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By last summer Seattle Slew stood more than 16 hands high, the foot had straightened so that the flaw was barely noticeable and—as Hill had predicted —the colt had filled in. Said Kennedy: "His front legs caught up to that huge hindquarters of his, and he started to run as smooth as glass." And fast. Trainer Billy Turner, 37, who had never taken a horse to the Derby before, thought that Slew's speed was so great that it could prove self-destructive, as was the case with the big filly Ruffian in 1975. Afraid that the horse would injure himself if allowed to run too often or too fast, Turner chose a light training and racing schedule; for a healthy horse of this caliber to have only six races before the Derby is all but unheard of.
Seattle Slew won his three races as a two-year-old so impressively that he earned the Eclipse Award as the outstanding colt of his class. In the Champagne Stakes at Belmont, he reeled off the fastest time in the 105-year history of the event.
Backstretch Struggle. But Turner continued to keep Seattle Slew under a tight rein. Most horses run more hard workouts before their first real race than Slew has had in his entire career. The Derby was the first time he had ever run 1¼ miles. Turner's tender handling, though criticized, brought Seattle Slew to Kentucky sound and fit.
During the post parade at Churchill Downs, Seattle Slew was unusually nervous—lathered up and, apparently, unsettled by the large (124,038) crowd. He broke late—he usually does—and was slow finding his stride. But Jockey Jean Cruguet drove him deftly through tight traffic, then settled into a rousing backstretch struggle with For the Moment. At the head of the stretch, Cruguet whipped him into a four-length lead and kept him on top handily, as Run Dusty Run and Sanhedrin closed to within 1 ¾ lengths at the finish.
In the winner's circle afterward, the Taylors reveled in their fortune. They are far from traditional horse owners. Their home is a trailer on an Indian reservation near the logging business they own. Instead of whisking into Louisville on a private jet, they arrived in a camper and spent as much time mucking around the barn with stable hands as attending parties. They are even promising to return some of their good fortune to the sport by keeping Seattle Slew in action past his 3-year-old season. Says Mickey: "It doesn't matter how much we're offered. If the Slew stays sound, we won't sell him for stud. Racing has given us a lot, and we want to give him back to racing."