Best Racehorses of All Times

yeh he was amazing !!! he died of a foot infection/disease. Well he was put to sleep wen the pain became 2 hard 2 bear!! R.I.P Secretariat xx

Even the superhorse Phar Lap cant compare to Secretariat...shows you just how amazing Big Red was.I think Man O War is the only comparable horse and maybe the Bid or Europes wonder horse Seabird.

Phar Lap. A class above all others. Won Group 1's 1400m - 3200 m. Carried Massive weights that would be banned today.. Smashed America's best with a split hoof while breaking track record, and had never raced on dirt before. Ran againt all the best at age , open classes, any track. Secretariat did not achieve anything like this.

we have a great grandaughter of secretariat! She's with no doubt has the best conformation of all our horses and we have a warmblood!

Guys you keep mentioning times but that is irrelevant because European horses especially in France go a relatively sedate pace for the first part of the race and the race really only takes place in the final two furlongs where as in the States horses tend to run from the off

Secretariat won 16 races, finished 1st a 17th time but was disqualified and placed 2nd, had 2 second place finishes, 1 third place finish and was out of the money only once when he finished fourth in his first race after being "mauled" out of the starting gate by a horse named Quebec. Note, he should have been scracted in two of his losses due to illness. Where did you get your information from - a bubble gum machine???

You know what, I was wrong.....and I'll admit when I am. Sec had 21 starts of which he placed 16 times and won the race outright 3. 16 places is great....although I would have liked to have seen more than 3 wins.....

Come on, Sec only started 16 races and won 3, I don't care how fast he was.....he ONLY WON 3 races.....let's see, 3/16 = 18.75 pct. In my book that shows exactly why this horse is overrated.

Omaha better than Secretariat or Man O'War or Seabird?Come on,thats just silly.I wish people would really think before they vote.

FYI, the PREMIER thoroughbred speed analyst Andrew Beyer did a workup of Secretariat's stats in 2011 using an updated methodology. The results showed an absolutely incomprehensible 139 rating!!!

If you are looking for amazing "sectional" times, look no further than SEC's 23 second (some analysts actually think it was 22-4/5 seconds!) LAST QUATER MILE in the 1-1/4 mile Kentucky Derby to steal the win from Sham. What horse runs a final quater mile in a 1-1/4 mile race in 23 or 22-4/5 seconds, with EACH QUARTER FASTER THAN THE PREVIOUS ONE!!! My friend, you are also SO RIGHT in speaking to SEC's unfathomable burst of speed to go from last to first in the Preakness "3 WIDE" on an extremely sharp Pimilco turn since the track is only 1 mile! NO HORSE EVER could have possibly ran that fast so early in the race andthen "toyed" with Sham the last 1/4 - 1/8 mile being hand ridden! That is why SEC is the greatest horse ever...because he did things on a race track NO OTHER HORSE could accomplish!

I see what youre getting at.A champion horse just does enough to break from the pack and get the win regardless of time.Its a valid point.But this is what Sec did!Amazingly,he was never pushed and never felt the whip!In his greatest race,he was still accelerating.There was more in the tank and still his times are unmatched.Thats why he was the greatest ever!If Belmont doesnt convince you.look again at his Preakness.Came from right at the back,surged to the front in the space of 20 seconds and held it to the finish!A move that early would have finished lessermortals by the 1 mile mark.Hows that for sectional time?

Secretariat holds 1 world record and its on dirt, a surface the MAJORITY of the world don't race on !! Do you think thats the reason it still stands ? Of course it is !! Track records mean NOTHING ! Check the lists of horses who hold track records anywhere and you'll find almost all of them were horses nobody even remembers. A track like Royal Ascot in England, for example, where many big races are run each year, has an uphill run in and therefore the times cannot be compared with most other tracks. A track like Moonee Valley in Australia, where they run the Cox Plate, is a tight turning track and its turf surface is strathayr. This is not conductive to running fast times. Does this mean Frankel, who's currently rated the world's best racehorse, is no good as he's not running fast time at Royal Ascot relative to the world record over the corresponding distance ? Was Sunline, who won in 3 countries, a hack because her 2 Cox Plate winning times were not close to the world record ? Of course not. Times should never be used as an indicator as to the merits of a horses greatness or for that matter when doing the form for the races this weekend. They are a useful indicator in sprint races but as the distances increase times become more irrelevant. Sectional time relative to race tempo is far more important than overall time. I concede times are much more important in the US as most of your tracks are very similar but to the majority of the world they don't mean too much. A champion horse who is a backmarker has no real say in the time it runs if the horses go slow up the front. If the champion horse keeps winning when coming from behind and thus it's finishing sectionals are continually superior, that is the mark of its greatness, more so than the overall times it achieved. Nobody would argue regarding Secretariat being a champion but it's more got to do with the races he won, the opposition he beat, his winning margins and his overall record for most people

So what is your point? Just for the record, Secretariat did RUN 2 turf races in his last 2 wins and his FIRST turf performance resulted in a STILL STANDING 1-1/2 mile track record time of 2:24-4/5 which covers over 140 years! Also, 9 of the official 10 distance records between 1 and 2 miles were recorded on TURF justifying that fast DIRT times are more dfficult to post. The MAIN POINT is that as a 3-year-old, Secretariat posted SIX...I repeat SIX STILL STANDING world or track records in his 12 races. I want you to sit back and think about that statistic...in HALF of his 12 races, he ran the distance faster than any horse has ever run in 100+ years...NO HORSE COMES EVEN CLOSE TO SUCH A FEAT!!! Furthermore, in his last 3 wins as a 3-year old, he absolutely CRUSHED 4, 5 and 6 year-old CHAMPION race horses by 4 - 10 lengths! I certainly am NOT blind to the fact that the European tracks reflect a significant inconsistency in their surfaces and that has to be taken into account, making the comparison between North American and European/Australian/etc. horses a near impossible task. However, in ANY sport, ratings are typically based on STATISTICAL FACTS, and until you or any other genius can come up with a more sophisticated rating scale for ALL world class horses, there can be no more sensible measuring/benchmark tool than the time it takes for a horse to complete his race because we are talking about a "race" for which the winner has posted the fastest time!!!

Nobody else in the world races on dirt !! Not going to say he was not a great champion but the majority of the world races on turf so a distance record on dirt means nothing to anybody outside of the US. Just like everything else, Americans seem to think the world starts on the east coast of US and finishes on the west coast of US. In racing it's called Breeders Cup World Championships, in baseball its called World Series, you call the NBA winner the world champion and the US is the only country (besides Canada) where the teams come from. It's really quite hilarious. Distance records have NOTHING to do with how good a horse was, outside of North America. The most important thing is race record. North American racetracks are basically all the same whereas you will find no two racetracks the same anywhere else in the world. I'm suprised an American track has not been set up into lanes like an athletics track. If you want to continually talk about times then why not ? Every horse can run precisely the same distance and there will be no interference from other horses.

The 1 1/2 mile dirt is a WORLD RECORD not an American record.Turf is faster anyways.Also he still holds the 3 track records of the premier North American racetracks 40 years on.Thats unprecedented.No European horse has a TR 40 years on.His one weakness as I see it was he tended to give up if blocked.But by far and away the greatest horse that ever lived.

His Belmont run was the greatest by any horse of all time.American,Canadian,British,French,you name it.No horse has ever run like that!

Secretariat was unquestionally a champion. I find it hard to fathom how many here call him undoubtedly the best ever and easily no. 1 etc. These so called world records are not world records but rather North American records. The only record that counts is a horse's overall record and longevity should also be highly regarded. Almost all of the world races on turf, not dirt. There are many great champions from other parts of the world who raced as 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 yo etc. Champions who raced left and right handed on different shaped tracks etc. Not trying to knock Secretariat but I certainly don't say he was clearly no. 1 either. Probably No. 1 in USA though. Many great horses from Europe and Australia and now Japan but its a very subjective exercise.

To the individual who boldly stated that Man o' War would have bested Secretariat 9 out of 10 times I would love to hear your logic. Here is my logic: Secretariat's times at EVERY fraction BOTH horses ran absolutely "blow away" Man o' War! Now I do understand Man o' War carried more weight and the tracks were not as sophisticated, but the time differentials are so vastly lopsided it is obvious that Secretariat would have bested Man o' War "at least" 75% of their hypotehetical matches. You are speaking solely to emotion with your zeal obviously blinding you to the truth!

Absolutely incorrect! As a 3 year old, Secretariat "crushed" many 4, 5 & 6 year olds in his last four races by 4 to 10 lengths including Canada's 5 year old horse of the year Kennedy Road (twice SEC blasted Kennedy Road), 4 year-old Riva Ridge who was the prior year's Kentucky Derby/Belmont Champion and still owns the 1-3/16 mile fastest dirt track time, Champion 4 year old TURF horse Tentam who was ranked as the BEST turf horse in North America, and California 6 year-old champion Couger II. These are only a few of the older horses that looked like yearlings next to Secretariat! Regardless, here is the BOTTOM LINE: Secretariat's world class record times prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the aforementioned horses he embarrassed is not even an issue because MANY of his times have not been matched by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, etc. ....year olds! In other words, while SEC DID crush older champion horses, virtually 99.9% of ANY HORSES could not match his record times so what is the difference??? His earth shattering performances would have BESTED ANY HORSE regardless of age with that statement 100% backed up by his world class times!!!!!!

Is it true Secretariat NEVER raced out of restricted grade ? How can he be called the greatest when he never raced against all comers but was rather restricted to races of his own age. Champion 3yo but best ever ? Spare me.

Secretariats records still stand 38 years later. HOY twice. ran Derby in successive 1/4's faster than the last. Single most dominating performances ever witnessed. Won each TC race in a different and in an astounding manner. no horse comes close.

Man O'War would have beaten Secretariat 9 times out of 10.

Overall, secretariat has better race times and lengths than sea bird 2 or any other racehorse in history. Every book you read will spin their wishes wherever they want but the numbers speak for themselves. Of all the racehorses in history there is no other racehorse which has leapt out of the pages as secretariat has. It seems that this horse loved to run more than any other, that and likely he had the love infused around him necessary to run so gloriously.

Like Ali - The Greatest

Secretariat was quite clearly the greatest of all time.Only horse to touch him would be Man O'War or possibly Phar Lap.Seabird was great too but times werent fast enough.His timeform is overblown.Sec definitely first though.No doubts.

i'm surprised big red is not #1.

Everyone needs to sit back and listen to your selves. Its ridiculous how pissed you guys are about which race horse is better. How about this for a change, numbers never lie and you win some, you lose some. But in the end, it comes down to times, age, and well of course a triple crown. That is that, good by.

I've never been to a horse race in my life, nor am I a big fan of the sport. However, I do love sports. Secretariat's romp at the Belmont is easily the finest non-stop 2 1/2 continual minutes in sporting history. Not even Chamberlain's 100 point game compares, as it took him all game. One must remember that on the day of the Belmont, millions of non racing fans from around the world turned on their TV's to see for the 1st time a horse that everybody was talking about. Not only did Secretariat deliver, but he beat the hype from wire to wire. An astonishing display that will be referenced for as long as people talk about horse racing and sport in General. This very well may be the holy grail of sporting records....and it still stands almost 40 years later!

This is so US centric, you need to break this down into differnt distances and surfaces. to say LAmmtarra wa sthe best because he held the course record for the Derby is ludicrous. Just look at Dancing Brave who came from last to first ( almost at epsom. his tiome for the last two furlongs is regarded as the best and quickest finish to that race and then the ground conditions make or break records. undoubtedly the best horse of recent time is See the Stars, won everything with a turn of pace that has startled all before him. can go from the front or coem out f the pack. I would match him against any. Talking of the greatest race horses of all time there is only one...ARKLE..

The experts say Man O'War and Secretariat.Sec has much better times but ran in competitive era with less weight.We can safely say these 2 are the greatest US horses.I like Seabird and Nijinsky for best European.Whos better overrall?Only God knows for sure...but I would say that Sec's Belmont race was the best ever display of power by a horse.

I think Secretariat was amazing and his Belmont win was incredible. But Man O War won a race by 100 lengths. In fact he retired because no one would race him. I am a Man O War fan but the movie about Secretariat gave me a love and appreciation for him. If Disney would make a movie about Man O War, maybe the Sec fans would appreciate him as well. We saw Sec run. We didn't have the privilege to see Man O War run. So it's not right to compare what you saw to what you didn't.

AWESOME points & regarding his illness, SEC detractors FORGET that Man o' War was scracthed from the most prestigious race in America (the Kentucky Derby) because he had a virus, while Ruffian was scrathed from a major stakes race in the fall of 1974 due to a low grade fever. Simply put, horses CANNOT run well when they are ill (didyou ever try going to the gym with a virus/fever???), but Penny & Lauren knew they couldn't scratch SEC because of the 25,000+ people who came out to the track to see him run. Many experts clearly state SEC was mishandled and should have never been beaten. One last thought...how many people realize that SEC's quarter mile fractions in the Kentucky Derby were faster than each preceding fraction, a REMARKABLE accomplishment over a 1-1/4 mile race. To steadily increase your speed from start to finish over that distance should be virtually impossible...who does that! SEC was, indeed, the greatest horse who ever graced a racetrack!

Secretariat holds the STILL STANDING fastest recorded times in the world on dirt all the way from 1 3/16 to 1 5/8 miles in HISTORY and is just 0.2 seconds off the current 1 1/8 mile world record. He NEVER lost a race that was not caused by ill health (x2), unprepared replacement for other horse in long distance race (x1), severe interference (x1) or unfair disqualification (x1). Excluding these factors, he won his remaining 16 races all by handsome margins of multiple lengths, never a photo finish. Under healthy and fair conditions he would beat ANY horse put against him, not by a nose but by a margin of lengths.

Simply the Best ever. When he died, an autopsy revealed a heart over twice the size of his average competitor.

I think that Secretariat is and always will be the greatest racehorse. The only reason he lost the 2 races was the fact that his jockey was just overall bad, and the second time was due to a abscess. If he didn't have that I feel he could have won that race.

