He was a chestnut colt with a white blaze and a reputation for being difficult. They called him "The Great Commotion" back at the farm. But to history, he is simply Affirmed, the triple crown winner of 1978 and the horse that broke Alydar’s heart.
Horseracing is different now. We wait decades for a superstar to sweep the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes. In the 1970s, it felt like a yearly tradition. Secretariat did it in '73. Seattle Slew followed in '77. Then came Affirmed in 1978. Nobody knew then that we were entering a thirty-seven-year drought. It seemed easy. It wasn't.
If you look at the raw numbers, Affirmed won the three races by a combined margin of less than two lengths. That is insane. Imagine running over a mile and a half and winning by a head after five weeks of grueling travel and competition. That’s the grit we’re talking about here.
The Rivalry That Defined an Era
You can't talk about Affirmed without talking about Alydar. Seriously. It’s impossible. They were like Ali and Frazier or McEnroe and Borg. They met ten times in their careers. Affirmed won seven; Alydar won three. But those three losses for Alydar? They all happened in the 1978 Triple Crown series.
In the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, it wasn’t even that close—at least compared to what was coming. Affirmed, under the teenage sensation Steve Cauthen, took the lead and held off Alydar by a length and a half. People thought, "Okay, cool, good race." Then came the Preakness at Pimlico. That’s where things got weirdly personal between the two horses.
They were neck and neck. Eye to eye. Neither horse wanted to give an inch. Affirmed won by a neck. At this point, the entire country was obsessed. It wasn’t just about a horse winning a trophy; it was about whether Alydar could finally catch his shadow.
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The Belmont Stakes: Two Miles of Pure Stress
The Belmont is a beast. It’s 1.5 miles. They call it the "Test of the Champion" for a reason. On June 10, 1978, the crowd of over 65,000 people at Belmont Park wasn't just watching a race. They were watching a duel.
Affirmed set a slow pace early on. Cauthen was smart. He knew he needed to save something for the finish. But Alydar’s jockey, Jorge Velasquez, didn't let him get away with it. He moved Alydar up early. For the final seven furlongs—nearly half the race—the two horses were inseparable.
It was a street fight on dirt.
Affirmed was on the inside. Alydar was on the outside. Every time Alydar poked his nose in front, Affirmed dug deeper. Steve Cauthen actually switched his whip to his left hand, something he rarely did, to show Affirmed a different look and keep him focused. It worked. Affirmed won by a nose. A nose! After 1.5 miles, the difference between immortality and being a footnote was about two inches of horse flesh.
Laz Barrera, Affirmed’s trainer, knew he had a freak of nature on his hands. He famously said that Affirmed was "born to race." It sounds like a cliché, but when you watch the replay of that 1978 Belmont, you see a horse that simply refused to let another animal pass him. That’s not just training. That’s psychology.
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Why We Don't See This Anymore
People ask why it took until American Pharoah in 2015 to see another Triple Crown. It's a mix of breeding and management.
Today, horses are bred for speed, not necessarily the industrial-strength stamina required for three massive races in five weeks. In 1978, these animals were built like tanks. Also, the "New Shooter" problem has ruined the Triple Crown for many. Nowadays, trainers skip the Derby or the Preakness just to have a fresh horse ready to upset the Triple Crown hopeful in the Belmont. In '78, the best raced the best every single time. Alydar didn't hide. He went after the king in every single city.
Honestly, the triple crown winner of 1978 might be the most "earned" title in the history of the sport because of that specific rivalry.
The Steve Cauthen Factor
Let’s talk about the kid. Steve Cauthen was 18 years old. Think about what you were doing at 18. He was nicknamed "The Kentucky Kid" and had the poise of a 50-year-old veteran. He became the youngest jockey to ever win the Triple Crown.
The pressure was massive. If he makes one wrong move in the Belmont—one mistimed stride—Affirmed loses. Cauthen’s ability to stay calm while a 1,200-pound animal is breathing down his neck at 40 miles per hour is legendary. He eventually moved to England to ride, becoming a champion there too, but he’ll always be defined by that chestnut horse in the late 70s.
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The Tragic Aftermath
The story of the 1978 Triple Crown has a dark shadow. While Affirmed went on to have a decent stud career, Alydar’s end was horrific. In 1990, Alydar "broke his leg" in his stall at Calumet Farm. The circumstances were incredibly suspicious, involving a massive insurance payout and a farm on the brink of bankruptcy.
It’s a gritty, ugly ending to a story that was so pure on the track. If you want to understand the high stakes of horse racing, you have to look at both the glory of the 1978 win and the chaos that followed in the breeding sheds.
Affirmed lived a long life, eventually passing away in 2001. He was the last horse to hold the title of Triple Crown winner for nearly four decades. He was the end of an era.
What You Should Do Now
If you actually want to understand the greatness of this horse, don't just read about it. Go to YouTube and search for the "1978 Belmont Stakes." Watch the final four minutes. Pay attention to the horses' heads. They don't bob or weave; they are locked in a rhythmic, terrifying sprint.
- Watch the 1978 Belmont Stakes: Focus on the camera angle from the side during the final stretch.
- Research the "Alydar Mystery": Read the investigative reports on the fall of Calumet Farm to see the business side of the sport.
- Check out the Hall of Fame: If you’re ever in Saratoga Springs, New York, visit the National Museum of Racing. They have the 1978 trophies and a deep archive on Affirmed’s career.
- Compare the times: Look at Affirmed's splits compared to modern winners like Justify. You'll see that while modern horses are fast, the 1978 crop had a level of endurance that is becoming increasingly rare in the Thoroughbred world.
The triple crown winner of 1978 wasn't just a fast horse; he was a warrior who had to beat a fellow Hall of Famer three times in a row. We likely won't see a rivalry that intense ever again.