Seattle Slew (USA)
February 15, 1974 – May 7, 2002
Bold Reasoning (USA) x My Charmer (USA), by Poker (USA)
Family 13-c
February 15, 1974 – May 7, 2002
Bold Reasoning (USA) x My Charmer (USA), by Poker (USA)
Family 13-c
The first horse to win the American Triple Crown while undefeated, Seattle Slew possessed devastating speed with the ability to carry it at least 12 furlongs. He was a champion every year he raced and went on to become a champion sire and broodmare sire, successfully passing on the male line of his great-grandsire Bold Ruler.
Race record
17 starts, 14 wins, 2 seconds, US$1,208,726
1976:
1977:
1978:
Honors
Assessments
Highweighted at 126 pounds on the Experimental Free Handicap for American juveniles of 1976.
Highweighted at 136 pounds on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American 3-year-old males of 1977, 8 pounds above second-rated Affiliate and J. O. Tobin.
Highweighted at 132 pounds on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American older males of 1978, 1 pound above second-rated Vigors.
Seattle Slew was ranked #9 among the top 100 American racehorses of the 20th century by an expert panel assembled by The Blood-Horse (Thoroughbred Champions, Eclipse Press, 7th printing, 2005).
In their book A Century of Champions (1999, Portway Press Ltd.), British experts John Randall and Tony Morris rated Seattle Slew as the fourth best North American racehorse of the 20th century.
As an individual
Seattle Slew stood 16.0½ hands. He was a ruggedly made horse with plenty of bone, a strong hind leg, and a powerful shoulder. His right forefoot turned out from the knee down. Those who knew him well described him as intelligent, dominant and determined; while not mean, he wanted to do things his way. He preferred to run on or close to the lead. As a stallion, he was idiosyncratic about the colors of his mates; gray mares were consistently his favorites, but he was whimsical as to whether he liked bays or chestnuts on any particular day.
As a stallion
According to Jockey Club records, Seattle Slew sired 537 winners (48.7%) and 111 stakes winners (10.1%) from 1103 named foals; Thoroughbred Times credited Seattle Slew with 114 stakes winners. Seattle Slew is a Brilliant/Classic chef-de-race in the Roman-Miller dosage system. He tended to throw a coarse, angular type that either had ability or was too unsound to do much. His progeny often developed a dipped topline with age. His eyes were an unusually light, intense brown which sometimes reappears in his descendants.
Sire rankings
Per Arion Pedigrees (www.arion.co.nz):
Per the American Racing Manual (Daily Racing Form) series:
Per The Blood-Horse:
Per Great Thoroughbred Sires of the World (2006, Churchill, Reichard, and Rogers):
Per Thoroughbred Heritage (www.tbheritage.com):
Per Thoroughbred Times (previously Thoroughbred Record):
Notable progeny
A.P. Indy (USA), Adored (USA), Capote (USA), Fast Play (USA), Fleet Renee (USA), Flute (USA), Hail Atlantis (USA), Honest Lady (USA), Lakeway (USA), Landaluce (USA), Life at the Top (USA), Magic of Life (USA), Scorpion (USA), Seaside Attraction (USA), Seattle Meteor (USA), Seattle Song (USA), Septieme Ciel (USA), Serra Lake (USA), Sleep Easy (USA), Slew City Slew (USA), Slew o' Gold (USA), Slewpy (USA), Surfside (USA), Swale (USA), Taiki Blizzard (USA), Tomahawk (USA), Tsunami Slew (USA), Vindication (USA)
Notable progeny of daughters
Agnes World (USA), Alwajeeha (USA), Astra (USA), Bachelor Duke (USA), Balmont (USA), Boboman (USA), Cape Town (USA), Cigar (USA), Coup de Grace (AUS), Dangerous Midge (USA), Escena (USA), Golden Attraction (USA), Hello Seattle (CAN), Hishi Akebono (USA), Incurable Optimist (USA), Lemon Drop Kid (USA), Offlee Wild (USA), Pearl of Love (IRE), Prowl (AUS), Raging Fever (USA), Seeking the Pearl (USA), Slew of Reality (ARG), Slew the Moon (ARG)
Connections
Seattle Slew was bred in Kentucky by Ben S. Castleman. He was owned by Mickey and Karen Taylor and Jim and Sally Hill, collectively known as the “Slew Crew,” who bought Slew for US$17,500 from the 1975 Fasig-Tipton July sale. Seattle Slew was trained by Billy Turner at 2 and 3 and by Doug Peterson at 4. After being syndicated at a then-record valuation of US$12 million, he stood in Kentucky at Spendthrift Farm, moving to Three Chimneys Farm in 1986. He ended his days at Hill 'n' Dale Farm and was buried there along with his blanket and a bag of peppermints.