Great point and ABSOLUTELY RIGHT ON THE MARK! I find it interesting that Man o' War was scratched for the Kentucky Derby, thus preventing him from being a TC winner. In fairness to MOW he was most likley "under the weather" and appropriately scratched. Unfortunately, Secretariat was NOT scratched for two of his 3 losses as a 3-year old when he was ill and don't believe for one second Tweedy & Lauren didn't know he was far less than 100%. There was NO WAY Sec was being scratched for the Wood Memormial when his recent $6M investors showed up to the race. Secondly, more than $50,000 jammed Sratoga to see Sec run in the Whitney and fever or not, he was going to run. Turcott "begged" Lauren to scratch him but Lauren refused, saying he would put another jockey on Sec if Turcott refused to ride him. Secretariat was a victim of his superior greatness since his owner and trainer assumed his uncanny ability could overcome even illness and sub-par training (Woodward Stakes).

To all those people who keep citing Secretariat's 3 losses at three...he showed those losses were flukes (abscess, illness with fever, last minute sub on the slop while preparing for a turf race a week later), by killing the field and setting a track or world record after each loss - Derby (still standing TR), Marlboro Cup (WR for 1 1/8), MOW Stakes (TR in first race on grass). Secretariat got a virus in the fall of '73 that would have put most horses out for the season - he was therefore below form after the TC races, but still won major races. SUPER HORSE!

Thank you! Finally somebody that knows a bit or two about race horsing. Prove Out was a super and vastly under rated horse. In fact, in most experts eyes, he still reigns as the only horse who legitimately bested Secretariat (Sec's other defeats were related to illness & literally being "mauled" out of the starting gate in his 1st race). True, Sec should have never run in this race because he was training on grass for the Woodward. Regardless, I don't think ANY HORSE could have bested Prove Out that day since his 2:25-4/5 time in the mud was too incredible for even Sec to match! No doubt Secretariat was the greatest horse ever but on that 1973 wet day, Prove Out reigned supreme!

There was nothing "very average" about Prove Out. He had a career plagued by injuries and bad handlers. However, after Allen Jerkens got a hold of him and he was in good health, he showed he go run right up there with the all time greats. In the 1973 Woodward, he whipped Secretariat on a sloppy track that Steve Haskins said "wasn't playing fast at all and turned in the 2nd fastest 1 1/2 mile in history at 2:25.8. He gave up 7 pounds to Secretariat in doing so. A few weeks later, he crushed Secretariat's great stablemate, Riva Ridge, in the 2 mile Jockey Club Gold Cup by 33 lengths in 3:20. The only horse ever to run faster at this distance was Kelso in 3:19.2.

Let's just wait until the Arc before you start singing the praises of SYT. I would like to see how he copes with the devastating finishing kick of the Epsom Derby winner Pour Moi, who will be much better suited to the Longchamps track than he was with Epsom.

I am the individual who posted the tip regarding So You Think at Royal Ascot but was not counting on diabolical tactics employed by the trainer and an equally diabolical ride by Britains 'No 1' jockey in Ryan Moore which had they not have occured would have had SYT winning the race easily. This lends support to a previous posters comment stating that records of horses are tarnished by factors beyond their control that subsequently bring them undone such as pilot error, interference and farcicly paced races. In saying that the top ten horses listed are pretty spot on however, an Australian horse called Carbine mounts a pretty spectacular argument for inclusion... A record equal to and perhaps superior than Phar Lap and was an entire that subsequently excelled at stud. Bit of Aussie pride here if you couldn't tell.

I hope that I did not offend you in any way with my comments, that wasn't my intention. Red Rum's Grand National record as you mentioned in an earlier post will NEVER be equalled let alone beaten. He was without any doubt the most loved racehorse this side of the pond. On the subject of the US. I'm sure I don't need to tell you that the United States,in my humble opinion, is the greatest country on the planet, I really do believe that and I feel I am well qualified to say this as I shall be spending my 10th vacation in your great country next week. All the Americans I have met since 1999 have been friendly,helpful and extremely hospitable and I cannot speak highly enough of them. You also have some of the most wonderful scenery on earth. I fell in love with the USA the very first time I visited the country in 1999 and will never take my vacations anywhere else. My best wishes to you,my friend.

I am prepared to concede that I am not qualified to comment on Red Rum's position as a steeplechaser.I said that it was just my opinion.I do find it bizarre that hes not in the top ten steeplechasers but European racing is very different.HAndicap or not,the horse still has to jump those 40 fences,negotiate the traffic of fallers and unseated horses and time his run to the finish to perfection(jockey).If you Brits say he wasnt one of the best then okay I'll acccept that.He's your horse.Just so you know,Aintree is your most famous race,far more famous to non-UK people than your derby or arc or gold cup.Its watched religiously this side of the pond.

I would concur 100 per cent with the last contributor regarding the undeniable greatness of Secretariat, his race record is beyond dispute. Red Rum, as anyone who knows anything about British National Hunt racing will tell you, was most definitely NOT one of the great steeplechasers to have raced in Britain and Ireland. If Secretariat had won the biggest handicap race in the US on three occasions do you think that he would have been regarded the greatest American racehorse ever? No,of course he wouldn't. But that is what the guy who thinks that Red Rum three Grand National wins in a handicap race amounts to. Please,if you don't know what you are talking about it's best to say nothing at all on the subject, with respect.

To state Secretariat is overrated is ignorant. Obviously racehorses in different countries run different types of races. That being said, anyone with a brain stem who saw his performances in the 1973 Triple Crown races saw BRILLIANCE on the part of this Athlete. He was, and for many will remain, a national treasure. Has any naysayer in this group 'bested' Sec's time at Belmont? Obviously not. His records speak for themselves. He was a phenomenon, with far better manners & dignity than some of the clowns on this discussion. Case closed.

I cant comment further on Red Rum except to say that he did win Aintree 3 times and no other horse will match this.Ever.That is his record like it or not and you can throw all the academia you want at it but the record speaks for itself.Same for Secretariat.His record immediately silences any attempt to take away what is rightly his.We have nothing to fall back on but the record.

I will just give you one example to prove to you that Red Rum WASN'T the best steeplechaser or even one of the best . In the 1973 Grand National Crisp carried top weight of 12 stone (168 pounds) and Red Rum was set to carry 10stone 4 pounds (144pounds) , Crisp was jumping superbly despite his huge weight and it was only in the last few yards that Red Rum managed to pass Crisp to win by just over a length. Now it doesn't take a rocket scientist to conclude that Crisp would have beaten Red Rum if they were both carrying the same weight. Crisp was a very good chaser but by no means one of the best. I can assure you that Red Rum was definitely NOT one of the greatest chasers, but he was much loved by his millions of adoring fans which probably gives people like yourself a misleading impression that he must have been one of the greatest jumpers, which is simply not true.

We're never going to agree which is fine.A top thoroughbred runs maybe 20 races in his race career and has 2 possibly 3 years to shine.What does he leave behind for posterity in this small window?How many wins in 1st class races,how many TC wins,how many TR's,how many WR's?Sure the horse is probably going to have a few off days and get beaten...the judges take account of that.But this is essentially the footprint on time that the horse leaves.Theres nothing else to judge the horse by.If you have a better system let the judges know please. As to Red Rum,I'll say this...his 3 wins and 2 seconds in the MOST DIFFICULT RACE IN THE WORLD in my humble opinion automatically qualify him as one of,if not the greatest jump horse ever.The horse that won 5 Cheltenhams must be up there as well but Id say3 AIntrees > 5 Gold Cups.Championship races or not,the AIntree course is a greater test and so it must carry more weight!!

Clearly I am unable to convince you that the only way to determine one horse's superiority over another is when they race against each other and one or other prevails,which is common sense in anyone's language. Secretariat couldn't break track records every time he raced,nor could he win every race he contentested by 31 lengths, which emphasises the fact that he was not a machine,just flesh and blood. As for Red Rum. You must understand that the Grand National is a unique race,totally different to any other type of jump race. Very few of the top chasers ever contest the race because they would be handicapped with huge weights which would give the others carrying much lower weights a distinct advantage. On a park course, which is any other racetrack in the country, Red Rum's race record was very ordinary indeed. To put that into perspective here is Red Rum's record at Aintree: Ran 5 times, won 3 times and was second twice. Now compare that with his race record on all the other tracks he raced on: Ran 98 times,won 19 placed 36 ,unplaced 42 and he fell once. I think that you will agree that on the balance of his form he was a much better horse when he ran at Aintree than when he ran on other courses. Red Rum was never good enough to contest the championship races such as the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the King George VI Chase. The stark fact is that if the Grand National didn't exist as a race then I'm afraid Red Rum would never have achieved the fame and recognition that he has.

I never said it was easy as 1,2,3 to decipher a horse's record and come up with a rating.Its complex.Very complex.But this is indeed what they do.Head-to-head is impossible for obvious reasons and is in anycase an unsatisfactory way of ajudicating it,if it were possible.eg,SEC ran the 3 greatest races in US history in succession but lost to Onion.Ok,so Onion is better??????No,for obvious reasons they take the overall record.If Lammtarra isnt Europe's greatest horse,then what about Nijinsky.His record was damn good in that he won the TC.It cant be Seabird because saying how effortless and majestic he was JUST DOESNT CUT IT.You have to win the TC and the times must be top notch.Its flat racing for chrissakes!!What else is there except times to indicate greatness!!!!!AS regards Red Rum,true I dont know much about the jumps but I do know he won AIntree a record 3 times.As that is the worlds most difficult jump course,if it were being judged this side of the Atlantic,then he would figure VERY PROMINENTLY.Only common sense.Also he never fell in 100 races,am I right?

No, I'm afraid that Lammtarra wouldn't be Europe's biggest contender as the course record he established when winning the Epsom Derby was bettered last year when Workforce set the new figures. Lammtarra's Prix de l'arc de Triomphe time has also been bettered by others. That is not to say that Lammtarra wasn't the best European racehorse, but that can never be proved.

I understand that you know nothing about National Hunt racing in the British Isles and Ireland, as Red Rum wouldn't make the top 10 of the best steeplechasers of all time and that is FACT, whatever anyone else says to the contrary. As for who was the greatest flat performer of all time, the question is purely academic as there is no conceivable way of proving it. Extrapolations of form, time, records, quality of opposition,winning distances,etc don't count for a hill of beans. The only definitive proof that horse A is superior to horse B is when the two horses race head to head and one or the other prevails. All you are doing in these posts is propounding an unsubstantiated opinion. Please don't misunderstand me , there is nothing wrong with that as long as it is not dogmatically asserted to be a fact.

Of course you judge a horse by its record.The win-lose ratio is not really important but is considered.The number of wins in big races and the margins therein are the next marker.Then the number of track records.And finally the number of world records.Secretariat still has 4 TR's and 1 WR 40 years after retiring.This is unmatched and so he is de facto the greatest of all time.4 TR's(belmont,preakness,derby,marlboro), 3 WR's(1 1/8.1 1/4 ,1 1/2 dirt) with just 1 still remaining (1 1/2 dirt) and largest margin ever in 1st class horserace((31 lengths).MOW had numerous records but of course all broken now.I wouldnt argue with anyone who tied these two for the win but officially SEC is the greatest racehorse of all time.And Seabird?Holds no TR or WR whatsoever and never did.Times and records count for a lot in flat racing.Dont let anyone tell you differently.Lammtarra would be Europe's biggest contender.Its only in the jumps that times dont count.Greatest jump horse must be Red Rum or Arkle but thats not my area so dont quote me.

most australian horses are not that good and not in the same class as european and american horses. there has never been an australian winner of the breeders cup which only goes to prove how poor australian horses are

I bet the guy who said that So You Think would win at Royal Ascot feels an idiot. What a donkey that horse is. Secretariat would have given So You Think 2 furlongs start and still beaten him easily.

You might not like the head to head encounter scenario, but that is the ONLY way that a definitive conclusion to an argument involving two or more racehorses is ever settled. I could say that Secretariat was superior to Man O'War, but how can I possibly prove that assertion. The simply answer is I can't, nor can anyone else.

I dont like the head-to-head analogy one bit.Look at Secretariat being beaten by Onion.Sec had the inside line which he hated.He always ran his best on the outside going wide and clear.If youlook at the race where he gets beaten by Onion,you can see that hes effectively blocked and cant get through.So I dont go with head to head analogies one bit.What if one horse is running a temperature or has an abcess?If my life was at stake I wouldnt take the bet in the above scenario.If it was just money,Id put everything I could afford to lose on Secretariat.

In any hypothetical horse race involving all the great racehorses in the history of thoroughbred racing,few would argue that Secretariat would start favorite. On the balance of his record alone, which includes being in possession of the fastest times in two of the three legs of the Triple Crown, and with very strong claims of having recorded the fastest time in the third leg also,despite an electronic failure in the timing for that race. Secretariat has,rightly in my opinion, been the benchmark by which all other racehorses are judged.

While I am certainly partial to Secretariat, I would also take Sea Bird II, Man o'War or Spectacular Bid. While Sea Bird II only ran 8 races, his performances were virtually effortless, Man o' War's lregacy speaks for itself and Spectacular Bid may be the most under rated horse ever!

What I would say is that Secretariat is in possession of all the requisite attributes if you MUST have one horse to run for you ,if your life depended on it.

I'm NOT so brave! I only meant if you HAD NO CHOICE but to choose a single horse over that distance it would be Secretariat!

All I can say to you,my friend, is that your are a much braver man than I. But then we all possess a certain degree of bravado when there is no likelihood of being put to the test. I suspect that in the event of a real life situation, where your life is on the line, then you might not have the courage of your current convictions.

You make a super point my friend because NOTHING in any sport is a guarantee. Who would have thought that a tiny horse named "Prove-Out could run a 2:25-4/5 second time in the mud over a 1-1/2 mile track (one of the fstest 1-1/2 mile times EVER) and best Secretariat??? To place Prove-Out's time in perspective, Seattle Slew ran a 2:29+ in his Belmont Stakes TC "in the mud" win which means Prove-Out would have bested Slew that day by almost 16 lengths!!! What I am saying is based on your analysis, "if you had a gun to your head" and had to pick a horse to win a 1-1/2 mile run, I think you would go with Secretariat!!! Other than that, no one knows with 100% certainty what would happen.

