August 26, 2022 
In today’s overheated partisan environment, it would be easy to forget the greatest rivalries have not been between Red States and Blue States or Republicans and Democrats.
The greatest, even most passionate rivalries have occurred in sports.
Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert, the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. Those and other athletic rivalries defined not only their sports, but also their times.
From their Fight of the Century Mar. 8, 1971 to The Thrilla’ In Manila Oct. 1, 1975, Muhammad “Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee” Ali and “Joltin’” Joe Frazier were boxing’s greatest heavyweight rivals. They so dominated the national psyche that a film following on the heels of their historic bouts would win Oscar’s Best Picture in 1976. “Rocky,” launched a Hollywood franchise of six films and two spin-offs, has boxed $1.7 billion and continues to influence popular culture.
Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert served up a tennis rivalry that spanned the 15 years from 1973 to 1988. They faced each other a stunning 80 times on indoor and outdoor hard courts, on grass and on clay, with Navratilova earning a 43-to-37 overall edge. Together they were responsible for creating a fan base for women’s tennis worldwide that would come to equal that of the men’s game.
The Red Sox and Yankees remain the most passionate fan rivalry in all American sport. In 1919, the Red Sox, then baseball’s most dominant franchise, decided to unload a player who smoked, drank too much, famously womanized, had a foul temper resulting in fights and, in general, didn’t take care of himself.
Babe Ruth was sold to the Yankees Dec. 26 for a reported $100,000. While the teams’ on-field rivalry would not begin in earnest until 1938, superstitious baseball fans believed the “Curse of the Bambino” resulted in the Red Sox not winning a World Series for the 86 years from 1918 to 2004 when the Beantowners finally bested, of course, the hated Yankees.
Heavyweight horses battle to “the grave”
Thoroughbred racing enjoyed a similar rivalry during its heyday decade, the 1970s. Secretariat’s singular greatness in 1973 would bring fans by the thousands to the racetrack, by the millions to their television sets, result in three record-setting Triple Crown races and see his likeness grace the cover of the nation’s three leading news magazines.
But it was an ordinary race in 1977 that began racing’s greatest rivalry. Affirmed and Alydar met on Jun. 6 that year in the first of 10 meetings that continued through their bitterly disputed final meeting in the Aug. 19, 1978 Travers, among the races that gave the Saratoga oval the subtitle, “The Graveyard of Champions.”
Alydar was of the bluer blood. A grandson of Thoroughbred foundation sire, Native Dancer, he was homebred by Calumet Farm, America’s then-premier racing stable. By contrast, Harbor View Farm’s Florida-bred Affirmed was less the looker, more the brawler than his rival. Adding to that image was a brash young rider who would pilot him in seven of their 10 meetings, Steve Cauthen.
“They were two very great horses,” Alydar’s and Calumet’s Hall of Fame trainer John Veitch said in a 2015 interview with Mike Penna on Horse Racing Radio. “You can’t say Affirmed without saying Alydar.”
Affirmed would win seven of the 10 meetings for trainer Laz Barrera, including three memorable Triple Crown races, capped by a Belmont Stakes more thrilling than even Secretariat’s sublime 1973 performance.
While their head-to-head outcome may appear lopsided, achieving it was not.
Affirmed’s 29 starts included an impressive 22 wins, but nine with only a one-length margin. He won all nine.
“He loved to win, he loved to fight,” recalled Hall of Fame jockey Cauthen in 2015. “He was like a guy in a bar looking for a fight.”
Alydar’s 14 victories in 26 starts included a 13-length win in the G1 Blue Grass Stakes. He finished seven races with only a one-length margin. He lost all seven.
“I admired both horses,” said Cauthen. “He couldn’t get past Affirmed, but Alydar never quit, he never gave up.”
Alydar would be euthanized following a stall injury in 1990 under still-mysterious circumstances, but not before leaving a winning legacy, siring Champions Alysheba, Easy Goer and Strike The Gold.
Racing rivalries renew on Travers Day at Saratoga
Thoroughbred racing may no longer be the marquee sport it was in the mid-70s, except on special occasions. This year’s running of the Kentucky Derby, with its 80-1 second-longest shot in Derby history winner—we’ll get to Rich Strike in a moment—surely gave the sport a much needed, though perhaps temporary, boost.
Travers Day Saturday at Saratoga may be another of those special occasions.
There is the languid, late-summer calm of Saratoga itself: “The Spa,” where the warm-water springs of upstate New York harken back to a less-hurried time of gazebos, oompah bands and ice cream cones on hot afternoons.
There is the spectacle of the Travers Stakes (G1), “The Midsummer Derby,” this year possibly anointing the likely Champion Three-Year-Old Male Eclipse Award winner.
But racing fans who recall the great Affirmed and Alydar rivalry may first be riveted to race number 9, the $600,000 Personal Ensign (G1), a 1 1/8th-mile test for females four-years-old and up.
That contest matches Todd Pletcher-trained Malathaat, last year’s Champion Three-Year-Old Filly, exiting from post number 5 under John Velazquez, and Clairiere, saddled by Steve Asmussen in post number 3 with Joel Rosario riding.
The pair will face off against each other for the seventh time.
