Top 10 Greatest Racehorses of All Time

Every horse racing fan has heard the phrase that you should bet on the jockey, not the horse. And if we are talking about the average picture, this is true. However, in the history of racing, there were genuinely great horses that are worthy of being told about. To get into this kind of hall of fame, it is not enough to just come first to the finish line. Such horses were head and shoulders above their opponents and did what others thought was impossible.

The Legends of Horse Racing

If you go to a bookmaker’s site, you won’t see these names there. All these horses have passed away long since or finished their careers. And yet they are still remembered. Let’s find out why.

1. Secretariat – The Unbeatable Machine

Despite his excellent pedigree in his youth, this horse stood out only for his outstanding appetite. He was large and trained hard to keep his weight down. However, in his first year of competition, he proved to everyone that he was wrong to be underestimated. And the following year, he became a legend, taking the Triple Crown. Secretariat became the first horse in history to win the Derby in less than two minutes. His record of 1:53 has not been surpassed to this day.

At the last leg of the Triple Crown at Belmont, Secretariat ran perhaps the most fantastic race in the history of equestrian sports. Before the start, jockey Ron Turcotte was told to just let the horse run itself. He won 31 lengths (in American racing, a length is considered 1/5 of a second) from second place and broke the racetrack record by two seconds – although they are usually cut off little by little, 0.2. The photograph of Turcotte turning around on the final straight and without any of his pursuers behind him became legendary.

2. Man o’ War – The Pioneer of Excellence

Man o’War, a symbol of the golden age of American sports, was a crowd favorite. He literally never left the headlines, won 20 of 21 races, often in record time, and later became an excellent sire. In just two years, he showed that it is possible to win in all races. Having set several records, he also led an unbeaten streak. This horse lived a long life. In his 30 years, he became a father of many outstanding foals. Of 381 offspring, 62 became winners. This is an incredibly high figure for a sire.

3. Seabiscuit – The People’s Champion

Seabiscuit was born to a mare named Swing On and a stallion named Hard Tack (his grandfather was Man O’War, who was also the sire of War Admiral at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky). The beginning of his racing career was unsuccessful. Seabiscuit failed to win his first ten races. And after that, all interest in him was lost. At the age of two, Seabiscuit raced 35 times, of which he was first 5 times and second 7 times. But, despite this, at the end of the season, he was already sometimes used as a companion horse.

A lucky coincidence was the meeting of Seabiscuit and jockey Red Pollard. The outsider horse and the disabled jockey became a real salvation for each other. By 1937, Seabiscuit had already become a celebrity on the West Coast, he was talked about on radio and television, newspaper columns were filled with news about this horse. Howard, with his business acumen, quickly began marketing activities, creating a full range of merchandise for fans. He then decided to transport the horse to a more prestigious race on the East Coast.

The Seabiscuit vs. Admiral battle was constantly being discussed in the press. And when they met on the track, it was quite an event. Thanks to the skill of the jockey and the talent of the horse, Seabiscuit won the race by a significant margin.

4. Frankel – The Modern Era Superstar

The story of this horse is reminiscent of a golden boy for whom everything comes easy. The colt, named Frankel in honor of the legendary American racing trainer Bobby Frankel, developed very quickly and correctly. Stud workers unanimously claim that he was distinguished by confident and balanced movements from the very beginning, so he never needed corrective shoeing.

Frankel’s first official start brought him the most modest victory in his entire career. He was only half a length ahead of his competitor. From then on, he passed competitors as if they were barely dragging their feet. He was truly invincible.

The end of his unrivaled career was the victory in the Champion Stakes at Epsom, where Frankel had to gallop for the first time on a very soft, sometimes hard track. Having lost several lengths at the start, he still beat last year’s winner, Sirrus Dez Aigle, by 1 3/4 lengths. After the end of his career, he became a famous breeding stallion.

5. Citation – The First Millionaire Horse

Citation became the 8th Triple Crown winner. This extraordinary stallion had a winning streak of 16 races and became the first millionaire horse in history. In other words, he is  genuinely outstanding. His pedigree goes mainly to Europe, although he was born in Kentucky. 

In 1948, Citation made a splash by winning the Triple Crown. There were prerequisites for this. The year before, as a two-year-old, he had become a recognized champion.

This horse was distinguished by his complete fearlessness. He was not afraid of fights with other horses. However, already as a breeder, he was scared of the Yorkshire terrier of the farm owner. But a champion can be forgiven for minor weaknesses. He left his mark not only in racing but also in breeding. Several of his descendants became outstanding champions.