Let us, for a moment at least, delve into the realms of fantasy and imagine a purely hypothetical situation. Assembled in a World Championship race ,run over a distance of 1mile 4 furlongs , are the following horses: Secretariat, Man O'War, Citation, Phar Lap, Native Dancer, Sea Bird, Ribot, Dancing Brave, Ruffian, Spectacular Bid, Seattle Slew and Dr Fager. My apologies to anyone who feels that other great racehorses should be included in this imaginary race, but I had to draw the line somewhere. Now the question I would like to ask is this: If it was possible to bring these great racehorses together in one race, and if your life depended on selecting the winner of this race, how confident would you be to have one horse running for you with the outcome determining whether you live or die? Personally, I would not even consider it, because I couldn't be 100 per cent certain of the outcome. Yes, I know that this is a totally impossible scenario, but what I have tried to highlight here is the pointlessness of trying to compare one racehorse with another when they are generations apart. Secretariat statistical record is,indeed, superior to any other racehorse,but you cannot dogmatically claim that because he set more records than any other horse,that this automatically means that he would have beaten all the other great racehorses of history in a head to head physical encounter. Because Usain Bolt smashed Michael Johnson's World 200 metres record, and is also the World record holder at 100 metres,does this mean that in a head to head encounter of both these athletes at their peak that Bolt would have beaten Johnson over 200 metres? I,for one, would'nt have been prepared to predict the result.

There is way too much emphasis placed on a horses record, especially considering the myriad of factors that go into a race including: (1) competition, (2) age & related handicaps, (3) Jockey error(s), (4) track surfaces/conditions, etc. Babe Ruth struck out a seemingly countless number of times, Michael Jordan lost baseketball games, Ali and Sugar Ray Robinson lost fights (and they WERE the best, pound for pound at their craft), Sandy Koufax was beaten by inferior teams and the list goes on and on. Yet, as an example, these sports icons will forever be the the benchmark for all to follow at their craft. Secretariat did lose some races and whether you believe there were extraordinary circumstances impacting most of those loses (which there were!) is NOT THE ISSUE. As one of the previous "guests" recently stated, Secretariat's records in the Triple Crown still reign supreme (except the Preakness which was only tied, not broken) almost 40 years later, a virtual unfathomable fact! Are you kidding me...the same horse owning ALL 3 RECORDS! Sec simply did things on a Mile+ surface that reached beyond the assumed limits of a race horse. Bottom line is Secretariat at his finest was " the best of the rest", a sheer running machine that is the closest thing to perfection we will ever see on a race track.

As much as I respect your opinion and, believe me, I do, no amount of statistical data and analysis can compensate for physical confirmation. As a physical encounter is palpably out of the question ,then it is not possible to arrive at an incontrovertible conclusion of one horse's superiority over another. Just to clarify the position of Ali being 8 years older than Foreman. It is a recognized fact of heavyweight boxing that heavyweights do not reach their prime until well into their 30's, so clearly the age factor was not a detrimental factor here. Incidentally Foreman regained the world heavyweight title when he was well into his 40's some 20 years later.

I dont agree.It doesnt allow for variables(eg in your example,Ali was OLDER-8 yrs?- and not in his prime).One day Secretariat loses to Onion or Prove Out and the next day he runs like an equine God.You have to judge the athlete.man or beast,at his best.I mean what if Phelps gets beat at London Olympics?Does that mean he is no longer the greatest swimmer of all time and the gold medallist is?Secretariat has run the THREE greatest races in succession(one of them WR never to be beaten).I think this is enough to make a conclusion without being subjective.I really do.

No, I'm afraid that a horse's record; number of wins against losses and the standard of opposition it defeated and the time comparisons still wouldn't solve the argument. Let me give you a boxing analogy to try and explain the difficulty in going on records instead of face to face encounters. I'm sure that nobody would argue that prior to the "Rumble in the Jungle" George Foreman's boxing record was superior to Muhammad Ali's ( Foreman had annihilated Frazier; Ali found Frazier a real handful. Foreman was unbeaten; Ali had been beaten. Foreman had more knockouts on his record than Ali. Foreman went into the fight with Ali an overwhelming favorite; few people gave Ali much of a chance against the ferocious punching power of Foreman. The rest,as they say,is history. Ali made Foreman look like a complete novice. I stand by what I said in my previous post . Hypothesis is the enemy of reason and logic. It is only when two horses,fighters,athletes, or whatever ,compete against one another can there be an indisputable outcome. Anything else is merely dabbling in the realms of subjective opinion.

Very difficult to judge something like this.A horse can have an off day,a poor jockey,an unlucky line etc so going head-to-head may not be as decisive/fair as you think.The record must be the decider;number of wins vs losses( and the quality of the competition in those wins!) and the times.How else can you do it?You cant confuse greatest with favorite and be emotional about it.

In the final analysis, regarding the argument as to who was the greatest racehorse in the history of thoroughbred racing, the answer is quite obvious to anyone with a reasonable,logical mind; WE WILL NEVER KNOW! All these assertions that Secretariat or Man O'War,or Citation or whoever is the best is nothing more than hypothesis. Only when two or more horses race against each other can an issue of who was the best ever be proved. In the case of the horses that have been mentioned that is evidently impossible. We can all expound our theories that this or that horse was the greatest ,but they are just that,theories. If any horse can be beaten in its racing career then who is to say that he might not have been beaten by one of the horses from an earlier period. You should all keep in mind this undeniable truism of thoroughbred racing: HORSES ARE FLESH AND BLOOD; THEY ARE NOT MACHINES!

I think iconic racing analyst Charles Hatton, who just happened to see BOTH Man o' War and Secretariat said it best..."Secretariat's only point of reference is HIMSELF"...boldly admitting Secretariat was, indeed, the more superior horse than Man o' War. Of course, we will never know for sure since they were both incredible horses. However, when a racing icon such as Hatton who saw BOTH horses run claims Sec was the best horse ever, you can't help but listen!

To the last poster..I think what you say is very very true except for one horse.Big Red.His feats were breathtaking and clearly unrivalled in any era.

Calling Secretariat just a "good" horse is loony.His TC wins are the greatest in American racing.His Belmont run will NEVER be surpassed.Please review your inane remarks.Being unbeaten is a nice accolade but is ultimately immaterial.Zenayatta won19/19 before being beaten..does it make her greatest?Of course not.Man O'War was a legend but still behind Big Red.If we adjust his times for weight/unadventurous trainer/the era he ran in, HES STILL BEHIND BIG RED.Those are the facts.Th only question remaining is there a non-US horse to rival Big Red?My answer is unequivocally NO but Im open to discussion.As an aside,Spectacular Bid would take my vote as 2nd greatest US horse behind Bg Red ahead of MOW.

All I ever hear from you Big Red fans about his defeats are EXCUSES! EXCUSES! and wait for it....more EXCUSES! Bottom line is Secretariat was a good horse but a long way short of being the best. Oh, and by the way , your English grammar leaves a lot to be desired,as does your spelling!

Whoever you are you obviously don;t have a clue about what you are taking about. Do you realize that when Prove Out beat Secretariat he ran an incredible 2:25-4/5 mile and a half in the MUD which is the 3rd or 4th fastest 1-1/2 mile time EVER on a dirt surface (hmmm....I wonder who hold the record at 2:24!!!!). Secretariai was THROWN into that race at the "11th" hour because Riva Ridge couldn't race in the mud and Sec still ran a fantastic 2:26-3/5 second time that would have blown away any of the so called "30 horses" you stated in your prior note...still one of the top 10 fastest 1-1/2 mile dirt times. Regarding Onion, Sec had a 101/102 tempature and should have NEVER raced that day. In fact, Turcott REFUSED to ride him beacuse he was sick but when Lauren threatened to simply find another jockey, Turcott gave in. Please do your homework before making future ludicrous statements! Bottom line is I shouldn't even respond to anyone that says 30 or more horses are better than Secretariat because you are obviously jealous of "Big Red" and your comments are as tainted as your knowledge of race horsing. Sec is the greatest horse ever...PERIOD!!!

There are 30 or more horses on this list who would have left Secretariat trailing in their wake. Are you seriously expecting me to believe that Onion and Prove Out would have beaten Man O'War, Citation, Phar Lap, Ruffian,Spectacular Bid and many,many others too numerous to mention? No, the sad fact is that all you Big Red fans are wearing hoods. I suggest you take them off and take a look at the real world and not the fantasy world you all live in.

Oh and just in case anyone asks who Lammtarra is , just take a look at him winning the Epsom Derby on his first run of the season ( second run ever ) not only winning going away , but broke the course record ,then won the King George at Royal Ascot and finished off by winning the Arc the hard way , from the front.

Love to have seen him race against Lammtarra at Epsom . Im sure it would have been a very close race

Definitely America's greatest horse of all time but was he better than Europe's best?how do you measure that?Is there a world rating?

There are lots of these lists on the internet and the three names that come up time and time again are Secretariat,Man O'War and Seabird.Personally,I believe the top 20 in history are all interchangeable...you cant pick one.

Well said. Very subjective indeed. However, what we do know is there are several races Secretariat ran in that NO HORSE EVER could have possibly beaten him. Races such as his Kentucky Derby (1:59-2/5 record running WIDE through the entire race!), Marlboro Cup (1:45 in change and GALLUPING to a tie of Spectacular Bid's 1-1/4 mile world record of 1:57-4/5...ridiculous!), and the iconic Belmont Stakes he was unbeatable. It simply cannot be a coincidence that he still owns ALL 3 Triple Crown records (including an unoffiial tie in the Preakness due to a clock malfunction), and still world record owner of the 1-1/2 mile dirt time by a FULL SECOND or 5 lengths!!!! It is unfathomable that a horse can maintain such records overa nearly 40 year period, and that my friends is the true measure of "greatness". Any horse can have a super wining record if they are racing against sub-par competition , but "THE RECORD TIMES DON'T LIE"!

As with most things in life we all have our different opinions and arefully entitled to express them. What many people are forgetting is that the opinions expressed about ALL the horses on this forum are just that opinions. There never can be an authoritative statement that this horse is better than that horse because they can never race against each other. No one can categorically claim that Secretariat would definitely have beaten Man O'War or Sea Bird would have beaten Ribot. I base this on the fact that Secretariat was beaten as was Man O'War so too Sea Bird. We should all of us accept that thoroughbred history on both sides of the Atlantic and Australasia has produced great racehorses and just be grateful that we have been privileged to have witnessed the exploits of those equine marvels.

I wish people would vote responsibly but having said that I think Secretariat is positioned about right.ie a good two lengths clear of his nearest rival so I suppose alls well that ends well.The people who really annoy me are those that claim hes over-rated as it flies in the face of reason.

I totally agree with the last contributor. This has now become a complete farce ,and all those people who have added their honest appraisals of the horses on this forum must be extremely annoyed at the way the mischief makers have spoiled things. To those responsible I will just say this: Grow up and start behaving like mature adults!

Greatest racehorse by a mile.Beaten 4 times?Dont care.You dont have to be unbeaten to be the greatest.Kincsem would have the title if that were the case.His Belmont run is the most superlative demonstration of equine power that theres ever been or ever will be.God's mount.

Hope you are right about So You Think. He was really impressive in Ireland when he won by 10 lengths. Might risk a £50 ante post bet on him for Royal Ascot.

Has Rewilding, among others, to beat at Ascot.

A ludicrous exercise trying to rate turf horses over dirt horses and vice versa. They may as well be two different species. Here's a tip for the punters... So You Think in the Prince of Wales stakes at Royal Ascot. One that will be on future turf lists as one of the greats.

I love Secretariat.I watched the movie.I cant bellieve how unpopular Shan is now caus eof Secretariat!Now Secretariat is #1

Great horse indeed! But never as good as Sea bird. The Belmont stakes our the kentucky Derby are never as prestigious races as L'arc the thriomphe or King George VI and Queen Elisabeth stakes. America is just not as prestigious as Europe and the horses that Europe had were just a lot better (Montjeu, Hurricane run, seabird, ribot, sea the stars, zarkava, Shawanda, ... )

Lochroe, I don't think so. Like DK46 said, it was Sec's natural build that (probably) would not offset him as a 4-5 year old. He was just a natural beast of a horse. We will never know for sure but it sure would have been nice to see Sec run as a 4-5 year old.

Isn't it possible, even probable, Dannykeith46, that Secretariat would never have been better than he was at three years? Not that that makes him other than one of the all-time greats.

I'm British and must concede that Secretariat was the greatest of all time.He ran from the back,toyed with the competition and was never ridden on yet still holds all 3 TC track records and the WR for 1 1/2.No horse,not even the effortless Seabird,compares.The bravest horse of all time was Red Rum.

To "Lochroe" - Well said and typically you would be correct but NOT with Secretariat. Keep in mind that people fail to realize "Sec" was roughly 50 - 100 lbs heavier than most race horses, topping scales at 1,100 lbs (his saddle size was exraordinary)! Most horses would have been considered overweight and/or "ot of shape" but "Sec's" extra weight was pure muscle and part of his "one of a kind" mystique. Virtually every expert agreed that extra weight would not have affected "Sec" at all because of his unique structure/build, and that 6 - 8 extra lbs would NOT have been nearly enough to negatively offset his STRONGER structure typically asscoiated with a 4 year old (I'm sure that 22 lb heart would not have hurt, either!). Trust me...at 4 Secretariat would have set unfathomable track records, and if you think the Belmont Stakes was special, I can't even fantasize what he might have done racing as a 4/5 year old. Regardless, as the old saying goes, "it is what it is" and all of these discussions only amount to pure conjecture. Happy horse rooting!

I don't argue with Dannykeith46 about Secretariat's prodigious ability, but it is wrong to assume that he would have maintained his superiority over his peers had he raced as a four-year-old. The weight for age scale indicates that horses ON AVERAGE improve about 6lb between the date of Secretariat's last race and the start of the following season, but some horses do not make the expected improvement, while others make much more. Very often, the champion three-year-olds are simply the most precocious of their age, which is why I reserve the ultimate accolade for the animal proving himself best when he and all his contemporaries race one another when they are fully mature.

Dead on - the greatest horse of all time by a mile.

Someone wants to say he wasnt a great horse, the best, really. Secretariat tore up the Belmont Stakes. He finished at what 31-32 Lengths. The reason Secretariat didn't win a couple was because he was sick. Another he was disqualified for a absolutley rediculous reason. But how could you POSSIBLY call this legendary horse overrated. I meat he won by o whopping 21 lengths, he was kicking butt. WAS AND IS the best racehorse. I can't believe this is even being argued over

you people think you know a lot about horse racing yes Secratariat may have lost 4 races but if you think about it he did win the triple crown im just sayin

Jeepster by his own admission is a wind-up merchant, but even a wind-up merchant ought to know that Phar Lap was a New Zealand-bred who raced exclusively in Australia. And he should be able to spell Lasix correctly.

