A Look Back 1978 Kentucky Derby Affirmed Vs Alydar

[IRISHLADSTABLE]

Me and 3 friends Tom,Bob, and Ronnie rented a Winnebago and drove from Brooklyn NY to
Louisville Kentucky. We spent the Sunday before the Derby and the Sunday after the Derby
In Kentucky. Despite being a fan of Alydar I had a great time. I made a statement on the way home, I wasn't going to come back unless I had a horse running in the Derby.
I never had that class Of horse when I formed Irishladstables.

Enjoy the race today

Jimmy

[bisket]

The only Preakness I watched live in person was Affirmed and Alydar. Alydar was my horse too lol. I was 12 and my dad put me on his shoulders so I could see the race. We made our way outside in the grandstand, and I was calling the race for him. After waiting in long lines to make our bets, and trying to make our way through the packed crowd. I took my uncles advise from them on... If you like to go to the track, Preakness ain't the day to be at the track.

[woodbinepmi]

We were an Alydar family, I can remember my mother screaming at the tv for Alydar to change leads in the stretch.

[rastajenk]

My first year of becoming an avid TB horse racing fan was 1976 at River Downs, when Steve Cauthen was a teen sensation winning everything. So obviously I was an Affirmed guy. Twenty five years later I worked with Steve, sort of, at Turfway and he signed a photo of him and Affirmed cruising to victory somewhere; so, still an Affirmed guy.

[Spalding No!]

Also-rans from the 1978 Kentucky Derby:

HOIST THE SILVER (8th) - northern CA horse that later sired the great 3yo filly/sprinter VERY SUBTLE

SENSITIVE PRINCE (6th) - unbeaten FOY winner going into the Derby; overall record 20 starts with 14 wins; multiple track records over multiple distances; indifferent sire

DARBY CREEK ROAD (4th) - solid racehorse & even better sire; beat John Henry as both a 3yo (Hill Prince) & 4yo (Sword Dancer); sired the popular NY turf horse SALEM DRIVE

BELIEVE IT (3rd) - beat Alydar in the Remsen at 2 but couldn't hang with him at 3 despite winning the Wood Memorial; later a solid sire of popular NY horses like GARTHORN (Met Mile) & WHO'S TO PAY (Bernard Baruch); he was 3rd again to Affirmed-Alydar in the Preakness & coincidentally sired the Brookmeade colt ROCK POINT who was 3rd to that other great rivalry of Sunday Silence-Easy Goer in their epic 1989 Preakness.

[lamboguy]

the place that AFFIRMED trained on when he was an early 2 yo was the exact same place FUNNYCIDE worked at, it was the old Harborview Farm. today its named New Haven.

i only bring that up because i have been following horses that train over that surface and wait until they go to the race track. this year i am following 5 horses that have already been shipped up to Mike Maker in Saratoga. i watched them train in February and part of March and like what i saw.