6. Phar Lap – The Australian Wonder Horse

Phar Lap was born on October 26, 1926, at the Sidown Stud Farm on the South Island of New Zealand. The plain chestnut colt had little chance of success in racing, either because of his background or because of his parents’ class. Only trainer G. Telford believed in his success. He thought so much that he leased him when the stable owner refused to train him.

Phar Lap’s racing career began unsuccessfully, and he lost his first nine races, eight of which were unpaid. Then, somehow, he got into shape and soon made people talk about him.

At the age of three, Phar Lap won the classic races in Sydney and Melbourne, the Australian Jockey Club Derby, and the Victoria Derby, and finished third in Australia’s most prestigious race, the two-mile Melbourne Handicap. He did not lose another race that season after that and was a winner of the Australian Jockey Club and Victorian St Leger. Unfortunately, his career was cut short when he fell ill and died after a race in the United States. The causes remain unclear. Most likely, he died from an infection that developed as a result of the long journey. However, arsenic poisoning is also possible.

7. American Pharoah – The Triple Crown Comeback

Already at the age of two, this stallion, born in 2012, showed that he was a force to be reckoned with. However, his real triumph awaited him a year later. The last winner of the “Crown” was the stallion Affirmed in distant 1978. Thirty-seven years later, the new winner was American Pharoah. His brilliant finish was applauded by 90 thousand spectators at the Belmont Hippodrome in New York, Pharoah’s home state of Kentucky, and the entire country. 

Currently, he is actively used in breeding work. American Pharoah already has outstanding offspring, and he enjoys great success in the breeding market. Many of his children inherit the calm but confident character that is so important for racing.

8. Zenyatta – The Queen of Racing

If we have been talking exclusively about stallions so far, it is time to talk about the leading lady of the racing world. Zenyatta was born in Kentucky on April 1, 2004. At the age of 3, Zenyatta began to show serious results. In 2007-2010, she had no equal.

The main feature of this horse is her proven technique. Starting the race among the outsiders, she became the first on the last lap, leaving no chance for her rivals. The main event was the Breeders’ Cup Classic award in 2009. Before Zenyatta, no mare had ever won this prize. A year later, she became the record holder for the number of victories won by a mare and the amount of winnings (about 6.5 million dollars).

9. Kelso – The Five-Time Horse of the Year

Fate decreed that, despite being a phenomenal racehorse and potentially a “big” producer, Kelso was deprived of the opportunity to work at the stud. Unprepossessing and disgustingly built, he had a narrow chest, a group that seemed to belong to a completely different, younger horse, and at the same time, stood on rather long legs that emphasized all his shortcomings. But Kelso’s extraordinary abilities, big heart, and irrepressible fighting spirit made him an idol who was loved and adored by the public and his owner. 

Despite his external underdevelopment and unsightly appearance, Kelso could participate in races. No one considered him strong enough to bear a significant load. At the age of two, Kelso started three times, and at three, having missed the Triple Crown races, he began to perform in the summer. The result was simply stunning – Kelso won 8 times from 9 starts, suffering only one defeat in the “Arlington Classic” – a race that was held on a green track. Among his victories was the “Jockey Club Gold Cup,” where the best older horses were defeated. During his long career, he became the Horse of the Year 5 times. This is an unattainable record, even for perfectly built champions.

10. Winx – The Australian Phenomenon

This is the second representative of the fair sex in our selection. During her long racing career, Winx started 43 times and won 37 times, including 25 in the first group prizes. The total amount of prize money won is also impressive – 26,306,670 Australian dollars. This is a real phenomenon in Australia. As a rule, during the race, this mare kept modestly behind and, on the home straight, literally cut through any rivals like a knife through butter. She is now retired and has produced some outstanding foals that also have great potential.

Honorable Mentions

Of course, not all horses can be included in this list. However, we could not help but mention such great horses as Justify, Black Caviar, and Ruffian. All of them undoubtedly stand out, but they were just a little short of becoming the best. They are all winners of numerous races. For example, Justify is currently one of the last 13 winners of the Triple Crown and has never lost in his career. In addition, new talents are emerging that may join the list of the best of the best in the future.

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Conclusion

All the horses included in this rating have accomplished the impossible. Many of them were underestimated, while others were raised to win from childhood. And yet they have one thing in common: they raised racing to a new level. In addition to records and new standards, they significantly improved the gene pool and brought many excellent offspring. In any case, their names are forever inscribed in the history of racing.

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