Yeah secretariat is the bomb the other horses you mentioned besides man. War I haven't heard of pry cause I don't follow horse racing or car to but like I said I don't follow the racing and still know how kickass secretariat was

I think secretariat should be 1st!

Apology not even necessary but sincerely appreciated! I find it truely amazing that us race horse attics can get so attached to these wonderful animals to the point of going to unending limits of battle for the ones we truely admire and love. Your passion for Se Bird speaks for itself and is an endearing quality that every horse enthusiast should be blessed with...bottom line is: may these "who's #1" arguments and horse racing itself echo for eternity!!! Best Regards to all!!!

I hadn't logged in when I submitted the above post and that is why it appears as being by a guest.

I apologise unreservedly Dannykeith46 and must confess that I have been winding you up a bit in these posts. I totally agree with you. Secretariat,of course, was a truly phenomenal racehorse and unquestionably one of the all time greats,that is beyond dispute. Sea Bird, Man O' War, Phar Lap, Citation, Ribot and many others belong to that select group that can all be bracketed in the same class. Once again my sincere apologies to you and I extend my very best wishes to you .

And if SeaBird raced against "Big Red" at Belmont on June 9, 1973 he would be crossing the finish line just about now! Seriously though, the sad thing is I KNOW SeaBird was an incredible horse and undoubtedly one of the greatest. Regarding the greatest horse ever, it is SO subjective but radical comments such as yours are TOTALLY uncalled for. Secertariat was a perfect creature and has NEVER been seriously accused of taking performance enhancing drugs in the mainstream. To attack "Sec" like that only proves your undeniable fear of his iconic stature. I will not lower myself to your level anymore by responding to anymore of your $#@%$#, but end in saying BOTH "Sec" and Sea Bird were awesome and truely super horses!

You should take those blinkers off ,Danny boy, and take a clear look at the real world!

Dannykeith46,are you seriously claiming that Secretariat DIDN'T race without the aid of Lasics in his system,because if you are then you you are a bigger fool than I thought. It is common knowledge that Secretariat raced quite regularly with the aid of this drug, which would have got him banned from appearing on a European racetrack where racehorses only race on their merit. As for Secretariat beating Sea Bird ,yeh sure he would have. WITH A FURLONG START! There have been far better horses in the US than Secretariat, Man O' War, Phar Lap and Ruffian to name three. Get real Danny boy.

Hey Jeepster...why don't you engage your brain before you engear your mouth!!! Secretariat NEVER took enhancement related drugs and was simply the BEST EVER on his OWN merit. You should be ashamed of yourself for even insinuating such a ludicrous statement. Just because "Big Red" would have kicked SeaBird's Ass on ANY Europeon surface doesn't give you the right to make false statements. Jealousy is a tough thing and I pity you for having to deal with the fact that SeaBird, or any other horse for that matter, would have gotten a great look a Secretariat's rear end at most finish lines. Please spare the racing horse community any more far fetched statements..."Big Red" was simply a "once in a lifetime" horse and you know it!

I doubt if Secretariat would have been the same horse if he had raced on merit instead of being pumped full of drugs such as Lasics,etc. One thing is absolutely certain he would not have been allowed on a European racetrack with all those performance enhancing drugs in his system. Epsom racetrack would definitely have found him out with its rollercoaster undulations.

"I certainly don't subscribe to all the hype that Secretariat was greatest racehorse ever. He lost 4 of his 16 races and two of those losses were to very average horses in Prove Out and Onion. In my opinion Man O' War, Citation, Phar Lap and from Europe Sea Bird II and Ribot were better." i have no idea where this guy gets his facts...secretariat ran in 21 races not 16. he also finished in the money in 20 of those 21 races, winning 16. note the belmont by 31 lengths....not only that but one of his colts Canadian Bound set a record for sale of a yearling a 1.5 million dollars. so before you comment do your homework instead of talking out of your ASS!!!

Please relax with your "hyped to the max comment". Secretariat would beat ANY horse ANYWHERE...ANYTIME...when he was 100%. In fact, regarding your turf statement, that is absolutely ridiculous since he easily won his only 2 turf races (his last two races) with Lucien Lauren and other racing experts insisting he would have been even better on a turf surface. I don't think anyone can say who is the greatest race horse for sure, but undoubtedly Secretariat belongs on the list of potential candidates. To say he couldn't race with Europeaon horses on turf is absurd and consider how good he would have been as a 4 year old since, anatomically, Horses are far superior at 4 vs. 3! Unfortunately, due to his $6M syndication we were denied of the potential world records he would have continued to set as a 4 year old INCLUDING turf races. Why do you think Arcaro called him the best he ever saw...you are talking about the opinion of the jockey who rode CITATION...I do believe that says it all!!!

Great Horse, fantastic few races but over hyped to the max, never travelled only ever raced in the states, cant be considered the best race horse ever over the back of a few wins and a few records... many many many horses of same calibre and better over much more distances. He never retired an unbeaten horse, I have no doubt he wouldnt have lived with the european horses of the time on the turf...

Bull, Sea Bird II is the best horse of all time. His derby win was outstanding! He crused up and won with a tonne in hand. Secretariat can't hold a candle to this god of horses.

Anyone who can possibly state that Secretariat is over rated should not be part of this discussion and ste0 aside from further racehorsing analysis. Are you kidding me!!!! SEC did things on a racetrack that NO other horse EVER could posssibly match. Regarding his 4 losses (REMEMBER, one loss he did win but was disqualified for a ridiculous technicality), he was sick in 2 of those and should have NEVER run. Also, do you realize that in his other loss in the woodward stakes, Prove Out ran the 1-1/2 mile race in less than 2:26, one of the few horses ever to accomplish that feat on a dirt track....hmmm...I wonder who still holds the world record at 2:24 in the Belmont Stakes!!!! Do you also know that when SEC set the 1-1/8 mile record in the Marlboro Cup he GALLOPED to an unfathomable 1:57-4/5 mile and a quarter time....only a few fifths of a second from Spectacular Bid's world record mark....that is correct...after a 1/8 of a mile gallup!!!!!! The few racing analysts who saw Man o' War and Sec including the iconic Charles Hatton agree that Sec was the greatest horse ever. Even Eddie Arcaro who rode Citation gives the nod to Sec but then again, what does Arcaro know??? For all of you deadbeats who continue to consider Secretariat over rated, your opinions are, by far, the most shortsighted claims I have ever seen in any sports related discussion and an embarassment to both this forum and the racing industry. True, the title of "greatest ever" is very subjective and horses such as Man o'War, Citation, Count Fleet, Spectacular Bid, Seattle Slew Kelso, Ruffian, etc. could all be argubale choices. But the fact remains when Secretariat was right and at PEAK VALUE, he could do things on a racing tack far beyond the capabilty of virtually any other horse. Simply put, I pity those who would even consider the remote possiblity of calling him over rated and suggest you remain completely anonymous to avoid the utmost embarrassment of your peers!!!!!!

Overrated? Wow, if you can't see how amazing his Belmont stakes was then you're obviously blind. "The great American racehorses are all vastly overrated" and what exactly makes Euro horses better? Turf and dirt are two very different surfaces and this horse could run on both... impressively at that!

Absolutely one of the best! He lost his first start bumped around and ill ridden. He was moved from first to second for a jockey error. He had an unknown abcess once and a fever and infection twice in losing efforts. Check his times for the same distances and against virtually the same horses and distances when fit and well. Not too difficult to ascertain if fairly done. His times speak for themselves and even aging horsemen who saw all the greatest horses suggest strongly that Secretariat was the greatest horse ever seen.

Hello? Did anyone even watch his Belmont run? He won by like 32 lengths!! There should be no doubting that he was one of the greatest! That horse was one of a kind and not at all overrated. There will never be any matching to him. Perhaps Seattle Slew but that can be debatable.

The great American racehorses are all vastly overrated, none more so than this one. His 22lb heart would have exploded had he tried his hand in a average handicap at Epsom let alone the Derby itself.

Amazing horse won the belmont stakes by 31 lengths and set a record there and at the kentucky derby. no horse ever come close. he was fast not to mention beautiful. And in case you people didnt know he was more than just some horse his heart weighed 22 pounds which exlpains how he can run at such a fast pace for so long. Too bad he died at 19 his life was just beginning...

Most over rated horse ever lost 2 of his last 3 races on dirt to average horses,there are far better horses than Sec

Most overrated horse ever !!

Prove out was no "ORDINARY HORSE" look him up... If horses have a god his name is "Secretariat"...It's not just the record time but the way he ran those races,five wide in the first turn,3 wide in second?

I certainly don't subscribe to all the hype that Secretariat was greatest racehorse ever. He lost 4 of his 16 races and two of those losses were to very average horses in Prove Out and Onion. In my opinion Man O' War, Citation, Phar Lap and from Europe Sea Bird II and Ribot were better.

Truly great horse ,there's absolutely no doubt about that.

From the sublime to the ridiculous. Omaha's supporters just might have seen him. Those of Eclipse, who raced from 1769 to 1771, haven't seen even photographs of him. Anyway, to name him "the maker of all the thoroughbreds..." is clearly inaccurate. Eclipse comes from the line of the Darley Arabian, who, with the Godolphin Arab and the Byerley Turk, were brought from the Middle East around four centuries ago and were mated with the colder blooded horses of Europe to found the modern Thoroughbred. What any of that has to do with this discussion, however, is difficult to imagine.

eclipse, the horse that no one has mentioned is the maker of all the thoroughbreds all of you have mentioned and won every race he ran. which was 18 races. he was the first horse to be known to have a masive heart and ritiered to the stud because people were afraid to put there horses against him. i am sorry, everyone has a valid point but eclipse is the clear winner. if you dont beleive me then look him up on "thoroughbred hertiage" in google.

i think you should look at some of the irish trained horses , flat racing and national hunt . sea the stars ,shergar , arkle , istabraq need i say more

I have returned to this site some six months after giving up on it because common sense and logic had been removed from it. And what do I find? The discussion has been taken over by some of the oldest racing enthusiasts in existence. Omaha won his Triple Crown in 1935. If we say the age of reason is reached at 21 years, that means that his supporters are approaching their hundredth birthdays. All I can do is congratulate them on their exceptional powers of recollection.

No, anyone who knows even a little about pedigree and performance would eliminate this from top ten consideration.

Yes Omaha. Anyone who knows anything about horses would agree with Omaha's position!!

Omaha ??? come on. Secretariat and Man o war, 1-2 all the others are way behind them. This is silly

Burst from the gate....smooth in stride.....strong at finish. A complete horse at any length. 'Nuff said.

Absolutely agree with that. Sea Bird won all his races without any artificial aids. He was easily the greatest race horse there has ever been.

No,I'm talking about a truly great racehorse called Sea Bird II, not that hyped up ,pumped up, doped up US animal. If Secretariat had been born in Europe I doubt if he would ever have seen a racecourse. They don't allow horses to race in Europe when they are pumped full of performance-enhancing drugs.

Interesting statement because a better race horse named Secretariat ran at Belmont Park, Churchill Downs, Pimlico, Woodbine Canada and Aqueduct and last I checked these race tracks exist on planet Earth!

If there was ever a better racehorse than Sea Bird then he never ran on a racecourse on this planet.

Sea Bird II was truly a racehorse made in heaven, an equine superstar. Even though Sea Bird was such a highly- strung racehorse, he was still far and away the greatest racehorse that ever saw a racetrack. Due to his highly-strung nature he wasn't an easy horse to keep in training, and the fact that his trainer, Etienne Pollet, was able to produce him fit to race was testament to the genius of this Frenchman. I am absolutely convinced that Sea Bird was easily the greatest racehorse of all time, and nothing and no-one will ever convince me otherwise.

Top class racehorse, probably the greatest thoroughbred ever seen on a racetrack anywhere in the world. Never be another like him , he was unique.

The greatest racehorse ever. No argument.

A ranking of the greatest race horses in history is obviously based on quality not quantity. Sea Bird may have raced only 8 times and was beaten once, but if you look at the quality of his wins in the The Derby Stakes and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe there is no doubting his claim to being the greatest race horse ever. We laymen can bicker endlessly about this, but read the book A Century of Champions by Tony Morris and John Randall. This book is the best attempt at ranking the best race horses in the 20th Century in the world. Written by two experts their opinions carry far more weight than ours. You will not agree with the placings of certain horses relative to others, but you cannot dispute their reasoning.

THE BEST OF THE BEST AS FAR AS I AM CONCENED.

Sea Bird was the only racehorse to send shivers up and down my spine every time I saw him race. Johnny Tillotson had Sea Bird in mind when he sang "Poetry In Motion"

There has never been a horse to compare with Sea Bird II and there never will be.

Seen all the great racehorses in my long life,I'm 77, and there have been some fantastic memories amongst them. If I had to single out ONE special memory then it would have to be the incomparable Sea Bird winning the 1965 Arc. To me, personally , nothing can compare with that performance, it was simply mindblowing. He was the greatest racehorse I have ever seen,that's for sure.

For me, personally, there is absolutely no doubt that Sea Bird II was the best racehorse of all time. Each of his wins as a three year- old was achieved with such incredible ease that you got the distinct impression that he was only performing at half speed. I am convinced beyond any doubt that if Pat Glennon had asked him a serious question in any of his races then we would have witnessed something really special.

I have never witnessed a better racehorse than Sea Bird, and I have been involved in horse racing for better than 50 years. With each year that passes I hope to see another champion to compare with the great Sea Bird but I guess I should resign myself to the fact that Sea Bird was unique and that there will never be another one like him.

I can remember Sea Bird winning the Epsom Derby and the Prix de l'arc de Triomphe in 1965 as if it was yesterday. You never forget an experience like the two wins Sea Bird achieved in those prestigious races,which is now fast approaching almost 50 years ago. The thing I remember most about Sea Bird's victories was just how effortless and majestic they were. He had such a silky smooth action,it was a delight to watch him race. I have been privileged during my life to have seen two of the greatest racehorses of all time ,Sea Bird II and Arkle and I consider myself extremely fortunate indeed to have been around at the time they raced.

it not easy judgeing who is the greatest horse of all time. many people have different opinions we can not all agree. for me it is big red and then phar lap and maybe man o war in third position but that is just one persons opinions. no one can agree all the time. some good horses race over in europe but i do not know much about them only when they come to america for the bc races.

