Affirmed: The greatest horse of the recent history
Affirmed is indeed the most honourable and admired horse of the recent history of the sport. With three Eclipse Awards, two Horse of the Year Titles and one Triple Crown triumph to his portfolio, he holds great name and fame in the world of horseracing.
Foaled on February 21, 1975 in Florida, the legendary runner was the son of Exclusive Native who had bagged a number of honours during his professional career.
Thus, the pretty colt grew up by carrying a rich and prestigious legacy which he was determined to perpetuate.
The talented horse was bred by Louis Wolfson’s Harbor View Farm. The owner hired the services of Laz Barrera to train the young and brilliant colt.
Affirmed started his career at Belmont Park on Mary 24, 1977. The dashing runner elegantly notched up top spot in his very first outing. This epic success perked up the confidence of the victor to a great extent along with establishing him as a potential
fighter in the eyes of the bookmakers.
Realising the excellent racing skills of the colt, the trainer decided to launch him in some stakes so that he gained further fighting spirit.
Affirmed kept on performing nicely in all the starts till the advent of Triple Crown 1978. In this high-profile racing event, the gifted horse was supposed to compete against his archrival Alydar.
Both the trainer and the owner had hinged high hopes with Affirmed who was also firmed to come up to them confidently.
In all three outings of the Crown; Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes, Affirmed delivered outstanding performances and defeated Alydar by big margins.
When the celebrated colt lifted the title of Triple Crown, his owner uttered with joy, “Yes, a great three-year-old, and so is Alydar. But I want to see him run at four before I call him great overall."
Affirmed went on to perform well in the subsequent outings till retirement, registering eight epic victories in a row.
As a whole, the endowed horse won 22 out of his total 29 starts. He finished second in five starts and grabbed third spot in just one race. He earned $2,393,818 as prize money. Indeed, his track record was marvellous.
Remember, Affirmed is the last Triple Crown winner. His record is still unbroken. Let us see if some horse manages to break the record in this season of the high-stakes event.
The 2012 edition of Triple Crown is scheduled to start on May 5 at Churchill Down. Currently, the preparations for the mega marathons are in full swing. Both the runners and the organisers of the event are showing great diligence and vigilance while preparing
for the high-voltage races.
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