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Alydar's trainer told the jockey, "You get up really close, and you push him because I think we have the horse that can do the distance better." And Alydar moved up after about a half-mile into this 1.5 mile race, and from that point on they were competing. LC: Well, the Derby wasn't as close as the other two, but it looked like in the Preakness that Alydar could maybe catch Affirmed. So, he shipped him out to the West Coast and developed the confidence that he could beat everything else.īL: Describe how close those three Triple Crown races in 1978 were. LC: I think he wanted to build Affirmed's confidence, and he was worried that if he kept racing with, his horse would never develop the confidence that he could win.
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Highlights from Bill's Conversation with Linda CarrollīL: After Affirmed and Alydar ran against each other as two-year-olds in Belmont's Great American Stakes, which Alydar won, Affirmed's trainer Laz Barrera said, "We've got to get him away from that big monster," meaning Alydar. Carroll spoke with Bill Littlefield about her book and the possibility of a new Triple Crown winner this year. In Duel for the Crown: Affirmed, Alydar, and Racing's Greatest RivalryLinda Carroll and David Rosner explore the lives of the horses themselves, the tracks where the contests took place and the unforgettable people surrounding the events. Under jockey Steve Cauthen, Affirmed beat Alydar in each of the crown's three jewels. The most recent horse to win the Triple Crown was Affirmed. California Chrome, winner of both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, is favored to win the Belmont Stakes. Twitter facebook Email This article is more than 8 years old.įor the first time since 1978, thoroughbred horse racing may have a Triple Crown winner.