By the same token I think Secretariat was brilliant but Sea Bird II was better.

Seabird was very good but cant be compared to Secretariat.

Whilst I am Sea Bird's number one fan, he really was the best racehorse that I have ever seen in action, I must agree that Secretariat was a truly fantastic racehorse. His record alone stands up to the closest inspection and the times he posted in his Triple Crown victories in 1973 still stand today,38 years later. Love him or hate him, any fair minded racing fan must admit that Secretariat is one of the greatest racehorses of all time.

In my opinion the following European horses stand ahead of the rest - Ribot, Sea Bird II, Nijinsky, Mill Reef, Brigadier Gerard, Shergar, and Dancing Brave. They all won either the King George or the Arc (being the top two WFA races in Europe) in authorative performances with Ribot, Mill Reef, and Dancing Brace winning both. Sea Bird II's win in the Arc of 1965 was the most impressive in this race beating a top class field, which obviously had a major impact on him being award Timeform's top rating. While it is extremely difficult to say, which one horse is the greatest I would rate Brigadier Gerard the most complete horse of this elite group. He won 9 WFA races over 2 seasons ranging in distance from 1600m to 2400m.

Bigred, while Secretariat's Belmost was amazing maybe you should check out Deep Impact's effort in the 3200m Tenno Sho in 2006 running 3:13.4. Equally as impressive.

Sea Bird II was indeed a spectacular race horse, but you might want to take 2 minutes and 24 seconds out of your schedule in the near future and watch a tape of Secretariat's Belmont Stakes run if you are truely attempting to witness perfection. What Secretrait accomplished on that historic day was to stretch the physical limits of what an equine champion should be able to accomplish. Simply stated his performance was supernatural which is why only a single horse has been able to get within 5 lengths of his time after 140+ years of racing. This is no knock whatsoever on Sea Bird II or any other world-wide horse. My sole point is that Sec's Belmont run could NEVER be matched by any horse, anywhere, anytime!

How can you improve on perfection? And for me,personally, Sea Bird II was the epitome of equine excellence. I can only give a totally biased opinion of this spectacular racehorse, which is to say that I have never seen a better thoroughbred in action than this horseracing superstar.

1965 was a great year because not only was Sea Bird II the best flat horse in the world,but Arkle was also proving that he was the greatest steeplechaser there has ever been. We will never again see two horses who were so superior to every other racing at the same time.

Best racehorse I ever saw. All the superlatives in the English dictionary wouldn't do justice to this brilliant horse's ability. He was unique, and there will never be another like him,certainly not in my lifetime anyway.

I have to say that Sea Bird was,without a doubt, the finest racehorse I ever saw run. All his wins were achieved with the minimum of effort and he never seemed to be out of a canter. Apparently he was a very difficult horse to train as he was such a nervous type. His jockey Pat Glennon who was Australian , was on record as saying that he never got to the bottom of Sea Bird's ability as he never had to ask him a serious question in any of his races.

They broke the mould when this horse was born,he was the pre-eminent European racehorse of the twentieth century and along with the great Italian champion stands head and shoulders above all the rest. I'm not familiar with the American horseracing scene so it would be pointless of me to make any comments about any of the racehorses from that country, although I'm sure there have been some great thoroughbreds from that country too, particularly Secretariat and Man O'War.

Anyone who witnessed Sea Bird's rout of the Derby and Arc fields in 1965 would be in no doubt of this horses's claims to be one of the greatest racehorses of all time. I know that I have never seen a better performance by a racehorse anywhere in the world, and probably never will again.

I cannot write about the great horses like some of you guys but I thinke I know a good horse one I see one. Arkle was great so was Mill Reef and Nijinski and Shergar. I also think that Sec Man O'War and Spectacular Bid are fantastic horses. Sea Bird was awesome so was Ribot They are all brilliant and I have seen them all on Youtube.

Just watched this horse on YouTube winning the English Derby and the big European race they call the Arc. No escaping the fact that Sea Bird was a great horse after what he did to the opposition in those two races way back when. I'm no too sure if he would have beaten Secretariat though. I don't know much about record breaking race times on European tracks,but as far as I know Sea Bird didn't break any track records whereas Big Red did and still holds some of them nearly 40 years on.

Pour Moi has just won the Epsom Derby and is the first French horse to have done so since Empery in1976. But without a doubt the best French horse ever was Sea Bird II who won the Epsom Derby in 1965. It is always difficult to compare great horses and probably unfair. This website contains the names of many truly great racehorses from all over the world and most of them deserve to be included here. I can only speak for myself, but I have to say that the best that I have ever seen was Sea Bird II. I don't think that I shall ever see a racehorse as brilliant as him again.

I was lucky enough to see him win the Derby in 1965. Wow, I could not beleieve how easily he sprinted past Sunacelli and Niksar in the straight and he made it look so effortless. I saw him win the Arc on television and he was never off the bridle to beat the previously unbeaten French Derby winner Reliance II and a star-studded field that included five Derby winners and is generally regarded as the best field ever assembled for the Prix de l'arc de Triomphe. Sea Bird II was a very special racehorse.

A silky smooth action and a truly scintillating turn of foot that took him past horses as if they were standing still. Someone once said that watching Sea Bird in action was just like a red hot knife going through butter.

As far as I am concerned Sea Bird was by far the greatest racehorse I have ever seen. Won the Derby and Arc with imperious authority over a truly world class field. Never be another racehorse like him.

There can be little doubt that Sea Bird, Ribot, Dancing Brave ,Nijinsky and Vaguely Noble were the best racehorses to appear on European racetracks in the Twentieth Century.

Without a doubt one of the supreme thoroughbreds of all time despite the fact that he was a bundle of nerves whenever he raced. For such a highly-strung animal to perform with such brilliance is a true testament to the calibre of Sea Bird's undoubted greatness.

Please STOP using the "tough" Epsom 1-1/2 mile course vs. an oval dirt track as your selling point for Sea Bird II vs. Secretariat...it is an embarassing stance. Are you seriously telling me that a tougher turf course would make up 13.5 seconds or 67.5 lengths when comparing Sea Bird's Epsom to Sec's Belmont!!! Secondly, I am NOT disputing Epsom as a tougher course but the tougher course is somewhat offset by the fact that it IS turf which ADDS time to a race horse's fractions. Substantiating that fact is EVERY World Record distance has indeed been performed on turf! If Sea Bird had raced against Secretariat at Belmont on June 9, 1973, there is NO POSSIBLE way he would have kept up with "Big Red" and would have been demoished like the rest of the field. That is simply FACT...and EVERYONE of you Europeon enthusiasts have to realize it is NOT JUST an OPINION!!!! NO horse EVER has come within 5 lengths of Sec's 2:24 time and don't hold your breath for that to happen in the near future. Sea Bird was great...absolutely no doubt about it but please stop comparing him to Secretariat,...it borders on insanity!!!

You are perfectly entitled to your opinion about the ability of Secretariat to handle Epsom and other courses,but there is absolutely NO DOUBT that some European courses are tougher to handle than US courses, that cannot be disputed. Obviously a twisting, turning ,rollercoaster course like Epsom is tougher to negotiate than a flat course, as all US courses are to my knowledge. Chester, the oldest racecourse in the world, is a flat course, but is extremely tight, and calls for the more nippy type of animal. No, I cannot accept your assertion that some,not all,European racetracks are not a tougher test than US tracks. How on earth can you state categorically that Secretariat would have had no problem coping with a track such as Epsom , when you have no way of proving it?

Great horse and justifiably in top 5 of all tme but at the end of the day his times in derby and arc werent all that spectacular(a good ten + secs off am I right?).And I dont agree that Euro courses are a tougher test.Secretariat would have run up and down those sloping hills of epsom without any problem.His heart was 22lbs.He was the most powerful and fastest horse of all time.

The Race course in prix de L'arc de Thriomphe is just a lot more difficult the the American surface! The races in europe are so much prestigious and off course Secreteriat was a great horse, but he could never reach the greatness of Sea bird II !!

Seriously, how can you compare times returned on flat oval artificial surfaces like those in the States with those on Europe's widely varied turf tracks? Epsom's Derby course, for instance, rises steadily, with a slight bend, to about halfway then turns left and swoops steeply downhill before turning left again into the heavily cambered straight. Then, when the runners are tired, they are asked to climb the last half-furlong. I'm not saying that makes Epsom a great racecourse. On the contrary. But that's how it is.

No doubt about it,the greatest racehorse of all time. Would make all those American horses look like seaside donkeys!

I have read on more than a couple discussion boards that Sea Bird II is the best thoroughbred of the 20th century. And this board rates him as #2. Are you kidding me? Where did this idea come from? Sea Bird II only ran 8 races, and the two races his fans cite to establish his "greatness" are the 1965 Prix de l'arc De Triomphe (won in 2:35.5) and 1965 Epsom Derby (won in 2:38.5). Both races are the same length that the Kentucky Derby was run prior to 1896. Let's for a moment not even talk about Sea Bird II's North American peers, but compare him to the Kentucky Derby champions from 1875-1895. Aristides in 1875 actually beat Sea Bird II's time for 1-1/2 miles in the Epsom Derby!!!! 10 other American horses over that period also bested Sea Bird II's time in the Epsom!!!! Now let's talk about Sea Bird's peers. Secretariat raced only 8 years after Sea Bird retired and set a world record of 2:24 for 1 1/2 miles. When you look at the list of world records for thoroughbreds at all the various distances, several are still on the books from the late 1950's through the 1960's, and the best decade was actually the 1980's. So Sea Bird II was arguably racing during the 20 years that represented the pinnacle of thoroughbred racing. Sea Bird II's 2:35 in the Prix de l'arc De Triomphe was said to be against a stellar field of champions - an "awesome", "overwhelming" victory. Well, if Secretariat had been racing that day and was anywhere close to the form he displayed at the Belmont in 1973, he would have beaten Sea Bird II by over 50 lengths!!!! The 31 length victory over Sham in the Belmont would have looked like a warm-up compared to how he would have annihilated this European "champion". So please, folks, let's face the facts and compare horses that really deserve comparison. Sea Bird II would not even make the top 50 horses in my list.

Obviously the best European horse. Secretariart was the best in America. These horses shouldn't be compared. I know who I like best, and Sea Bird fans know who they love

Secretariat is the greatest American racehorse, and Sea Bird ii is the greatest European racehose.

The best there's ever been. End of argument.

I'm lucky (and old) enough to have seen Secretariat and Sea Bird race in the flesh. I loved watching Secretariat and was thrilled by him. But US racing is a rather sterile affair. The same anti-clockwise time trial day after day. Then I think of Sea Bird. I honestly believe this horse never broke sweat. Was he ever off the bit? Was he ever out of a canter?? We only ever saw the tip of the iceberg with Sea bird, but that was all he needed. Sea Bird was perfection.

Sea Bird II never raced against the best in the wolrd. Never set records like Secretariat. He would never come close to any of Big Red feats especially the triple crown ones.

I totally agree with the assessment of this brilliant racehorse. Sea Bird is generally regarded as the 'Champion of Champions' by many racing experts and I, for one, wouldn't argue with that.

Actually, Sylvestor Veitch called Man o' War better. Read comments from articles on Secretariat in The DRF and you will find old time horsemen who called Man o' War better. True, not many were quoted at the time, but I can give you a list of MANY who called Citation better than Secretariat, including Phil Georgeff, Tommy Trotter, Elmer Polzin, Warren Brown, and Peter Winnants. And Man o' War was nearly universally acknowledged as the better horse by those who saw both him and Cy. I have personally asked Ed Bowen this question, and he said not many experts who saw both were searched out, but he was sure many felt that way. That arguement just doesn't hold up.

Nice try but VIRTUALLY EVERY great American racing anlyst who saw Man o' War and Secettariat race stated that Secretariat was, indeed, the greater horse INCLUDING the iconic Charles Hatton and Hollie Hughes. Alos, please don't mention Sir Barton as your defense beacuse he was "crawling" halfway to his grave when he raced against MOW. You can "spin it" all you want but Secretariat was the faster horse...case closed!

Don't even TRY to call Secretariat greater than Man o' War based on times. Tracks are 2 seconds faster today through the mile; even faster after that. MOW also ran on steel shoes, which were inferior to the aluminum shoes in Sec's day, and had to contend with the inferior nutrition of the day. Adjust MOW’s times 2-4 seconds (depending on distance) and most of them are better than Sec's. Plus, MOW did this carrying more weight (Let's see what Sec would do with 138 pounds: he never carried more than 124.) MOW set more records than Sec, by bigger margins than Sec, some of which stood longer than Sec's, despite the improvements in track conditions which have not significantly improved since Sec's time. Yes, Sec beat more older horses, including Riva Ridge. But MOW beat Sir Barton, who was better than all of them according to The Blood Horse. And he did this by seven lengths with a bowed tendon and a thrown shoe. This is according to Dorothy Ours' biography. MOW didn't race in the Kentucky Derby because Sam Riddle thought it was too long so early in the spring. If the Triple Crown had existed then, Riddle would have let MOW run, as he let his son, War Admiral. (The Triple Crown was not acknowledged until after MOW) Experts from The Blood Horse and The Associated Press call MOW the greatest. And let's remember that MOW was never fully extended, never asked to give his best, and usually held back. The only race MOW lost was because he was in wrong direction at the start and then blocked. In his only challenging race against John P. Grier, MOW broke from a muddy spot in the track and almost fell but still won. This is also from Dorothy Ours' book. MOW proved himself dominant under inferior conditions, heavier weights, while never being extended. We can only imagine what he could have achieved in Sec's day.

great horse...suspect owner...but he was a product of his times...one reason its near impossible to compare horses from different decades....also..ones that run on different surfaces...conformation, training, health, jockey issues..and so much more need to be considered....