Pedigree notes
Seattle Slew is inbred 4x4 to five-time American champion sire Nasrullah, also a champion racer and sire in England. He is a half brother to 1983 Two Thousand Guineas (ENG-G1) winner Lomond (by Northern Dancer), multiple Irish Group 2 winner Seattle Dancer (by Nijinsky II) and Irish stakes winner Argosy (by Affirmed). In addition, he is a half brother to stakes-placed Clandestina (by Secretariat), dam of English Group 2 winner Desert Secret (by Sadler's Wells) and third dam of 2012/13 Chilean champion 3-year-old dirt male Hakassan, multiple Chilean Group 2 winner En Guerra, Brazilian Group 2 winner Champion Star and Australian Group 3 winner Alzora. Seattle Slew is also a half brother to Charming Tiara (by Alydar), third dam of multiple Grade 2 winner Caixa Electronica, and to Ghashtah (by Nijinsky II), second dam of English Group 2 winner Nasheej (by Swain).
My Charmer, the dam of Seattle Slew, won the 1972 Fair Grounds Oaks. Her dam Fair Charmer (by Jet Action) produced nothing else of importance but is out of 1948 American champion 2-year-old filly Myrtle Charm (by Alsab), making her a half sister to 1954 Frizette Stakes winner Myrtle's Jet (by Jet Pilot). Myrtle Charm, in turn, is a half sister to Spinosa (by Count Fleet), second dam of French Group 3 winner Raise a Lady, and is out of Crepe Myrtle (by Equipoise), a daughter of 1936 American champion sprinter and handicap female Myrtlewood (by Blue Larkspur).
Books and media
Fun facts
Last updated: January 16, 2024
Race record
17 starts, 14 wins, 2 seconds, US$1,208,726
1976:
- Won Champagne Stakes (USA-G1, 8FD, Belmont)
1977:
- Won Flamingo Stakes (USA-G1, 9FD, Hialeah)
- Won Wood Memorial Stakes (USA-G1, 9FD, Aqueduct)
- Won Kentucky Derby (USA-G1, 10FD, Churchill Downs)
- Won Preakness Stakes (USA-G1, 9.5FD, Pimlico)
- Won Belmont Stakes (USA-G1, 12FD, Belmont)
- Also set a new track record of 1:20-3/5 for 7 furlongs at Hialeah in an allowance race.
1978:
- Won Marlboro Cup Handicap (USA-G1, 9FD, Belmont)
- Won Woodward Stakes (USA-G1, 10FD, Belmont; new track record 2:00)
- Won Stuyvesant Handicap (USA-G3, 9FD, Aqueduct)
- 2nd Jockey Club Gold Cup (USA-G1, 12FD, Belmont)
- 2nd Paterson Handicap (USA, 9FD, The Meadowlands)
Honors
- National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame (inducted in 1981)
- American Horse of the Year (1977)
- American champion 2-year-old male (1976)
- American champion 3-year-old male (1977)
- American champion older male (1978)
Assessments
Highweighted at 126 pounds on the Experimental Free Handicap for American juveniles of 1976.
Highweighted at 136 pounds on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American 3-year-old males of 1977, 8 pounds above second-rated Affiliate and J. O. Tobin.
Highweighted at 132 pounds on the Daily Racing Form's Free Handicap for American older males of 1978, 1 pound above second-rated Vigors.
Seattle Slew was ranked #9 among the top 100 American racehorses of the 20th century by an expert panel assembled by The Blood-Horse (Thoroughbred Champions, Eclipse Press, 7th printing, 2005).
In their book A Century of Champions (1999, Portway Press Ltd.), British experts John Randall and Tony Morris rated Seattle Slew as the fourth best North American racehorse of the 20th century.
As an individual
Seattle Slew stood 16.0½ hands. He was a ruggedly made horse with plenty of bone, a strong hind leg, and a powerful shoulder. His right forefoot turned out from the knee down. Those who knew him well described him as intelligent, dominant and determined; while not mean, he wanted to do things his way. He preferred to run on or close to the lead. As a stallion, he was idiosyncratic about the colors of his mates; gray mares were consistently his favorites, but he was whimsical as to whether he liked bays or chestnuts on any particular day.
As a stallion
According to Jockey Club records, Seattle Slew sired 537 winners (48.7%) and 111 stakes winners (10.1%) from 1103 named foals; Thoroughbred Times credited Seattle Slew with 114 stakes winners. Seattle Slew is a Brilliant/Classic chef-de-race in the Roman-Miller dosage system. He tended to throw a coarse, angular type that either had ability or was too unsound to do much. His progeny often developed a dipped topline with age. His eyes were an unusually light, intense brown which sometimes reappears in his descendants.
