Searching for Slew

On a cold and cloudy March day in Lexington, Kentucky, I went on a pilgrimage to find the final resting place of the legendary Seattle Slew…..Grady’s grandpa.  I was there to watch the Road to the Horse competition – The World Championship of Colt Starting – and thought it would be a great opportunity to search for the statue poised elegantly behind the gravesite that I had seen only in pictures found online.  Since it wasn’t in a highly publicized location, I knew I’d have to search a bit, but I came up with a couple of addresses where the spot could be.

After landing in Louisville, I drove to the first address I had for Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm, but a different name was etched into the stone pillars on either side of the driveway, so I didn’t pull in.  Instead, I plugged the other address into my GPS and headed through the beautiful rolling hills of Lexington to Paris, KY.  Still unsure if I was at the right place, I drove through the automatic gates and along the roadways that meandered through the property, following the signs to the office.  Luckily, an employee pulled into the parking lot right after me and when I told her what I was looking for, she told me it was at the location I had just left.  By now, it was getting late so I checked into my hotel and decided to try again tomorrow.

The next morning, I headed back to the stone pillars from the day before and drove right up to the big black gates mounted between them.  I hoped they would open as I approached, and they did.  I drove through, arriving in front of a brick building with one car parked outside.  I entered the unlit, seemingly unoccupied building and saw no one as I walked down the hallway.  A man’s voice echoed from a nearby office but he sounded like he was on the phone, so I decided not to disturb him and left the building, returning to my rental car.

I continued driving along the roadways that wound through the vast property and, before too long, a black pickup truck rounded the corner.  As I opened my window to wave him down, I could see that he was already slowing down and opening his window to see if he could help me.

“Hi,” I said, “I am looking for Seattle Slew’s final resting place.”

The kind man nodded and said that he’d turn around and show me where it is.  Upon hearing that, I found myself fighting to hold back the tears as I thanked the man and followed him to the gravesite. 

As we turned a final corner and I caught my first glimpse of the statue placed perfectly in front of the courtyard barn where the champion had spent his last days, I couldn’t believe I had actually found it.  The man asked if I could find my way out and I said yes and thanked him again. 

It was eerily quiet aside from the wind, and I just stood there in disbelief, taking it all in.  Next thing I knew, I was talking to Slew and telling him about his grandson, Grady.  On the headstone, I noticed the year of Slew’s death was 2002 and I realized that he was still alive when Grady was born in 2001.  Wow.

I walked over to the courtyard barn which stands behind the statue.  Although it was deserted, I could almost hear the hoofbeats of young thoroughbreds being led by their grooms in preparation for their training.  I strolled through the aisles, imagining what it must have been like in its heyday.  A beautiful fox scooted out from under a bush and crossed my path, awakening me from my daydream.  What an amazing experience, and being there all alone made it extra special. 

I stopped back at the statue before leaving, touching Slew’s face as I said my farewell.  I was so mesmerized that I had to stop and take one more look through my side-view mirror as I drove away.

Yesterday was the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby.  Seattle Slew won the famous race in 1977 and he died on the 25^th anniversary of that win on May 7, 2002.  At the time of his death, he was the only living Triple Crown Winner.  It was an honor to pay him a visit.