Both "Big Red's" are absolutely SPECTACULAR horses and we will never know for sure who was better. Judging race horses in different era's is an extremely difficult task, and most likely virtually impossible. However, I will say that similar to the previous post, the ONLY possible way to seriously judge horses from different eras are their racing times. While track conditions, handicaps, training methods, etc. also cloud this approach, what better possible methodology can we utilize? Won/Loss records appear to be rendered irrelevant because of the various levels of distorted competition so what baramoter can we really use to stake our claims other than official times. Human racing records (Olympics and otherwise) are the basis for rating the fastest runners ever, and since horses are likewise racing against each other, this may be the only true benchmark for this seemingly monumental conundrum. Personally, saying which horse is the greatest ever may be a futile effort. While I still strongly feel Sec is the top all-time horse, my 5 greatest "FLAT RACING" horses ever (not to insult Arkle and Red Rum enthusiasts) include Secretariat, Sea Bird II, Shegar, Man o' War and Spectacular Bid AND YOU CAN MOST LIKELY PLACE THEM IN ANY ORDER!!! Best wishes to all!

If theres one horse to touch Secretariat,its this one despite times.He had a nervous trainer and ran in a different era.Put him in the 1970's and it would have been close,very close.Both amazing horses.

Guess what here are the records of times. You do the math for yourselves . . . Man o war Secretariat 6 furlongs 1:11 1/5 1:09 4/5 1 mile 1:35 4/5 1:33 2/5 1 1/8 1:49 1/5 1:45 2/5 1 1/4 2:01 4/5 1:59 2/5 1 1/2 2:28 4/5 2:24 Now you tell me? Who was faster . . Exactly . . . Secretariat.

Man O'War greatest American racehorse of the 20th century by a mile. All Secretariat would have seen of him was his rear end disappearing in the distance.

I would put Man o' War at #3, behind Citation. As great as this stallion was, you have to win the Triple Crown to solidify your credentials. I do not believe the story that his owner kept him out of the Kentucky Derby because it was too long to run that early in the season for that young of a horse. As a 2-yr old, his owner ran him in the much longer Belmont in early June. I think he was probably under the weather prior to the Kentucky Derby that year, and his owner kept him out because he would not accept anything but a win. If Secretariat had the same owner, he wouldn't have run in the four races where he was sick and his record would've been 16/17. But Man o' War was as physically imposing and gifted as Secretariat, set 3 world records, and probably had a 20+ lb. heart. Great, great horse.

I guess you know more about racing than Charles Hatton and Eddie Arcaro who both INSISTED "Sec" was the greatest ever. As a side note, Hatton SAW Man 0' War race and Acaro RODE Ciiation...makes you wonder how impressive "Sec" really was if he could sway those two immortal racing psople his way? Hey, like I previously stated, the ttle of "greatest ever" is ridicuously subjective and horses such as Man o' War, Citation, Kelso, Sea Bird, Secretariat, Phar Lap, Spectacular Bid (please don't forget that wonder horse), Ribot, etc. could all stake claims as the greatest.....but you have to admit....it is sure a lot of fun debating it...no hard feelings!

Man O' War would have whupped Secretariat's ass running backwards.

when he was three, he was handicapped with as much as 138 pounds in races, giving away as much as 32 pounds to other horses, few horses ever carried that much at any age as he did at that age. Has set record in the 1920's that still stand today. Remarkable horse

The original great...won 20 of 21 races and the race he lost was by a single head and was rumored to be due to a starter (no starting gates at the time) error and he was extremely late off the line as a result....would have been the first triple crown winner easily had his owner not kept him out of the derby...sired many legendary horses including war admiral a triple crown winner

Another of the all-time greats and rightly deserves his place in this list of equine champions

Probably the only racehorse capable of giving Sea Bird a race. Ribot was, without doubt, a truly sensational thoroughbred who possessed such brilliance that there wasn't a horse who could get anywhere near him for the three seasons he stayed in training. Unquestionably one of the all -time greats.

Fabulous racehorse who has few if any peers. His unblemished 16 race unbeaten record speaks for itself.

I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that Ribot would have beaten most ,if not all , of the horses on this list, he really was that good. People fail to realise how difficult it is to remain unbeaten over 3 seasons. Only the truly great horses are able to accomplish this feat, and Ribot was most definitely one of the true greats of thoroughbred racing.

A fabulous racehorse with a perfect record which very few other racehorses can lay claim to. Would definitely be in the top 5 of any list of all time greats.

Awesome 10 and hard to dispute...let's make it top 12 because Spectacular Bid and Sea the Stars should also be part of any "greatest horse" list.

The 10 greatest racehorses of all time, in no particular order? Secretariat Sea Bird II Man O' War Ribot Eclipse Phar Lap Citation Brigadier Gerard Native Dancer Ruffian Well that would be my idea of the 10 greatest racehorses of all time.

You cannot knock an unbeaten record of 16 wins stretching over three seasons. None of the top 20 horses on this list can match that. Lammtarra was unbeaten but only ran four times. Ribot was a truly great racehorse, there can be no doubt about that. Definitely in the top 5 of all time. Eclipse must also be considered as one of the greatest horses ever.

Ribot's achilles, as most point out, was the "mid twins". 'nough said.

Well said!

It is impossible to find fault with this great horses's unbeaten record of 16 wins. The reason that Ribot has not received the credit he so rightly deserves is due to the fact that he raced in an era when televised racing did not have the global impact that it has today. If Ribot was racing today he would have achieved the status of an equine superstar.

Ribot was a barrel- chested racehorse and they just didn't come any tougher than this fella. Nothing fazed him and he won on all types of going, the mark of a great racehorse. Definitely in the top three greatest European racehorses of the Twentieth Century.

What a ridiculous comment by charwoody. There can be no doubt whatsoever that Ribot was a truly great racehorse,his unbeaten record is testament to this.

Absolutley Great horse but not the greatest.

I respect your opinion, charwoody, but Ribot was a truly great horse. You cannot remaine unbeaten in 16 race over 4 seasons on all types of surface and not be a great horse. His wins in England and France adds testament to this assertion.

As good as Ribot was there are many thoroughbreds who,IMO, were far superior to him. The quality of opposition that Ribot defeated was substandard and I believe he has been vastly overrated.

from a mile on Frankel would be coughing and spluttering as he ate Phar Lap's dust. One horse has 'done it' and one horse still has it all to do

In a 6 - 9 furlong race, Frankel would most likely best Phar Lap beacuse he is obvioulsy the faster "sprinter". Until Frankel proves he can run strong at distances greater than 9 furlongs, I agree you simply CANNOT rate Frankel ahead of Phar Lap.

Difficult to compare all the great horses of different eras but Pharlap is the biggest freak of them all. Who is to say who is the best but if you were to pick a horse, against all the horses listed here in any race, capable of missing the start and rounding the whole field and still winning running wide with ears pricked it would have to be Phar lap. A lot of the comments are about records , times etc... Phar Lap was at a completely different level altogether where handicappers put the weights on to stop him like trains. Black Caviar for example might have lengths on Frankel but she isn't even in the ball park of Par Lap and Frankel , based Phar laps deeds, Phar lap would beat him and have a photo session by the time Frankel got to the winning post!! It is hard to compare different champions of different eras but with horse racing I would be clear and have no doubt, if I had to back a horse in this field to save my life by winning it would unwaiveringly be Phar lap

Took on and beat allcomers whilst giving them weight. Won all the big races and won over a wide range of distances. Raced in and won at the top level in 4 consecutive years before his career and life was cruelly taken when in his prime. Numero Uno

If Phar Lap had been restricted to WFA or set weights races he would have won 40 - 50 races in a row. They say weight stops trains well it only stopped Phar Lap once, the 1931 Melb Cup, when everybody except his greedy owner wanted him to be scratched. It was to be his only unplaced run from his last 35 starts, which incl 32 wins. His next race start was to be his last. He won the worlds richest race at his first time on dirt, with a split hoof and breaking the track record in the process. He was than poisoned by illegal bookies who stood to lose thousands as he was essentially unbeatable. What a horse.

Phar Lap was a freak and won his only start in North America in what was the world's richest race at the time and he did it in track record time at his 1 and only start on dirt. Enough said !

Phar Lap should sit alongside Secretariat as 2 of the greatest equine athletes to have ever walked onto a racetrack.

Phar Lap 1st......daylight 2nd !!

There is no doubt Phar Lap should be up for consideration as the greatest racehorse of all time. Whilst I conceed Secretariat was a genuine champion what does his world record times have to do with it......Do these fools understand that ONLY North America raced on dirt at this time ??? So these so called world record times would be better called North American records !! That puts it a little more in perspective doesn't it ?

Phar Lap won 32 of his last 35 starts career starts (with two 2nds). In this period he won the best 2 Derby's in Australia, Australia's greatest race the Melbourne Cup, twice won the WFA Championship of Australasia in the Cox Plate and he won the Agua Caliente Hcp, which at the time was the world's richest race at his last racetrack appearance. He won many other big races in this period at distances ranging from 1400m - 3600m. It should be noted his Melbourne Cup (3200m) win came 3 days after winning the Melbourne Stks (now called Mackinnon Stks - 2000m) on Derby Day. He won again 2 days later on Oaks Day in the Linlithgow Stks (1600m) and then again 2 days later in the CB Fisher Plate (2400m). Those 4 wins, 1 on each day of the world famous Flemington Spring Carnival, will never ever be done again. It will never even be attempted again. His devastating win in the Agua Caliente Hcp, his 1st and only start on dirt, where he raced wide and circled the field in the middle stages before going on to win by 2l, with a cracked hoof, was to be his last. It became apparent to everybody he was virtually unbeatable and thus he was tragically poisoned in suspicious circumstances, whilst stabled at Menlo Park near San Francisco. A true champion and legend of the turf.......

NO HE ISN'T ,AND NO WE DON'T!

Pharlap is number one we all know that!!!

great horse...sad end....happens much too often..ie ruffian , barbaro, landaluce, go for wand, pine island, and so many others....this one esp cruel because it may have been deliberate..

The guy who wrote that some of the horses in the top 10 in this list shouldn't be in the top 50 obviously knows absolutely nothing about thoroughbred racing and should stick to his area of expertise: Jackass racing!

A long time steward in New York was once asked who was the best he had ever seen, Man O War or Secretariat? He replied neither, I saw Phar Lap in the flesh!!! Not for his death in America, he would have won every race he contested in the US.

Would have shown Secretariat who was the boss and no mistake.

New Zealand Bred Australian Champion! Beat the best in the USA and Australia. Should easily be in the Top Ten! While best remembered for his wins in the Melbourne Cup and Agua Caliente Handicap, some say his greatest win was in the 1931 Futurity Stakes, a seven furlong(1400m) race run on a very heavy track. That day Phar Lap carried 10st 3lbs (65kg) and came from last to win against a top sprint field. His 1930 spring carnival form was astounding, as he followed success in the W.S. Cox Plate with wins on all four days of the Flemington Carnival 01.11.1930 Melbourne Stakes 1ST WFA 1 1/4 miles(2000m) Flemington 04.11.1930 Melbourne Cup 1ST Handicap 2 miles(3200m) Flemington 06.11.1930 Linlithgow Stakes 1ST WFA 1 mile(1600m) Flemington 08.11.1930 CB Fisher Plate 1ST WFA 1 1/2 miles(2400m) Flemington The effortless win that week in the Melbourne Cup he carried 9st 12lbs (62.5kg). Race Record: 51 Starts 37 Wins 3 Seconds 2 Thirds

Whilst Phar Lap was an undoubted champion, he is remember more fondly due to the time he raced, i.e the great depression. Those that saw both Phar Lap and Carbine race hold no doubt that Carbine was the superior horse and the only real question is whether he comes in 2nd or 3rd in Australian greats with Tulloch. For those that rate Makybe Diva so high you are out of your mind. She isn't even the best mare to race in this country with that honor going to Sunline, with Black Caviar closing very quickly. Zenyatta is also rated incredibly high for a horse who basically only defeated other mares. A notable absentee from this list is the Japanese champion Deep Impact, the greatest horse I have seen in the flesh (those that judge him on his loss and disqualification in the Arc do not know much about horse racing and his problems leading into the race) although that may change with Black Caviar.

Phar Lap was a champ even the yanks know that if you don't believe me,check out what the experts say.time records (an american obsession) are meaningless,winning is what matters,Phar Lap carried huge weights & won consistently,what more is required of a champion top 10 easily. you study contemporary accounts,time records(an american obsession) mean nothing as long as you still win,which is the point of great horses,they seem to win with big weights as Phar Lap did,should be in top 10 easily

Just amazing to read the comments above, as well as comments about other horses in the top 10 who don't deserve to be in the top 50. Is there some kind of Eastern Hemisphere envy for Western Hemisphere horses going on here? Phar Lap lost his first race, only won 13 of 20 as a 3 year old, and set no world records. His heart was 13.6 lbs, which sounds about right and shows he wasn't in the class of the thoroughbreds with large-heart genes. You have to have a super heart (16 lbs. and up) to compete with the greats of the sport.

Phar Lap was another horse that would have put Secretariat firmly in his place. Different class , Danny boy, different class!

Phar Lap proved his greatness over years under all conditions and weights. Secretariat, though a great horse, only raced up to 3 years of age and 21 races. A true champion passes the test of time. If he hadn't died prematurely in the U.S he would have won everything with one leg in the air. There will never be another horse like Phar Lap, he was a freak.

though late to mature Phar Lap was the greatest by far,he won from 1200m to 3600m,his last 34 of 35 races he came either 1st or 2nd ,the other he was force to carry 150 pounds in the Melb cup,the only horse where in some races betting was refused and officals changed the rule to try stop he from winning,then went to Agua Caliente raced on dirt for the 1st time in his winter coat with a cracked hoof and still won the worlds richest race with the worse ride,won the melbourne Cup as a 4 year old carrying 138pounds easily the greatest THE RED TERROR

It's between Phar Lap and Secretariat

Phar Lap should be no.1

A sad end to a fantastic racehorse who will forever be regarded as one of the great champions of thoroughbred racing.

Shergar should be a lot higher because he was one of the best horses that i have ever heard of !!! But when he was kinapped on February 8, 1983 no-body ever so him again!! He must be dead now though as it has been over 20 years now and horses usually only live up 2 30 years of age !! ( i have a horse so i should know) xx

It's true that Shergar never beat top class opposition, but he could do no more than completely annihilate the opposition in his Derby victory. The only horse in the long history of the Epsom Derby to have had the race won when he turned into the straight.

You've never seen a horse gallop like this fella did when he won the Derby. Scum IRA prevented Shergar from being a champion stallion at stud.

