FRED STONE

"My years of painting Thoroughbred racing had just begun, and I was lucky enough to witness not only the last horse to win the Triple Crown, but also to experience what many consider the greatest race in history, the 1978 Belmont Stakes. It seemed as though Affirmed ran with his ears up and did not go full-out until another horse came up and challenged him. Then he would put his ears back and take off. Racing aficionados will tell you that he broke the hearts of his challengers. I believe that if Affirmed and Alydar ran against each other in another ten races, the results would always be the same. I believe that horses strongly relate to each other, and that Affirmed would intimidate Alydar every time."