Retired Racehorse Still a Successful Sire

April 30, 2002 -- Deep in the rolling bluegrass pasture land of Kentucky, content in his comfortable stall, lives a Thoroughbred champion of champions.

Seattle Slew, the only surviving Triple Crown winner, is 28 years old now — ancient for a horse. He's a tad swaybacked, and far removed from his glorious racing years.

The 1970s saw three Triple Crown winners — Secretariat in 1973, Seattle Slew in 1977 and Affirmed in 1978. No horse has mastered all three jewels — the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes — since then.

"Slew," as he is affectionately known, is the only horse in history to have won the Triple Crown as an undefeated 3-year-old. And he proved his prowess surpassed that of the other racing elites by easily defeating Affirmed in the 1978 Marlboro Cup.

"He's done it all," said his owner Mickey Taylor. "He's truly amazing."

Jean Cruguet, a wiry former French army bartender, was aboard Seattle Slew during the Triple Crown races. Today he trains horses at Lexington's Keeneland Racetrack.

Slew "was easy to ride," Cruguet recalled last week. "He was a machine."

Judged, Sold by His Eye

Mickey and Karen Taylor were new to racing when they bought Slew at auction in 1975 for what seems now to be the ridiculously low price of $17,500. Even back then it was a lot less than a promising Thoroughbred would fetch.

The Taylors recall the whole transaction taking no more than 90 seconds.

"He had a really great, terrifically clear, eye," said Karen. "You can always judge him by his eyes."

Mickey wasn't all that interested in paying even that much, but Karen persisted.

It would be an understatement to say that the risk paid off — a colossal understatement.

Slew started racing in 1976, and won the Taylors and their fellow investors more than $1 million in his three racing seasons.

Slew's Progeny Earned $75 Million

But the best was yet to come. Because it was as a stallion that Seattle Slew really proved his worth.

Back in the 1980s, this great horse would mate up to 60 times a year for a fee of several hundred thousand dollars for each impregnated mare. And he impregnated a lot of them.

"Seattle Slew has been one of the most successful and important stallions, arguably, of the century," said Dan Rosenberg, president of Three Chimneys Farm, where Slew and the mares got together.

"I think 150 years from now you'll see his name in every pedigree from England to Singapore," he said.

More than 100 of his offspring have won stakes races, earning $75 million for their owners. A.P. Indy, Slew's son, was Horse of the Year in 1992. Lemon Drop Kid, Slew's grandson, won the Belmont three years ago, and Essence of Dubai, his great-grandson, is entered in Saturday's Run for the Roses in Louisville.

His trainers joke about Slew's libido, but it's really no joking matter at all because at the age of 28, he's still a stud.

This past winter, for example, he impregnated four more mares. And they will surely add to his grand total of sons and daughters, which now numbers more than 950. There are too many grandchildren and great-grandchildren to count.

‘A Very Strong-Willed Horse’

But Slew is beginning to slow down a bit. He's had two serious neck surgeries in the last couple of years to stabilize his gait.

"He was at the point where he was stumbling, taking bad steps," said his veterinarian, Dr. Bill Bernard of Lexington's Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital. "The surgery has improved that significantly."

Bernard said last week that Slew is on a closely monitored recovery program now. He has not left his stall for about two weeks to make sure the surgery is successful. If it is, he said there is no reason why Slew could not resume his studly life style.

"He has an indomitable spirit and is a very strong-willed horse," said Bernard.

The other day, Karen Taylor was petting the horse who has made such a difference in her life and wondering what the future may hold for him.

"I want him to be happy," she said. "I want him to have a comfortable, happy life."

The surgery means that his days as a stallion are probably numbered, but those who know him best say Seattle Slew won't stop without a fight.

"He's never going to yell uncle," laughed Mickey Taylor. "Believe me."