It is ludicrous to rate Lammtarra as one of the all time greats based on just four racecourse appearances. It seems to me that he was whisked off to stud with great haste at the end of his second season, probably with a view to protecting his stud value as an unbeaten horse.

Never ran against strong opposition ? Very strange comment , So how do you explain the record breaking time in the Derby ?

There is no comparaison with Lamterra who never ran against a strong oppoistion! The three year horses (for instance), who ran against lamterra never proved something as 4 year old!

the best ever

Lammtarra was an undefeated Thoroughbred racehorse who won three Group One races in 1995 and was voted the Cartier Three-Year-Old European Champion Colt. He won the Epsom Derby in record time, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe more or less from the front . I also watched Shergar an amazing horse one of the best ever , just think Lammtarra was a wonderhorse , to win the Epsom Derby on his first run of the season and broke the track record was truly spectacular.

I have seen every Derby winner since Psidium in 1961 and I can truthfully say that along with Sea Bird II, Shergar's win was simply jaw-dropping. I would definitely rate Shergar as one of the greatest Derby winners of all time. A truly brilliant racehorse who might have been equally brilliant at stud if he hadn't come to such a tragic end at the hands of the utterly detestable IRA.

The only British horse that could maybe beat Lammtarra , but I doubt it

Agree with carolanntee. However Shergar underated. His turn of foot was mind blowing. He was never extended. He deserves his place as number 4

Shergar was in all honesty the quickest horse in the history of the sport. His turn of foot was frightening. He not only had the ability to win races but also had the ability to canter home a furlong out and still dominate races by 10 lengths, unbeleivable racehorse and in my opinion the 3rd greatest flat racehorse of all time.

I totally agree with you, my friend, Shergar at his best was a helluva good horse and his annihilation of the 1981 Epsom Derby field will remain forever in the memory of all those who witnessed that scintillating victory.

Should be number 1, have you ever seen his Derby romp. It was the greatest racing preformance in history. His King George and Irish Derby wins also were impossible to comprehend. Undoubtably the better than 24 of the 25 above. The only horse better than him was Sea Bird II and maybe Brigadier Gerrard. Anyone that says Secretariat was the best is an idiot.

When Frankel wins 16 races then,and only then, can we talk about Frankel in the same breath as Brigadier Gerard.

This horse was the best miler of all time without doubt, but he has just lost his crown to Frankel

Brigadier Gerard and Tudor Minstrel were probably the greatest specialist milers ever seen in the British Isles.

Certainly one of the greatest milers of all time and such was his undoubted brilliance that he could win at distances far in excess of his optimum trip.

Seeming hiw he was given a rating of 144 and lost once in 17 races he should be at least 10th best of all time.

Piggott definitely to blame for Nijinsky's Arc defeat? Identical waiting tactics had been employed for success at Epsom and Ascot. And, of course, Nijinsky had suffered a serious attack of ringworm before he was nursed home in the St Leger, probably having a much harder race than Piggott's artistry made it look, because the colt lost more than two stone after the race. So if anyone HAS to be blamed (and I don't think anyone should be) it should perhaps be O'Brien, who admitted after the Arc that he had not realised how much the ringworm had taken out of Nijinsky and that the race probably came too soon after the Leger.

The last horse to win the English Triple Crown in 1970. That feat will NEVER be achieved again because owners and trainers tend to shun the St Leger as a target now. In any case Nijinsky was a very special horse and should never have been defeated. His jockey Lester Piggot was definitely to blame for his defeat in the 1970 Prix de l'arc de Triomphe when he was just beaten by Sassafras. Why his connections then decided to run Nijinsky in the Champion Stakes shortly afterwards,where he was again beaten, this time by Lorenzaccio, is a complete mystery to me. Nijinsky had a very tough campaign as a 3-year old ,he was on the go from April until October, fully 6 months. Perhaps those involved with Nijinsky thought he was a machine and not flesh and blood.

Surle in the top 15 racehorses of all,close to the very top.

In pure statistical analysis the horse of the century .Imagine winning the triple crown,Irish Derby and King George in one season-something unequaled till today.Nijinsky would surely have added the Arc to his booty but for facing an attack of ringworm..

ran over all distances, at stud he wassecond to none

Heed these words. Frankel and Black Caviar will NEVER race against each other. Frankel's 2012 campaign will be geared towards distances in excess of a mile and will certainly not be racing at the extended sprint distance of 7 fulongs.

Having been a racing fan for 30yrs and seen some truly great horses Frankel has put up the most sensational runs back to back I have ever seen and this coming 2012 season will make believers out of all who witness his greatness and will be in the top 3 on this list

He looks very good this colt but look out if he lines up against Black Caviar early in his prep at 6 or 7 furlongs. She's unbeatable just like he appears to be at 8 furlongs. Black Caviar will be racing in England in 2012. She's every bit as freakish mark my words. She's currently 16 from 16. Just youtube her and you can watch all her races and in particular watch her from the 3 furlongs to the 2. Scintillating just like Frankel

I have to take issue with the previous contributor. Frankel does NOT possess a turn of pace. What he does possess,however, is the most relentless gallop and ground- raking stride you are ever likely to see. He simply gallops the opposition into the ground. One of the greatest milers of all time, there's absolutely no doubt about that. Cecil says that he is considering stepping Frankel up to 10 furlongs next season and will probably take in the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown in July. Now that is something to look forward to over the long,dark winter months.

Best horse i have ever seen! His turn of pace is second to none...from day one he has destroyed great horse after great horse with an embarrasing ease, so your greatest of all time right here! If the americans werent so good at hyping their horses up to be better than what they actually are/were...this guy would comfortably be sitting top of the pile!

After his scintillating victory in yesterday's Qipco QEII Stakes,there can be little doubt now that this horse is a superstar. His accolade of the greatest racehorse in the world is rightly deserved.

This horse I think has the potential to become the best miler of all time his Gallop is breath taking

It is much too early to be rating Frankel the best miler of all time. In my opinion both Tudor Minstrel and Brigadier Gerard achieved more on the racecourse than Frankel ,but that assessment could change in the coming months.

Cecil has stated that Frankel will stay in training next season,which is great news. He will be an even more powerful racehorse as a 4-year old and could smash course records wherever he appears.

Only Tudor Minstrel and Brigadier Gerard are ahead of Frankel as specialist milers,but Frankel could well turn out to be the greatest miler of them all. There has never been a racehorse who can gallop like this horse can, he simply destroys all the opposition.

He is now OFFICIALLY rated the best horse in the world at the moment. He really is a special racehorse and could be one of the all time greats at a mile.

I have never seen a top class field destroyed in the way Frankel won the 2000 G . Just hope he stays in training for next season

This horse is already an unbeleivable horse however if he beats Canford Cliffs tomorrow he should go straight to the top 5.

It looks as if he will be kept to races over a mile. It is going to take something special to lower his colours this season.

No horse was more impressive than this youngster last season . If,and it's a big if, he makes the right progress through the winter, he could be one of the all time greats. I really hope so.

If Henry Cecil says its the best 2 year old he ever had - horse will be a superstar.

Brilliant horse with an incredible acceleration! I don't understand why you wouldn't put him in the top 10!

Not very big,but my word what a fantastic racehorse he was. I certainly take issue with the last contributor, I would rate Mill Reef at number 7 in a list of the best European racehorses of the 20th century behind Sea Bird, Ribot, Dancing Brave, Shergar, Nijinsky and Brigadier Gerard. There is no doubt in my mind that Mill Reef was top class.

As good as Mill Reef was, he shouldn't be as high on this list as he is. There were many better European champions than Mill Reef. Sea Bird, Dancing Brave, Nijinsky, Ribot, Shergar, Sea the Stars and Brigadier Gerard to name a few.

The best post-war British middle distance racehorse ever who could conquer the best of opposition by superlative margins on any type of going and win in any distance.Sea the Stars was more talented but could not cope on soft going or Dancing Brave or Brigadier Gerard for that matter.

the truth is she might have had the speed but they should have let her grow up, her legs were not develpoed enought and that made her too weak. poor horse. i saw the film too i ran out the room even though i knew what the outcome was going to be. poor poor horse.

i have watched the film, nasty.

Con't: I am not saying Black Caviar COULDN'T beat Ruffian beacuse she has also posted some incredible 6 furlong fractions, but I strongly feel it would have been a coin toss based on their chemistry on any given day. Best Regards!

And what is the basis for you stating that Black Caviar would have bested Ruffian over 6 furlongs? I don't think so! Ruffian CONSISTENTLY posted 6 furlong times between 1:08-3/5 and 1:09 in change! It would be extremely difficult to best those times anywhere...anyhow! BARING NONE...Ruffian eaisly suffices as one of the fastest "less than a mile" sprinters in thoroughbred history!

The mare currently racing in Australia, Black Caviar, would of given Ruffian a beating. As good as Ruffian was she would not get within 2 lengths of Black Caviar over 6 furlongs. She's currently 16 from 16

At one mile or less, Zenyatta wouldn't have had a chance. Check out their times bewteen 5.5 and 8 furlongs & you too will agree. At 1-1/8 miles or better it would have been a coin toss between the two, but very few horses (even Secretariat) could have bested Ruffian at 6 or 7 furlongs.

Zenyatta would crush her. Who did she beat? Can you name one filly or mare she defeated? Zenyatta won the BCC and nearly captured it a second year while winning 19 of 20...with her only loss a head to the winning older male handicap eclipse award winner.....nuff said

I tend to agree with you about the Foolish Pleasure match race but no one can say for sure what the results would have been. The issue with Ruffian is that her "blazing" times were posted for "less than a mile" distances. Her few 1-1/8 and 1-1/2 mile times (she never posted a 1-1/4 mile) were good but not spectacular by any means (such as Secretariat's amazing 1-1/4 & 1-1/2 mile times). Considering that the first 1/4 mile in the match race was run at blazing 22-1/5 time, I strongly feel that BOTH horses would have emptied their tanks after a mile, with the last 1/4 mile a turtle race. The winner would have been determined by who had a little more left in the tank with a colt typically the winner in such a case. However, I agree with you that Ruffian "refused" to be behind in a race which would have made this a coin toin toss at the wire. Ruffian was truely a great champion and one of the top 10 horses of all-time!

obviously ruffian would have beat foolishpleasure. anyone who knows ruffian knows once she is ahead she never let anyone by her and if she were to race todays fillies they would be left in dust and shes not overrated everyone knows that she is truly the queen of the track

Truely one of the fastest horses ever over distances a mile or less. Unfortunately, her 1-1/8 mile or greater times simply aren't fast enough to earn her a place in the top 3 - 5 horses of all-time. One of my favorites and her remarkable 6 - 8 furlong speed could only be matched by a handful of horses. One of the saddest days ever in thoroughbred racing when her leg gave way in the match race against Foolish Pleasure.

I watched a movie on Ruffian and cried at the end because she died of a stupid broken leg!Her ranking should be first I placed a vote for this horse what will you do for the horse that died for a race! If Ruffian were alive today she would woop every racehorses butt! I still watch the movie up to the point of her dying and then stop the movie.I later got the breyer she truly was the best horse to set face on the earth!

One of the most beautiful horses ever

she is my fav she was a great horse best racing horse ever in the world i think she should be first !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here we go again...more shortsighted "overrated" claims. Ruffian was one of the fastest horses ever, who on several occassions posted 7 furlong fractions in less than 1:09!!!!!!!! A tragic iconic figure, I will forever remember her breathtaking runaway victories that averaged an incredible 8 lengths in margin, and her place on this top 10 list is absolutely undebatable.

Are you kidding me? Overrated? -.- More like underrated. This filly was a freak, broke or equaled a track or stakes record in almost all of her races. They didn't want to push her as a 2 year old and her trainer was considering the Travers if she didn't break down. R.I.P beautiful girl.

I believe that she should be higher. She by far not the best but was a great little filly with a hella lot of heart. There was a few though that could match her

She is NOT the most overrated horse ever - sorry you think that way. She never wanted to lose and broke those records with her own will and never whipped to win. She was being trained at the correct pace for a 2 year old - as a breeder and trainer I know that you can train any horse, but in order to have a true champion, the horse has to have the desire, the heart and the ability. Ruffian had that - she did not want a horse ahead of her. Due to her very short life and career, we were never allowed to see just what she could have done.

Most overrated horse, ever. She never faced "open" competition of any type; not even outside her age. She set stakes records mostly, which were all RESTRICTED-AGE FEMALE. Her track-record equals were at sprints largely restricted to 2yo runners. This filly may have been brilliant and great, but doesn't truly have the solid proof to boot her above other females and - yikes - often touted as greater than the greatest males. Ruffian suffers from Martyr Syndrome - feel sorry for the fallen and inflate their reputations.

She should be higher!! She was a true champion, no horse was good enough competitor for this filly!

Acaro actually stated that Kelso was the best he ever rode. "I believe Kelso was the best horse I ever rode," Arcaro said. "He was Horse of the Year five straight years (1960-64), and that takes a lot of doing. And he hooked everybody, every place, on every kind of racetrack. He just was the best horse. Sprint, go a distance, run all day, He could do it all."

Interesting comment considering his OWN JOCKEY, Eddie Arcaro, stated Secretariat was, unquestionably, the greatest horse he EVER saw including his two great horses Citation and Kelso!

Second best American racehorse of the 20th century behind Man O' War. That horse in third place 2furlongs behind is poor, tired, Big Red.

I would put Citation #2 on this list. Won 19 of 20 races as a 3 yr. old, all against top competition. Won Kentucky Derby by 3-1/2 lengths, Preakness by 5-1/2, and tied the stakes record in the Belmont. Set world records as 4-5 year old.

Probably should be top 5 and easily placed over Zenyatta.

Arcaro said Citation & Kelso was the best he ever rode & Secretariat best he ever seen & fastest.

Dancing Brave should be in the top 5 of all time a simply outstanding racing machine his Arc win was breath taking

Won the 1986 Prix de l'arc de Triomphe as if propelled from a rocket. On THAT performance would have beaten any racehorse.

If you want to see finishing speed , watch Lammtarra on utube ( by the way first run of the season tn ''record time'')

Gave the best ever performance in an Arc win after Sea Bird vanquishing one of the strongest fields with the blistering surge of amissile fired.Would certainly have won the Epsom Deby but for Starkey's waiting tactics .He faced better opposition than any great British middle-distance champion and posessed the greatest finishing speed ever by a British racehorse.Was alos devastating in the Guineas.He however could not relish soft going or stay beyond a mile and a half.To me on the day of the Arc the best European racehorse since Sea Bird .

