Secretariat vs Seattle Slew and Affirmed. Who would win?

Question

Personally I think Secretariat would have destroyed them if they were all 3 yr olds and maybe have beaten them in a real age race in 1978... Secretariat at 8 vs Seatlle Slew 4 and Affirmed at 3 assuming all were still racing and free of injury. He and Phar Lap were freaks of nature. What do you think and why ?

Answer 1

They are all great horses, who broght excitement to the sport!

Affirmed, with the legendary duels, both as a two year old and then again at three with Alydar, had so much determination.  Thrown in the fact that their jockeys, Steve Cauthen and Jorge Valezquez where such close friends, and you have the stuff that ledgends are made of.

Seattle Slew...a 17K almost auction reject...named after a swamp!  The blue collar horse of the ages.  Undefeated Triple Crown Champion....makes for a very impressive resume.

     Big Red...the well oiled machine....Derby Record that still stands 35 years later, 1:59 Sham, the second place finisher to this day holds the 3rd fastest time in the Kentucky Derby!  

     4 different hand clockers had his time in the Preakness also a record.....The way he blew by all competitors on the first turn of the Preakness, making up 12 lengths in one turn.....

     The Belmont...1 1/2 miles in World Record time of 2:24, winning by 31 lengths....nobody will ever touch this record.

      Regally bred, impecably trained....all Ronnie Turcotte had to do was not fall off!  His 22 pound heart is the largest ever seen in a thoroughbred!

     If all three raced together the race would run like this....

Seattle Slew breaks first and is quickley settled along the rail as Affirmed nudges to an early lead as  Secretariat gallops along 4 lengths back entering the first turn.

Across the backstretch, Slew begins to press Affirmed,pulling even stride for stride with the game champion, as Big Red effortlessly keeps pace still 4 back.

As they enter the clubhouse turn, Slew and Affirmed are slugging it out, but Ronny Turcotte has asked Secretariat to close the gap and the Big Chestnut Colt has responded!

Coming out of the turn it's Slew, then Affirmed, Slew then Affirmed as they change leads with every stride, but Big Red has swung three wide and is nipping at their numbers only a half length back.

Turcotte shakes the reins and Secretariat bolts to the lead, as the valiante warriors continue their dual!  But Big Red is too much for them today (or any day) as he opens up.

Turcotte standing in the irons, waving to the crowd as the closest thing to Equine Perfection gallops across the finish line ahead by 6 lengths.  Slew and Affirmed continue their dual, ending in a photo for second.  Slew by a nose for second, a very game Affirmed finishes third!

Big Red's times in the Triple crown races, two confirmed records and one disputed one...are all that is really needed to determine the winner of this race.  If Seattle Slew and Affirmed could not run faster times against the competition that they faced......why would anyone think they could run faster times against Secrretariat???

Answer 2

I've seen all three horses race, and no horse dominated the field as much as Secretariat. Pure power and grace. A real beauty to watch and root for.

Answer 3

Secretariat, then Slew, then Affirmed.  We know that Slew would beat Affirmed since he did it.  And Secretariat could have taken the both of them anytime he wanted.  It would have been neat to see them bring Secretariat back into training to race the two of them in 1978, but that wouldn't make much sense money wise.  Secretariat would have won every running of the Derby, Preakness, and Belmont in history.  That includes those races against Slew and Affirmed.

Answer 4

I'm going with everyone else on this...all were amazing horses but I think Secretariat would win.

Answer 5

Seattle Slew! See the record below undefeated before the triple crown, I think if they had met at the derby...(if they were all the same age) since Seattle Slew was just at his peak he would have taken it.  The Belmont however might have gone to Secretariat.

Seattle Slew

Winnings: 17 Starts: 14 - 2 - 0, $1,208,726

Won: Champagne S.-G1, Belmont S.-G1, Preakness S.-G1, Kentucky Derby-G1, Wood Memorial-G1, Flamingo S.-G1, Marlboro Cup H.-G1, Woodward S.-G1, Stuyvesant H.-G3

1977 American Triple Crown Winner, Champion 3-Year-Old and Horse of the Year

Only horse to win the Triple Crown while undefeated

Only Triple Crown Winner to defeat another Triple Crown Winner (vs. Affirmed in '78 Marlboro C.)

Secretariat

21 Starts: 16 - 3 - 1, $1,316,808

At 2:

Won Garden State S., Hopeful S., Futurity S., Laurel Futurity, Sanford S.

2nd Champagne S. (DQ'd from first).

At 3:

Won Kentucky Derby (NTR), Preakness S., Belmont S. (NWR), Man O' War S. (NCR), Canadian Int., Gotham S. (ETR), Bay Shore S., Arlington Inv., Marlboro Cup (NWR).

2nd Woodward S., Whitney S.

3rd Wood Memorial S.

Answer 6

That's easy.  Neither Slew nor Affirmed had Derby, Preakness or Belmont times as good as Big Red.  If Slew and Affirmed were on the track with Secretariat at the Belmont they would have lost by about 13 lengths on average.  No horse would have been under 10 lengths on that day in June when Secretariat blew a whole in the wind.

Answer 7

watch the 1973 belmont.......and call it a wrap.......

Answer 8

Secretariat, easily. He could run circles around those two, whether it was at eight or three. Slew would place second.

Man, that'd be a race to watch. I wish it could have been run.

Edit: exracehorsechick, Slew was good, but he couldn't have beaten Big Red on a good day. Secretariat was a freak of nature. Slew was just a really good horse.

Answer 9

They would all have to be seen through the lens of age 3 - since Secretariat did not race beyond that age & it's ridiculous to try and project out what a runner would do at an age where it never entered the starting gate.

At the age of three, only Man o' War can be compared with Secretariat.....the two Big Red's are light years ahead. In the prime of the trio in the question, there are two champions and one icon.

Phar Lap is certainly a legendary racer - and an Australian/New Zealand treasure - but his death will leave the "freak of nature" tag purely speculative. Yes, it appeared as if he was going to have his way in North America, but that was never answered on the track.