Horse Racing Fantasy Community

But it was still pretty good! I'm on a 1978 kick these days. Why? Well because it was 30 years ago that we had the last Triple Crown Champion, of course. So, in the spirit of those annoying shows on VH1 that feature celebrities commenting on an entire decade, a single year, or sometimes even a single week, here we go: What was big in '78? Well, let's see....Community member gfn02 will like this one: Superman

, Disco

, The Rolling Stones

, the Yankees, Steelers, and horse racing. Not only did 1978 feature Triple Crown Champion Affirmed's epic battle with Alydar, but there were some incredible races later in that season. One that comes to mind is the 1978 Marlboro Cup, which was historic because it was the first time two Triple Crown Winners, 4 year-old Seattle Slew and 3 year-old Affirmed, ever squared off against each other. Why Affirmed was favored in this race is an interesting story: Seattle Slew came down with a serious viral infection/fever that sidelined him after his loss to J.O. Tobin in the 1977 Swaps Stakes, his first race after the Triple Crown and first ever defeat. When he came back in '78 he won two easy Allowance races but was caught at the wire in the Paterson Handicap by Dr. Patches. The Marlboro Cup was up next, and Slew still hadn't shown his pre-viral infection form. Affirmed, on the other hand, had not been headed at the wire as a 3 year-old coming into this race (he had been DQ'd in the Travers, but still looked very strong). That's why Affirmed was favored even though conventional wisdom was for the older champion to beat the younger. Enough blabberin', here's the 1978 Marlboro Cup: