Affirmed and Alydar: Racing's Greatest Rivalry

Thoroughbred Legends #15

by Timothy T. Capps

The greatest rivalry in modern Thoroughbred racing history began with little fanfare on June 15, 1977. The more experienced Affirmed defeated Alydar, who was making his racing debut in the Youthful Stakes at Belmont Park. In nine subsequent meetings, Affirmed got the better of Alydar six times, often by just inches. Their meetings, especially during the Triple Crown season of 1978, became the stuff of racing lore. Affirmed claimed the Triple Crown, but Alydar tested him to the limits each time in stirring stretch drives that left onlookers limp. Indeed, many racing historians consider their Belmont Stakes to be the greatest race of the 20th century. Author Tim Capps, who witnessed many of the Affirmed-Alydar races, chronicles their early years, first encounters, and epic clashes. He also tells the stories of the people who raised, trained, and rode these titans.

Genres: Horses, Horse Racing, Nonfiction, History

230 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2002

Reviews

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good stuff. :) I liked the author's even-handed writing of both horses and their connections, and I also like that for him, Alydar didn't drop off the face of the earth after he and Affirmed ended their rivalry. Both horses were amazing. I gained a new respect for Alydar's trainer, and reading about Steve Cauthen's early exploits gave me a context I hadn't previously understood when people called him a 'superstar' or 'wunderkind', since I wasn't alive back then and had no idea about his incredible number of wins as a youngster.

All in all, one of the more entertaining of this informative series of books. Capps knows how to convey information and keep it from getting too dry, a skill not many writers have. Two thumbs up.

[Jay French · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I read my way through the Thoroughbred Legends series, I sense a bit of a formula for these books about great racehorses. This one breaks the mold in a couple of ways. First, it covers two horses instead of just one. There's good reason for this - these horses were tied together by age and by results. Second, possibly because this covers two horses, the race coverage is not as detailed as in other books. Here, at times, you get just a paragraph or two describing some of the lesser races. I found this refreshing. Instead of filling space describing less consequential races, the author chose to cover the head-to-head races and the races with unexpected outcomes a bit more. Good choice. Thirdly, this one spent about a third of the pages describing the progeny of both Alydar and Affirmed, to really make the case that while Alydar was the lesser racer, he was the better sire. This was quite overwhelming in terms of listing offspring by season, and in many cases drilling down (and up) the family tree to make a point. The point was made, but with an almost Biblical listing of names that wasn't all that fun to read. That dropped my score down. Perhaps a graphic would have done a better job here. Beyond that choice, I found this one of the better ones in the series, although I already was an Alydar fan, and had read of Calumet's issues and Affirmed's demise in Ann Hagedorn Auerbach's Wild Ride: The Rise and Tragic Fall of Calumet Farm, Inc., America's Premier Racing Dynasty .

[Alan Livingston · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an entertaining book for the casual horse racing fan, like me. Those immersed in the world of thoroughbred racing may find the depth of the meticulous research more inviting than others. The importance of heritage and bloodlines in this sport is impressively evident in this work by a very knowledgeable author. But if you’re not into such detail, the book will drag a bit, despite being quite informative. If you just want to know a little about these two great horses of the ‘70’s, this book may not be for you.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it and have a new appreciation for both of them!

[Kirk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I LOVE YOU AFFIRMED!! I'll be very very very sad on Saturday evening if it can be no longer said...."There hasn't been a Triple Crown winner since AFFIRMED in 1978! Still, I have loved that his 2nd "life" has lasted this long....

For me, too many pages on bloodlines. Also, where was the chapter on the Belmont? Of course....it is a great race to rewatch.