The Year in Horses: 1978

1978

• The Kentucky Horse Park
  opened to the public in November of this year in Lexington, Kentucky.
  Horse-loving tourists had been visiting the Lexington area for years to visit the
  impressive Thoroughbred farms, but those establishments were gradually closing
  their doors to the public for security and other reasons. In order to preserve
  the region’s appeal to visitors, officials decided to create the park that
  would allow anyone to come and see a real, working horse farm and meet horses
  up close.

  The Kentucky Horse Park
  also hosted the World Three-Day Event Championships in September of this year,
  prior to the park’s official public opening.

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• For the second year in a row, Thoroughbred racing saw a
  Triple Crown winner. This time it was the chestnut colt Affirmed. No horse has
  won the Triple Crown since. Affirmed’s team had a notable rivalry with Alydar,
  who has the dubious distinction of being the only horse to ever finish second
  in all three Triple Crown Races.

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