Thirty years ago, Peteski won the Queen’s Plate and went on to sweep the Canadian Triple Crown ‒ but what happened during those three races turned into a soap opera of sorts, the likes of which hadn’t happened at the time and haven’t happened since.
Sired by 1978 U.S. Triple Crown winner Affirmed and out of the Nureyev mare Vive, Peteski was bred by Montreal’s Barry Schwartz and trained by Roger Attfield. Schwartz named the flashy chestnut colt after his son.
Peteski broke his maiden in his third career start, winning a six-furlong race at Woodbine by 10 lengths. That caught the attention of New York businessman Earle I. Mack, the former chairman of the New York Racing Commission and someone who regularly supported Canadian racing. He had been looking for a Canadian Triple Crown horse, and Mack liked the breeding and had the horse vetted for soundness. He subsequently bought the horse for $150,000 USD.