Both were sired by Curlin. Malathaat bested her half-sister, finishing ahead the first four of their six meetings on her way to earning the three-year-old crown. But Clairiere has won both races pairing the two this year, the Ogden Phipps (G1) at Belmont and the Shuvee (G2) Jul. 24 at The Spa, with Malathaat runner-up in both.
Clairiere could gain a stranglehold on the Champion Older Female Eclipse Award with a like-mother-like- daughter victory. Her dam, Cavorting, won the 2016 edition of the Personal Ensign.
“She’s trained great and looks great,” says Pletcher of Malathaat. “I just hope she runs up to her capabilities.”
She’s baaaccckkk….
Not to be overlooked in this marquee matchup is last year’s Champion Older Female Eclipse Award winner, Letruska, running from the rail. The Fausto Gutierrez-trained six-year-old mare won this year’s Royal Delta Stakes (G3) and the Apple Blossom (G1) over, you guessed it, Clairiere.
She finished last in the Ogden Phipps, a poor showing her trainer says may have resulted from a slight fever she had early in the week. Rested home in Kentucky, Gutierrez says she’s trained up well to this challenge.
“If I’m here, it’s because we have a serious chance [at winning],” says the trainer with confidence.
Search Results, third in the Ogden Phipps for Chad Brown, and Crazy Beautiful, saddled by Ken McPeek, round out the small quality field.
Like father, like son?
Man O’ War, Gallant Fox, Secretariat, American Pharoah. Four names that define a century of greatness in Thoroughbred racing.
Also of shock.
In 2015, Pioneer Of The Nile’s misnamed son, American Pharoah, got it all right. Mostly. He broke the 37-year-old Triple Crown drought since Affirmed became its eleventh winner in 1978. He returned Thoroughbred racing to American sports fans’ consciousness.
Following his cruising victory in the 2015 Belmont Stakes that snared the elusive Triple Crown, owner Ahmed Zayat made the bold decision to run his Champion in the August 29 Travers Stakes.
Bold because of the mere six-week span of time between the Derby, Preakness and Belmont.
Bolder because AP was entered into and would win the Aug. 2 Haskell Invitational (G1).
Bolder still because he used that winning Haskell and the incredibly short rest period among races to prep for the Travers.
Perhaps boldest because the Travers is run at the classic mile-and-a-quarter around two turns on a dirt oval known as “The Graveyard of Champions.”
Saratoga saw Man O’ War “buried” there by aptly named Upset in the 1919 Sanford Memorial. Jim Dandy won only one of his 20 starts in 1930, a 100-1 thumping of Triple Crown winner Gallant Fox in that year’s Travers Stakes. Secretariat was peeled by Onion in the 1973 Whitney Stakes at The Spa.
In 2015, only one horse had won both the Triple Crown and the Travers, Calumet’s Whirlaway in 1941. It was then known as the Superfecta since there was no Breeders’ Cup, hence no Classic. Reportedly against the advice of trainer Bob Baffert, said to be aiming AP at the Classic, Zayat decided to chase history by winning the Triple Crown, Haskell, Travers and Breeders’ Cup Classic, a titanic feat in any year.
But it seemed a shrewd decision at the time. The 2015 three-year-old crop was not especially well-regarded.
Quick…what other 2015 Triple Crown race entrant comes to mind?
Probably whimsically named fan-favorite gray, Frosted. Perhaps UAE Derby winner, Mubtaahij. Likely not Kentucky Derby points leaders International Star, Dortmund or Carpe Diem, all more highly rated than AP. And surely not Keen Ice, a son of then-unproven sire Curlin, eeking into the 20-horse field with a Kentucky Derby-lowest 22 points.
AP would go off as the 3-1 Derby favorite and win. He would out-sloppy-track Tale Of Verve at Pimlico and chill Frosted at Belmont.
But Derby rival Keen Ice had shown consistent improvement. He skipped the Preakness to train up to the Belmont, finishing third to AP and Frosted in the “Test of the Champion.” He crept closer still, getting up on Upstart to finish a fast-closing second in the Haskell.
On Aug. 29 at Saratoga, what now seems predictable in retrospect seemed incredible at the time.
On Saturday, Saratoga may host the premature crowning of the Champion Three-Year-Old Male Eclipse Award winner.
Epicenter is—once again—favored and can claim that distinction with a win. While Preakness winner Early Voting could do the same, fast-closing Artorius is thought by bettors to be his greater challenge. Both he and double two-turn winner Cyberknife would muddle the three-year-old male picture with a victory, perhaps moving the decision to Keeneland and the Nov. 5 Breeders’ Cup Classic. So, too, would rival Zandon, third in the Derby.
Both Ain’t Life Grand and Gilded Age are thought by most to be in for a piece of the Travers’ $1.25 million purse.
And then, once again getting little more respect than those two purported gold diggers, is Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike.
Rich Strike and His Doubters.
Another familiar rivalry renewed on Travers Day at Saratoga.
Ritchie’s sire will be watching from his stall at a reinvigorated Calumet Farm in Lexington, KY, where he stands, still doubted, for only $7,500.
Ritchie’s sire, Keen Ice.
