Slew o' Gold dead at 27

Slew o' Gold, a Hall of Famer, two-time champion, and the first stallion to stand at Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Ky., was euthanized Sunday night at the farm because of the infirmities of old age. A sire of 12 group or graded winners, he was 27.

Slew o' Gold, pensioned in August 2002, had had difficulty coping with unusually hot temperatures that reached 100 degrees in central Kentucky this summer.

"Once we devised his air-conditioned stall this summer, he was quite comfortable," said Dr. Jim Morehead, veterinarian for Three Chimneys. "But he was very happy last week when we finally got some cooler weather."

"Indeed, on Sunday morning he was jogging in his paddock. But Sunday afternoon he had a convergence of symptoms that told us his system was failing."

Slew o' Gold, a member of 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew's first crop, will be buried at Three Chimneys.

Slew o' Gold earned his 3-year-old championship in 1983 after beating older rivals in the Woodward and Jockey Club Gold Cup and finishing second in the Marlboro Cup, Belmont Stakes, and Travers. He also won the 1983 Wood Memorial and Peter Pan Stakes. He was voted champion older horse the following year after winning the Whitney, Woodward, Marlboro Cup, and Jockey Club Gold Cup.

Slew o' Gold earned $3,533,534 with 12 wins in 21 lifetime starts.

Bred by Claiborne Farm, Slew o' Gold raced for Seattle Slew's owners, Karen and Mickey Taylor and Jim and Sally Hill. His trainers were Sid Watters Jr. and John Hertler.

At stud, Slew o' Gold sired 28 stakes winners for progeny earnings of $26,989,471. His top runners include European champion and Grade 1 winner Golden Opinion; multiple Grade 1 winner Gorgeous; and Grade 1 winners Thirty Six Red and Awe Inspiring.

Slew o' Gold was a son of the Buckpasser mare Alluvial.