Hall of fame trainer John Veitch passed away on the 14th of February. He was 77 years old. Recently I asked his cousin, Saratoga’s resident horse racing writer and historian Michael Veitch to share some of his thoughts and recollections of him with our readers at Saratoga Today. He will take it from here.
“John Veitch was born to be in thoroughbred racing. His grandfather Silas Veitch was a very accomplished horseman who trained jumpers and flat horses in Canada and the United States for leading owners of his time such as Joseph Seagram, George Hendrie and Walter Salmon. His father, Sylvester Veitch, son of Silas, is a Hall of Fame trainer who developed five national champions for owners C.V. Whitney and George D. Widener. I have strong memories of them getting together after training hours on many mornings during the Saratoga meetings of the 1970s and 80s. It was Alydar who put John on the national scene in 1977 and 1978 with his gallant performances against the great Triple Crown winner Affirmed. Alydar was owned by Calumet Farm. John hoped he could play a role in restoring the famed establishment to its former glory. He did, by developing champions Our Mims and Before Dawn, along with Alydar.
One of my favorite memories of John concerned the dilemma he faced during the 1977 Saratoga meet. Our Mims was going to run in the Alabama Stakes on August 13, the same day Alydar was slated for the rich Sapling Stakes at Monmouth Park. So John asked his father to saddle Our Mims for him at Saratoga while he would saddle Alydar in the Sapling. He won them both. Later in his career he trained for Darby Dan Farm and guided Sunshine Forever to a national title as champion turf horse. As did his father, John preferred training for a private stable, and I believe he was happiest in that role. He had deep respect for the history and tradition of thoroughbred racing, and he did his best to honor it with sportsmanship.”
Edward Bowen, former editor of Bloodhorse magazine and past President of the Grayson Foundation, was John’s great friend. He has also agreed to share some reminisces of him with our readers.
“John Veitch was a product of a former era which he revered, but he was also a horseman for his own day. I first got to know John in the spring of 1972, when he came to Kentucky with Key to the Mint, Paul Mellon’s Kentucky Derby Prospect. John was assistant to Elliott Burch. There was John, the son of a highly acclaimed trainer Sylvester Veitch and he was working for the son of another great trainer, Preston Burch.
In that situation, John thought that it was not appropriate to call his boss “Elliott,” but somehow Mr. Burch didn’t seem comfortable either. So, when speaking of Burch, John referred to him as the “The Man.” Talked to the Man this morning. The Man will be here soon, etc.”
Five years later, Alydar came into the picture. Veitch was on his own and had managed to land a job that harkened back to the old days for an owner who stressed sportsmanship and wanted a private trainer. This was Calumet Farm, the former powerhouse under Warren Wright Sr. that was now run by Wright’s widow. Calumet had fallen in lean times and Veitch’s first year as head trainer brought little success. Mrs. Markey was patient and understood that she had not turned over a lot of talent to the young man.
Then Alydar entered his rivalry with Affirmed. What seemed a key moment in the series came in the Champagne Stakes. Racing a mile for the first time, Alydar laid off the pace and came running in the stretch to win by 1¼ lengths. The suggestion that Alydar would have the edge as the distances got longer was proven to be false. Still, the impression held for some time.
I was always impressed by the way John handled those close, grinding losses to Affirmed. Even the morning after the Belmont Stakes, there he was in the Belmont backstretch sitting on the fender of his Jaguar eating a fudgesicle and in his friendly manner saying, “I still think I can beat Affirmed.”
Once while participating on a panel, John went so far as to say he would sometimes just look at Alydar and remark to himself about how God had given that horse the powers that he had. Certainly, in one way the career of Alydar was a repetition of grim stanzas. He was cast in a role of the “ almost horse” time after time against Affirmed. Then out from under that martinet, Alydar would win the Bluegrass by 13 lengths, the Arlington Classic by 13 and beat older horses in the Whitney by 10!”
Thanks to Mike and Ed for sharing their personal accounts and memories of John.
Now, let’s take a look at the extraordinary rivalry between two great racehorses that made the sporting world hold its breath forty-five years ago.
Alydar’s duels with Affirmed are the stuff of legends. On ten occasions from June of 1977 to the following August, the two thrilled racing fans across the country with one superb display of talent after another.
Putting this into perspective, recently crowned Horse of the Year Flightline’s entire career spanned just six races. Unfortunately, the star of Alydar never quite matched that of his nemesis. In their ten confrontations, Affirmed got the best of the Calumet runner seven times.
Their storied duels in the Triple Crown Series of 1978 stand high in the lore of the sport. On the first Saturday in May they met in the Kentucky Derby. Affirmed got this one by 1½ lengths. Two weeks later they were at each other’s throats at the Preakness. Affirmed was best again by just a neck. Then came “The Test of Champions,” once around Belmont Park’s one- and one-half mile oval. This one more than lived up to all the hype surrounding it. Affirmed and Alydar hooked up in a duel that materialized near the halfway point of the race. From there on to the finish line they raced as one. At the wire it was Affirmed by a head. The brilliant colt had again denied Alydar the winner’s circle.
Affirmed was named the tenth Triple Crown Champion. Alydar, with his gutsy performances in defeat had gained the respect of horse racing fans everywhere.
There would be one more chapter in the Affirmed vs Alydar series. Both parties pointed their colts for the Travers Stakes here at Saratoga. It was time to settle old scores. Where better than the Historic Spa for the race to take place. Veitch chose the Whitney Stakes for Alydar’s Travers prep.
He responded with an easy ten length romp.
Affirmed’s camp entered him in the Jim Dandy a few days later. He got the job done in a tougher than expected outing. Both were fit and ready for the showdown. This Travers had all the earmarks to be one for the ages.
A massive crowd of over 50,000 racing fans converged on the grounds to witness the event. At 5:45 in the afternoon, the horses entered the starting gate. Affirmed, despite his mastery over Alydar was only a slight favorite. The bell rang and both horses were off to a good start. The race began to materialize on the backstretch. Affirmed took the lead on the outside of Alydar. With powerful strides Alydar closed the gap on his opponent. Lafite Pincay Jr. aboard Affirmed chose to shift closer to the rail at the exact moment that Alydar was gaining ground on that path. The mishap caused Alydar to hit the rail and drop back a good six lengths behind his foe. He was able to compose himself and miraculously get within two lengths of Affirmed at the finish line.
The blinking lights went up immediately after the race. Affirmed’s number was taken down and Alydar was named the winner. What should have been John Veitch’s shining moment had become a bittersweet day. The rivalry was over. The two would never meet again.
John Veitch got that shining moment in 2007. He joined his late father Sylvester and his star pupil Alydar as a newly elected member of horse racing’s Hall of Fame here on Union Avenue. A master of his trade, he will long be remembered for his part in the Alydar vs Affirmed rivalry, and as a champion in his own right.
