 1978 and almost died. He got back to the races in May, won a couple and then Cruguet was dumped in favor of Cordero after Dr. Patches, ridden by Cordero, beat Slew in the Paterson Handicap at the Meadowlands.

Under Cordero, Slew won the Marlboro Cup, beating Affirmed in the first showdown ever between Triple Crown champions. Slew completed his career by winning the Woodward, losing by a nose to Exceller in the Jockey Club Gold Cup and winning the Stuyvesant Handicap under 134 pounds. The bottom line was 14 wins in 17 starts and purses of $1.2 million.

Turner sued the owners over his access to a lifetime breeding right. The Taylors and Hills were served the papers in the winner’s circle at Aqueduct, minutes after they had won the Stuyvesant.

Seattle Slew was a much-awaited stallion, and one of the original 40 syndicate shares was sold for $3 million. In 1984, when the Taylors moved him from Spendthrift Farm to Three Chimneys, he was re-syndicated for $14.5 million. The Taylors have retained more than a 50% interest; the Hills’ financial interest in the horse ended in 1994.

Slew’s breeding book this year was for more than 70 mares. His offspring have earned more than $47 million. They include Slew O’ Gold, A.P. Indy, Swale, Capote and Landaluce.

At Three Chimneys a few weeks ago, the Taylors fed Slew some apples and concentrated on the happy times.

“I’m sure you recognize this old gentleman here,” said Mickey Taylor, holding Slew’s lead shank. “The dream lives on. This is what everybody’s in the business for. Slew’s taken care of me and Karen very, very well.”

Horse Racing Notes

Jim Bolus, who knew almost everything about the Kentucky Derby and was willing to share it with everybody, died Wednesday night while jogging with his wife near his home in Louisville, Ky. He was 54.

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Triple Crown Champions

1919 Sir Barton

1930 Gallant Fox

1935 Omaha

1937 War Admiral

1941 Whirlaway

1943 Count Fleet

1946 Assault

1948 Citation

1973 Secretariat

1977 Seattle Slew

1978 Affirmed

PREAKNESS FACTS

* WHERE: Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore.

* DISTANCE: 1 3/16 miles.

* WHEN: Saturday, 2:30 p.m. PDT

* TV: Channel 7.

THE DRAW

Post positions for Saturday’s 122nd running of the Preakness Stakes, with horse, jockey and odds: *--*

PPHorse Jockey Odds 1. Jack At The Bank McCauley 50-1 2. Wild Tempest Bravo 20-1 3. Hoxie Santos 50-1 4. Free House Desormeaux 9-2 5. Touch Gold McCarron 5-1 6. Concerto Smith 12-1 7. Silver Charm Stevens 9-5 8. Frisk Me Now King 15-1 9. Captain Bodgit Solis 2-1 10. Cryp Too Lopez 30-1

*--*