Seattle Slew - Retirement and Legacy

Retirement and Legacy

Seattle Slew stood at Spendthrift Farm in Lexington and later at Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, where he was stabled across from Point Given. He was the leading sire of 1984, when his son Swale (who died later that year) won the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. His other progeny include the talented, ill-fated 1982 champion two-year-old filly, Landaluce, Slew o' Gold (winner of the 1983 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Three-Year-Old Male Horse and the 1984 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Older Male Horse), the 1992 Horse of the Year A.P. Indy (sire of 2006 Preakness Stakes winner Bernardini), 2000 champion three-year-old filly Surfside, and 2007 Belmont Stakes winner Rags to Riches. He is also the only Belmont Stakes winner to sire a Belmont Stakes winner (A.P. Indy), who in turn sired a Belmont Stakes winner (Rags to Riches).

A primary conduit for Seattle Slew's continuation of his male line has been through A.P. Indy. A.P. Indy has done well at stud in Kentucky, siring (among others) the 2003 Horse of the Year Mineshaft. One of Seattle Slew's most successful grandsons is the California champion Lava Man (sired by Slew City Slew). Seattle Slew's son, Slewacide, was the broodmare sire of 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Funny Cide. In 2006, Lava Man became the first horse to win the Santa Anita Handicap, Hollywood Gold Cup and Pacific Classic Stakes in the same year. Seattle Slew was also a leading broodmare sire, his daughters producing (among others) Cigar (leading North American money-earner of his day). Races in honor of his dam (My Charmer) include the My Charmer Handicap held at Florida's Calder Race Course annually and the My Charmer Stakes held at Kentucky's Turfway Park.

Rags to Riches, a granddaughter, won the 2007 Belmont Stakes – the third filly to win the race, after Ruthless in 1867 and Tanya in 1905. The victory earned jockey John Velazquez and trainer Todd Pletcher their first wins in any Triple Crown race. Rags To Riches was the 22nd filly to run in the Belmont. In 2002, ESPN telecast a "SportsCentury" on Seattle Slew.

25 years to the day after he won the Kentucky Derby, Seattle Slew died in his sleep at age 28. He is buried in a courtyard at Hill 'n' Dale Farms near Lexington, Kentucky. Three Chimneys Farm erected a statue of Seattle Slew near the stallion barn in his honor. Since fellow Triple Crown winner and rival Affirmed had died the year before, he was the sole living Triple Crown winner. Ironically, Smarty Jones (the first undefeated Kentucky Derby winner since Seattle Slew) now occupies his predecessor's former stall. In 2008 (when Big Brown was syndicated), racing fans wanted Big Brown to have the stall; Three Chimneys denied the request.