Sire rankings
Per Arion Pedigrees (www.arion.co.nz):
- 7th on the North American broodmare sire list in 2010.
Per the American Racing Manual (Daily Racing Form) series:
- Led the American general sire list in 1984.
- Led the American broodmare sire list in 1995.
- Led the American juvenile sire list in 1988.
Per The Blood-Horse:
- Led the American broodmare sire list in 1995 and 1996; 10th in 2002.
Per Great Thoroughbred Sires of the World (2006, Churchill, Reichard, and Rogers):
- Led the American general sire list in 1984; 5th in 1986 and 1992; 6th in 1983; 8th in 1989; 10th in 1988.
- Led the American broodmare sire list in 1995 and 1996; 3rd in 1998; 6th in 1999 and 2000; 10th in 2002.
Per Thoroughbred Heritage (www.tbheritage.com):
- Led the American general sire list in 1984.
- Led the American broodmare sire list in 1995 and 1996.
Per Thoroughbred Times (previously Thoroughbred Record):
- Led the American general sire list in 1984; 4th in 1989; 5th in 1986 and 1992.
- Led the American freshman sire list in 1982.
Notable progeny
A.P. Indy (USA), Adored (USA), Capote (USA), Fast Play (USA), Fleet Renee (USA), Flute (USA), Hail Atlantis (USA), Honest Lady (USA), Lakeway (USA), Landaluce (USA), Life at the Top (USA), Magic of Life (USA), Scorpion (USA), Seaside Attraction (USA), Seattle Meteor (USA), Seattle Song (USA), Septieme Ciel (USA), Serra Lake (USA), Sleep Easy (USA), Slew City Slew (USA), Slew o' Gold (USA), Slewpy (USA), Surfside (USA), Swale (USA), Taiki Blizzard (USA), Tomahawk (USA), Tsunami Slew (USA), Vindication (USA)
Notable progeny of daughters
Agnes World (USA), Alwajeeha (USA), Astra (USA), Bachelor Duke (USA), Balmont (USA), Boboman (USA), Cape Town (USA), Cigar (USA), Coup de Grace (AUS), Dangerous Midge (USA), Escena (USA), Golden Attraction (USA), Hello Seattle (CAN), Hishi Akebono (USA), Incurable Optimist (USA), Lemon Drop Kid (USA), Offlee Wild (USA), Pearl of Love (IRE), Prowl (AUS), Raging Fever (USA), Seeking the Pearl (USA), Slew of Reality (ARG), Slew the Moon (ARG)
Connections
Seattle Slew was bred in Kentucky by Ben S. Castleman. He was owned by Mickey and Karen Taylor and Jim and Sally Hill, collectively known as the “Slew Crew,” who bought Slew for US$17,500 from the 1975 Fasig-Tipton July sale. Seattle Slew was trained by Billy Turner at 2 and 3 and by Doug Peterson at 4. After being syndicated at a then-record valuation of US$12 million, he stood in Kentucky at Spendthrift Farm, moving to Three Chimneys Farm in 1986. He ended his days at Hill 'n' Dale Farm and was buried there along with his blanket and a bag of peppermints.
Pedigree notes
Seattle Slew is inbred 4x4 to five-time American champion sire Nasrullah, also a champion racer and sire in England. He is a half brother to 1983 Two Thousand Guineas (ENG-G1) winner Lomond (by Northern Dancer), multiple Irish Group 2 winner Seattle Dancer (by Nijinsky II) and Irish stakes winner Argosy (by Affirmed). In addition, he is a half brother to stakes-placed Clandestina (by Secretariat), dam of English Group 2 winner Desert Secret (by Sadler's Wells) and third dam of 2012/13 Chilean champion 3-year-old dirt male Hakassan, multiple Chilean Group 2 winner En Guerra, Brazilian Group 2 winner Champion Star and Australian Group 3 winner Alzora. Seattle Slew is also a half brother to Charming Tiara (by Alydar), third dam of multiple Grade 2 winner Caixa Electronica, and to Ghashtah (by Nijinsky II), second dam of English Group 2 winner Nasheej (by Swain).
My Charmer, the dam of Seattle Slew, won the 1972 Fair Grounds Oaks. Her dam Fair Charmer (by Jet Action) produced nothing else of importance but is out of 1948 American champion 2-year-old filly Myrtle Charm (by Alsab), making her a half sister to 1954 Frizette Stakes winner Myrtle's Jet (by Jet Pilot). Myrtle Charm, in turn, is a half sister to Spinosa (by Count Fleet), second dam of French Group 3 winner Raise a Lady, and is out of Crepe Myrtle (by Equipoise), a daughter of 1936 American champion sprinter and handicap female Myrtlewood (by Blue Larkspur).
