Alydar, a chestnut colt born at Calumet Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, on March 23, 1975 – died at Calumet Farm on November 15, 1990, was an American thoroughbred race horse who was most famous for finishing a close second to Affirmed in all three races of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. Calumet Farm is a 762 acre race horse breeding and training farm established in 1924 in Lexington, Kentucky, United States by William Monroe Wright, founding owner of the Calumet Baking Powder Company. ... City nickname: Horse Capital of the World Location in the state of Kentucky County Fayette Mayor Teresa Isaac Area  - Land  - Water 285. ... March 23 is the 82nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (83rd in Leap years). ... 1975 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... November 15 is the 319th day of the year (320th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 46 days remaining. ... 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Thoroughbred is a horse breed developed in 18th century England when English mares were bred with imported Arabian stallions to create a distance racer. ... Horse-racing is an equestrian sporting activity which has been practiced over the centuries; the chariot races of Roman times were an early example, as was the contest of the steeds of the god Odin and the giant Hrungnir in Norse mythology. ... Affirmed, a chestnut colt born February 21, 1975, at Harbor View Farm, Ocala, Florida – died January 12, 2001 at Jonabell Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, was an American thoroughbred race horse that won the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing in 1978, only the 11th horse to accomplish the feat. ... The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (Triple Crown for short, but the term is also used in other sports, and thus the full name should be used when it could cause confusion) consists of three races for three-year-old thoroughbred horses. ...

Trained by John Veitch, and ridden by jockey Jorge Velasquez, in 1978 Alydar dueled with Affirmed in all three legs of the Triple Crown, losing to his arch rival by a combined total of less than two lengths. The 1978 Belmont Stakes, the third and final leg of the series, is considered by many as one of the most exciting races in the history of the sport. In that race, Alydar and Affirmed dueled side by side from the middle of the far turn all the way to the wire, with Affirmed barely holding on to win by a head to claim the Triple Crown. Affirmed, a chestnut colt born February 21, 1975, at Harbor View Farm, Ocala, Florida – died January 12, 2001 at Jonabell Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, was an American thoroughbred race horse that won the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing in 1978, only the 11th horse to accomplish the feat. ... The Belmont Stakes is a prestigious horse race held yearly in June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. ...

In his career, Alydar won 14 of 26 starts, finishing second 9 times and third once. He earned purses totalling $957,195. Alydar raced against Affirmed ten times in his career, winning three times. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1989. The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers. ...

Alydar was a major success as a stallion. His offspring include Alysheba, winner of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and the Breeders' Cup Classic, plus others such as Easy Goer, Turkoman, Strike the Gold, Criminal Type, Althea, and Miss Oceana. Alysheba (born 1984) was an American thoroughbred race horse. ... The Kentucky Derby is a stakes race for three-year-old thoroughbred horses, staged yearly in Louisville, Kentucky on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. ... The Preakness Stakes is a classic 1 3/16 mile (1. ... The Breeders Cup Classic is a Thoroughbred horse race for 3 years old and up. ... There are several meanings to Turkmen: Related to the country Turkmenistan Turkmen language Turkmen people A breed of horse called the Turkoman This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

On November 13, 1990, Alydar shattered his right hind leg in his stall at Calumet Farms in Lexington, Kentucky. Emergency surgery was performed the next day in an attempt to repair the injury, but the leg broke again. On November 15, Alydar was put to death by lethal injection. Some have questioned the circumstances leading up to Alydar's sudden leg injury. November 13 is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 48 days remaining. ... 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... City nickname: Horse Capital of the World Location in the state of Kentucky County Fayette Mayor Teresa Isaac Area  - Land  - Water 285. ...

In the Blood-Horse magazine ranking of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century, Alydar was ranked #27. The Blood-Horse is an international weekly news magazine about Thoroughbred horses, horse breeding, and horseracing. ... Blood-Horse magazine ranking of the top 100 United States thoroughbred horse racing champions of the 20th Century: Man O War Secretariat Citation Kelso Count Fleet Dr. Fager Native Dancer Forego Seattle Slew Spectacular Bid Tom Fool Affirmed War Admiral Buckpasser Colin Damascus Round Table Cigar Bold Ruler Swaps Equipose...

External Links:

• Quicktime of stretch run of 1978 Belmont Stakes from NYRA
• Alydar's profile at the NMR Hall of Fame
• Alydar's Pedigree and career details
• Many photos of Alydar in action
• Affirmed vs. Alydar
• "The Killing of Alydar" Skip Hollandsworth's award winning Texas Monthly article regarding J.T. Lundy's involvement in the death of the great racehorse.