1987: Alysheba

Alysheba was one of the best sons of the great Alydar. Alydar of course is most known for being the only horse in history to finish second in all three triple crown races. Had he not been born the same year as Affirmed, he may have been our twelfth champion of horse racing's Holy Grail. Alydar would go on to sire winners of all three races, starting with Alysheba.

Born on March 3, 1984 at Hamburg Place Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, Alysheba won only his maiden race as a two year old. He was third in the Breeder's Cup Juvenile, and second in a photo in the Hollywood Futurity. After disappointing Kentucky Derby preparations, he was discovered to have an entrapped epiglottis and underwent surgery to repair the issue. Despite having only won his maiden race, Alysheba was entered in the 1987 Kentucky Derby.

In a dramatic stretch run, Alysheba was nearly knocked to his knees by Bet Twice, and his jockey nearly unseated as they came for home. He recovered and chased down Bet Twice in a gutsy stretch run to win. The unlikely Derby winner came back and bested runner up Bet Twice again with another big race at Pimlico. With only a maiden win prior to the first two jewels, Alysheba showed up at Belmont park with a chance to make history.

The medication Lasix was not permitted for horse racing in the state of New York at that time, and so Alysheba would have to run without it. Regardless, he was not the best horse that day by far-the horse he ran down so impressively after stumbling badly in the Derby was far superior to his competitors in the Belmont Stakes. Bet Twice dashed the dreams of horse racing fans by an impressive fourteen lengths. Alysheba finished a very distant fourth.

Alysheba and Bet Twice would meet again that summer, and the Belmont winner would beat the son of Alydar again, but this time in a close three way photo finish. Alysheba earned another second place before winning the Super Derby as he ended his preparations for the Breeder's Cup Classic. He was defeated that day by the 1986 Kentucky Derby winner, Ferdinand. Alysheba would later defeat both Ferdinand and Bet Twice in his four year old season.

In 1988, he won six grade one stakes races. He was the only horse to run ten furlongs in under two minutes three times in one calendar year. He closed out his four year old season and his career with a victory in the Breeder's Cup Classic in the rain at Churchill Downs, the site of his unlikely Derby victory.

Alysheba and Bet Twice met nine times in total, with the son of Alydar winning four of those meetings and Bet Twice three. In two of those races, neither horse won.

Alysheba probably was just a great horse in the company of other great horses. And perhaps had he bloomed a little sooner, he could have won his Belmont Stakes. But Bet Twice was certainly a deserving winner of that race, and Alysheba proved to be another horse that just didn't quite have what it takes to be the twelfth Triple Crown winner.