Who Was Disposed Of Exceller?
In 1978 Canadian International Champion Beat Seattle Slew, Affirmed
Apr 24, 2008 BarbaraAnne Helberg
Exceller, the only Thoroughbred to defeat two Triple Crown champions in one race, was slaughtered in Sweden on Apr.7, 1997. He was 24 years old and no longer useful at stud. 1986 Kentucky Derby Champion Ferdinand, for similar reasons, met a similar fate in 2002 after his registration in Japan had been wiped out.
Exceller's Story, So Different From That of Secretariat's
Exceller's story is one that shines with Thoroughbred glory and ends in senseless torment. Exceller was foaled in 1973, the year the grand Secretariat won the Triple Crown. All horseracing eyes were on Big Red that year. The powerful and beautifully conformed chestnut's picture was on the cover of three national magazines. His charisma was stunning, his ability over the moon.
Secretariat completed his racing career and entered stud service after his three-year-old season. He was treated like royalty, cared for and loved by his owners.
By contrast, Exceller was retired to stud at Gainesway Farm in Lexington, Kentucky in 1979, later sold, and then sent to Sweden in 1991.
Six years later, he was led to a slaughterhouse because his owner said he could no longer afford the horse's keep.
Exceller Left His Thoroughbred Mark
Across oceans and on continents, Exceller excelled, yet he remained a forgotten name through his career because of known names like Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Affirmed, Alydar, Spectacular Bid, and Forego in the 1970s. These were names that dropped easily from the mouths of the Thoroughbred public, as well as those of trainers and owners.
Secretariat, Seattle Slew, and Affirmed were Triple Crown winners, one after the other in the 1970s, 1973, 1977, and 1978, respectively, having achieved the TC championship when just eight other Thoroughbreds in history had turned the trick. There hasn't been another TC champ since Affirmed.
Exceller came to the United States to compete in the fall of 1977, and shortly thereafter he was put into the expert training hands of Charlie Whittingham, who had also handled Ferdinand. With Ferdinand in 1986, Whittingham gained his first Kentucky Derby title.
In 1978 Exceller challenged the best of the day in Seattle Slew and Affirmed in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. An early suicidal pace evened things up for Exceller. He reached down to the basement to pull off a 22-length comeback and nose out Seattle Slew in the last strides available. Affirmed, finished by the crazy fractions, raced off the board for the first time in his illustrious career. It was Exceller's finest racing moment.
Excellent Exceller's Racing Record:
At Two -- won a maiden event and two group (graded) races
At Three -- won Prix Royal-Oak and Grand Prix de Paris
At Four -- won the Coronation Cup and the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud; third in the King George VI Stakes; third in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes; won Canadian International Championship
At Five -- won the Arcadia, the San Juan Capistrano, the Hollywood Invitational, the Hollywood Gold Cup, the Sunset, the Jockey Club Gold Cup, and the Oak Tree Invitational
At Six -- lost all four starts and was retired
In all, Exceller started 33 times and won 15 of those races. He earned $1,654,002. And that was who Exceller was.
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