October 14, 1978 — Belmont Park became a battlefield of champions. Two Triple Crown winners — Seattle Slew (’77) and Affirmed (’78) — met a globe-trotting challenger, Exceller, in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. The track was sloppy, the stakes historic, and what followed became one of the greatest stretch duels in American racing. Slew broke from the gate like a rocket, tearing through the mud in :22 3/5 and :45 1/5, daring anyone to catch him. Behind him, Affirmed’s saddle slipped, costing him any c