99Horse RacingBy A Neck
- Date
6/10/1978
- Location
Belmont Park | Elmont, New York
- Moment
One of the best horse racing rivalries in the history of the sport, Affirmed and Alydar met first in the Kentucky Derby. They finished first and second, respectively, in the Derby and the Preakness, setting up an epic showdown at the Belmont Stakes. Running, once again, in first and second place the whole race, Affirmed won by a head, beating Alydar for the third time and winning the Triple Crown.
- Impact
Affirmed won the 11th Triple Crown in history. Almost 37 years would pass until the next Triple Crown would be captured, by American Pharoah in 2015. Affirmed and Alydar raced only one more time in their careers, at the Travers at Saratoga. Once again, Alydar came in second at the wire, but ended up winning the race after Affirmed was disqualified.