Books and media
- Penguin Books released Seattle Slew in 1977. The book was written by Steve Cady and Barton Silverman.
- Seattle Slew, by Dan Mearns, is the fifth book in the Thoroughbred Legends series (2000, Eclipse Press; reissued in 2003).
- “Seattle Slew” is chapter 10 of The Most Glorious Crown by Marvin Drager (2005, Triumph Books).
- Seattle Slew is the 10th of the 13 American Triple Crown winners featured in Edward Bowen's The Lucky 13: The Winners of America's Triple Crown of Horse Racing (2019, Lyon Press).
- Seattle Slew is one of 75 stallions profiled in Tony Morris' Thoroughbred Stallions (1990, The Crowood Press).
- Seattle Slew is profiled in Chapter 10 of Avalyn Hunter's American Classic Pedigrees 1914-2002 (2003, Eclipse Press).
- Seattle Slew is one of 205 stallions whose accomplishments at stud are profiled in Great Thoroughbred Sires of the World (2006, The Australian Bloodhorse Review), a massive reference work written by Jennifer Churchill, Andrew Reichard and Byron Rogers.
- Seattle Slew is one of 50 Thoroughbreds profiled in Royal Blood: Fifty Years of Classic Thoroughbreds. Written by racing historian Jim Bolus with illustrations and commentary by noted equine artist Richard Stone Reeves, the book was released by The Blood-Horse, Inc., in 1994.
- Seattle Slew is one of the retired Thoroughbreds profiled in photographs and essays in Barbara Livingston's Old Friends: Visits With My Favorite Thoroughbreds (2002, Blood-Horse, Inc.).
Fun facts
- Seattle Slew is the only American Triple Crown winner to defeat another American Triple Crown winner, beating Affirmed in the 1978 Marlboro Cup Handicap. He also finished ahead of Affirmed when second in the Jockey Club Gold Cup.
- Seattle Slew's purchase for US$17,500 was ranked #69 in Horse Racing's Top 100 Moments, a review of racing in the 20th century compiled by The Blood-Horse and released in 2006. His meeting with Affirmed in the Marlboro Cup also made the list at #72, while his duel with Exceller in the Jockey Club Gold Cup checked in at #78.
- Seattle Slew's regular racetrack companion was a wall-eyed piebald stable pony named Steamboat. After Slew retired, Steamboat was given to a school for handicapped children. “He hated me, but he loved kids,” Billy Turner said of him.
- Seattle Slew stands at the head of the only three-generation sequence of Belmont Stakes winners in American racing history. His son A.P. Indy won the race in 1992 and sired 2007 winner Rags to Riches.
- Seattle Slew died on Derby Day, 2002, 25 years after winning the 103rd running of the “Run for the Roses.” His death was selected as the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's "Moment of the Year," acknowledging the passing of the last living American Triple Crown winner until American Pharoah became the twelfth to sweep the series in 2015.
- Ben Castleman had actually wanted to breed My Charmer to Jacinto in 1973 but went to Bold Reasoning as a substitute after learning Jacinto's book was full.
- Because he was so awkward as a youngster, Seattle Slew's early nickname was “Baby Huey” after a clumsy, overgrown cartoon character.
- The state of Kentucky offers a license plate with a photo image of Seattle Slew. The plate benefits the Kentucky Equine Education Project Foundation, which provides funding for non-profit equine organizations. The original photograph is the work of famed equine photographer Tony Leonard.
- Following the Belmont Stakes, Seattle Slew was used to advertise a newly developed Xerox X-ray machine for horses. He had to be tranquilized repeatedly during the photo shoots and then for his flight to California for the Swaps Stakes (USA-G1), which may possibly have contributed to his dull performance in the Swaps, his first career defeat.
- When Seattle Slew was moved to Three Chimneys Farm following the financial collapse of Spendthrift Farm in 1985, stud groom Tom Wade was told to put the horse aboard the trailer for the short ride over. Wade did but then got aboard himself, and the pair arrived at Three Chimneys together. Wisely, Three Chimneys management decided not to separate them and hired Wade to remain as Slew's personal attendant. Later, when Slew was pensioned from breeding and was moved to Hill 'n' Dale Farm as an honored retiree, Wade again went with him. Only the stallion's death could separate him from his longtime caretaker, who saw to it that blankets were gently placed over the horse just prior to Slew's burial.
- Seattle Slew is the namesake for a grant program overseen by the Kentucky Equine Education Project. Inaugurated in 2023, the grants provide funding for nonprofits supporting education and promoting the importance of the equine industry to Kentucky's economy and culture.
Last updated: January 16, 2024