Yes,he SHOULD be in the top 10, at least.

Tell me that you're kidding,jeepster! You will NEVER see a horse finish like this great champion did in the 1986 Prix de l'arc de Triomphe. I cannot believe that Dancing Brave isn't in the top 10 in this list.

Good horse,but there are many better horses on this list.

The best by far, just like ali

His rating here is just about right. A very good horse, but a long way short of the very best.

we just can't compare all horses in the history of racing since i think each of them ran their share of problems and luck but this little beast Sea The Stars is just made of another metal.u've just got to hear the comments of the commentators of that famous 2009 Arc and you would know HE'S RACING GOD!!!!!!just a champion who can run over any distance from sprint to stayers' race........something out of this world.he stands on that thin line between excellence and perfection.i would never challenge someone saying he's the all time greatest!!!!

For me the greatest horse I've ever had the pleasure of viewing. Hi win in the Prix du L'arc De Triomphe was probably the greatest victory I've ever seen of any horse. I'd loved to have seen him up against the best in the US......especially on turf. Would have silenced those who feel European horses 2nd best.

Is anybody heard about " Kincsem " a hungarian race horse. Just check it out.... Theh best ever was that beast !

Don't get me wrong, Sea The Stars is a great champion and Yes 'A Horse Of A Lifetime' but anyone who is trying to argue that he is better than Nijinsky, Shergar and Zenyatta are just totally wrong.

When are American horses going to come over to Britain and race for the Triple Crown? The fact that they don't means that they can never be taken seriously. World records? Of course Americans hold them: they race on oval, perfectly flat, artificial surfaces as opposed to Europe's hugely varied turf courses.

A very good racehorse - ran 2:26 for the 1-1/2 mile Prix du l'arc De Triomphe. Won all but one race, although running only 6 times as a 3 year old will certainly keep you fit, as compared to the grueling schedule for North American horses. When are European horses going to come over to America and race in the Triple Crown? A quick flight on an Airbus, get over the jet lag, and you should be ready to take on the American competition. The fact that they don't, and the fact that they run just a few races as 3-yr olds, means they can never be taken seriously. Not to mention the fact that none of them are current world record holders at any distance. Yes a good racehorse, but shouldn't be anywhere on this list. Kelso, Seattle Slew, Affirmed, War Admiral, Spectacular Bid, etc. etc. all should bump any of the non-American horses on this list.

Magnificent horse this Sea The Stars. Dominated everything that was put on his way. His acceleration, his class, he was just too good.

Magnifient horse, I was at Sandown for his eclipse win and he wss fantastic. A bit overatted to be 5th but yes he was a great especially when winning the Arc.

You have to be kiding I would rank him at 3 or 4. He lost THIRTY FIVE times and won only twice as a three and two year old, but he had bad ower, bad Jokey and everything. With the right ones and the right track, he was unbetable!

Are you kidding me? Sure, Biscuit didn't win however many races, but that doesn't matter. A quality horse has the heart, and The Biscuit had the heart. In his 2nd year he ran 35 races. That is dangerously to many for a horse that young. He was never to race again but he made a comeback and won the Santa Anita

totally mishandled as a 2 yr old....look what he did once he got better training and handling

The Biscuit is by far the best horse out there. Just think what he could have done at age 2 and 3 if he had been trained right. I think the Biscuit could have taken any horse on. He had heart and would not back down and thats what gets you the win!

The biscuit will always top my list. What other horse on this list could have rehabbed from a "career ending" injury to set the record in the mile and a quarter at the age of 7 !! The answer, not a single one! His win over War admiral BY 4 LENGTHS was on the Admiral's home turf and at the Admirals optimum distance. The Biscuit would have beat him any time they raced. No horse should be judged by a stupid trainer and a stupid owner. When those things were corrected, he could have beaten any horse that ever lived - by the record!

Don't get me wrong Seabiscuit's story is inspirational and great. But, you have to be realistic about the horses ability. He was very good on his day but I wouldn't fancy this horse against hardly any of the horses on this list. If i'm honest I would definately bet on War Admiral if they were to race again. I love Seabiscuit but this list is about the quality of the horse not how popular it was.

Seabiscuit is just the subject of an inspirational story and doesn't deserve to be on this list. He won only 5 of 35 races as a two year old -thereafter he rarely won in mostly West Coast races off the beaten track.

Seabiscuit has history with him. He is a real inspiration. No other horse will have a heart like Seabiscuit.

Also a great horse. His first year as a two-three year old he ran THIRTY FIVE times and won only twice. He was not well trained and a second thought. Once in the right hands he was incredible. He ran at the last minute, ran injured, always carried by far the most weight, lost several times by jockey error, but was always in there. He set many records on many tracks in many areas of the country. His race with the GREAT War Admiral is renowned and needs no further detail. An incredible horse with a great heart.

with the right training he was unbeatable. just a great horse with lots of heart. he should be #1 with Man O WAR #2

True he may be fast but no consistency. And consistency is what gets you places in the horse racing world

your kidding right? he shouldnt be in the top 100. lost more races than half this list combined - bad job

to which big red are you referring

Far better horse than Big Red and had a much better winning ratio.

but for a head in the ky derby he was the best ever

Come on... Best war horse ever, maybe? Just the most famous. Let's get him out of the list so black caviar can move up. 19 from 19, she is amazing... Watch out frankel!

And what about Black Beauty?

What about Trigger?

I'm going to include Silver and Champion.

Why not include Mr Ed in this list as well?

Now 19 from 19 and still improving, deserves better. As for the clown making negative comments about Makybe Diva, the mare beat world class fields to win the Melbourne Cup 3 years straight. Unprecedented and likely never to be repeated. If that doesn't place her amongst the best then nothing does.

Mighty mare Black Caviar has 19 wins from 19 starts from 1000m (5f) to 1400m (7f) incl. 9 Grp 1's, 7 Grp 2's & 2 Listed. That's 18 'black type' wins from 19. Only once has she been restricted to a fillies only race, at her 2nd career start. She taken on allcomers and thrashed them all without ever being fully extended. She's the fastest horse on the planet and boasts a 55.53 sec 1000m (5f)Grp 1 win. Superstar

ANOTHER crushing win in a Group 1, this time over 1400m for the first time. It's well known Australian sprinters are the world's best and she could be the best of the best. She's now 18 from 18 and will be 20 from 20 before she thrashes them in England in the middle of the year.

Make that 18 from 18 , and against a good field . Superstar in the making , just needs to race and win overseas to become a true great .

now 18 wins from 18 starts, greatest since phar lap. I dont think she can be beaten, years from now may well be saying she the greatest of all time. Although i dont think there will be a horse greater then phar lap ever on this planet or anywhere in the universe, no 1 on any greatest race horse list.

She has now moved to 17 wins from 17 starts and is running for her 18th this Saturday at Caulfied. Already positioned as the greatest sprinter Australia has produced and destined to be one of the greatest of all time anywhere in the world.

Black Caviar is obviously a very fast sprinter, but if she comes over to Britain for the King's Stand Stakes,she will not have things all her own way. She will be considered one of the banker bets at Royal Ascot and 'hotpots' have a poor record at the Royal meeting. Hope she wins,though.

I mean 16 from 16 till the end of 2011 !!! She's untouchable over any sprint distance

Black Caviar is a superstar racemare who STILL remains unbeaten till the end of 2011. She's 15 from 15. She has a devastating turn of foot as well as an unbelievably high cruising speed. She is winning these Group 1 races without being challenged and will be Top 10 on this list by the end of 2012. Her combined winning margins (remember she's a sprinter and she's not even being ridden out) in her 15 wins of some 52 lengths is staggering. Her 2011 1200m Group 1 Newmarket Hcp win with 58kg's in 1.07.36 was breathtaking. She gave the 2nd horse, Crystal Lily (winner of the world's richest 2yo race - 1200m Golden Slipper Stks) a whopping 8kg's as well as a thrashing. She has already been rated World's Best Racehorse, a feat no sprinter in history has achieved. She's going to race Internationally in 2012 and she will no doubt beat allcomers. She's a freak. You can catch her on YouTube

best mare to ever race

Um she defs need to be higher she's won 15 from 15 now and has passed pharlaps and bernboroughs record she da bomb babeey!!!!

Has the some romantic status in Australia as Zenyatta in the United States. Is now unbeaten after 13 races, all in devestating fashion. Has margins and times criteria boxes ticked that should see her climb this list very rapidly. Unfortunately, sprinters don't seem to poll so well so she'll have to remain one for the officianado's that know their racing and horse flesh.

10 starts just won the Newmarket at Flemington with 58 kg by 3 lengths in race record time,best oz sprinter since Vain,1st aussie horse to be unbeaten at top level in 1st 10 starts.if let out would have had track record(for our american friends) so we don't know how good she is yet hope she meets international top liners & does oz proud.

The bid is EASILY a top 5 horse of all time. He had an incredible, unbeaten 4-year old season where he set numerous records carrying high weight and running various distances. He was spectacular!

easily top 10...one of the best ever

I am a HUGE Spectacular Bid fan, and while I strongly feel he belongs in the top 5 horses of all-time, he was no Secretariat. Unfortunately for Bid, his ultra-disappointing failure in the Belmont Stakes significantly hurts his legacy. That's just the way it is in American horse racing, and there's nothing you or I can do to change that mindset. Best Wishes

Hey man Spectacular Bid was all round a better horse than Secretariat. Too much hype with Secretariat and overrated.

Would have been dog meat to Secretariat, Man O'War,Citation,Native Dancer, Sea Bird, Phar Lap,etc,etc,etc,etc,etc.

The most complete and arguably the best racehorse to have set foot on the American turf if you analyse his complete career in terms of consistency and ability to perform in all types of going.A champion at 2,3 and 4 which Secretariat or Sea Bird were not.

Great horse won , 2000 guiness , epsom derby , eclipse , king george ,

#24 you must be joking! Kelso should be in the top 10. How many horses have won 39 races!

does not belong down here...top 5 all time easily...won consistantly for years and years...

Arcaro said Citation was best rode & seen as a 3 year old. Kelso best rode & seen as a 4 yr. old in 1966 & also said Kelso could beat Citation easily. Said in 1996 rated Secretariat best he ever seen.

Tuirf courses are faster than dirt. Hawkster has the record on turf in 2:22 4/5. Again, Arcaro said Secretariat was best he ever seen & Citation & Kelso best ever rode! With all due respect the facts are not right here.

People fail to realise the fact that because horses such as Tudor Minstrel and Man O' War raced in the 1930s and 1940s, they are still regarded as truly great thoroughbreds. Racetracks, and training methods may have changed a great deal in 80 years,but great horses still appear in every era and Tudor Minstrel and Man O'War are no exeptions.

Probably the greatest miler to race in Europe in the Twentieth Century,with Brigadier Gerard not far behind.

Brilliant racehorse and regarded by many knowledgeable pundits as one of the greatest European milers.

please remember his girl...landaluce....she (just like ruffian) gave her life on the track...and she was undefeated at the time

Truely a grat horse and worthy of an even higher spot on this list. Regarding the comparison to Secretariat, Slew falls somehat short because his times for almost every fraction simply couldn't match up to "Big Red" who was the faster horse.

Why is he way down here?! I think he might be better than secretariat by there could be no proving unless they raced against each other and they didn't so definatally one of the best

agreed, he was a better horse than secretariat

In my opinion the Greatest. The ONLY undefeated Triple Crown Winner in history. And as for breeding how about A.P. Indy and Cigar to mention just a few.

was one of two horses to possibly challenge Secretariat the other being Dr. Fager

could be a good/great horse...who knows...4 races do not make a career...

Obviously a top class horse, but 4 races is not enough to rate him among the very best. I suspect that his Arab connections were more interested in his stud value as an unbeaten thoroughbred. Rated far too high on this list ,should be mid 40's.

take a look at his times , the derby stands out being his FIRST run of the season, Are you saying Swain was not a top class horse ?

Good horse but never ran against a strong opposition!

Number one in my opionion , won the Derby with his first run of the season , in record time !

Set the course record after winning the Epsom Derby, which was only bettered last year when Workforce won . Considering Lammtarra had such limited racing experience he must have been a brilliant racehorse, opposition notwithstanding.

Brilliant. Absolutley brilliant 4 wins from 4 starts and just magnificent. Top 20 at least.

Times don't mean much to anyone outside of Nth America however Black Caviar posted 1.07.36 when winning the 6 furlong Group 1 Newmarket Hcp. She did that with 58kg's top weight and won as she liked. What time could she have ran if the jockey let her go ? She's a freak

To say ANY HORSE would have bested Ruffian in 6/7 furlong races is one BOLD statement. Ruffian CONSISTENTLY posted world class 6 furlong runs with her remarkable times typically between 1:08-3/5 to 1:09 in change.

Black Caviar is a freakish mare who currently stands at 16 starts for 16 wins. She doesn't just race against her own sex either. Watch her take on, and thrash, the best Europe can throw up in 2012 !

Zenyatta, Ruffian whoever you want to pick will be beaten by 3-5 lengths by BLACK CAVIAR. That's not even pulling the whip on her either, hands and heels all the way.

Zemyatta #21 is a pure INSULT!!!! She Has raced the best in the world and beat them all. Yes BLAME beat her but lets be real. Mike "DumpTruck" Smith gave her a TERRIBLE ride and still after all that she still almost won trhe race. My only wish for her was to either stay with David Flores on board or maybe Joel Rosario.

Zenyatta made the sport of kings into the sport of queens...and SHE is the queen

personaly i like zenyatta but anyone who says she is better then ruffian is dead wrong.zenyatta wasnt ahead every second of the race like ruffian and if they were to race zenyatta wouldnt be able to pull off catching ruffian

Zenyatta is difficult to rate. Great horse no doubt but not the greatest.

Zenyatta touched the country's everythime she took a step on or off the track. She made people come to racetracks just so they could see the Queen of the Sport of Kings. Every time I saw her race I cried my heart out! Where would horse racing be right now without Zenyatta? You tell me....

Anyone who calls Zenyatta garbage is an insult to horse racing, an insult to the horse and obviously a jealous Rachel Alexandra fan. If you listen to all of the EXPERTS they all say that she has to be considered as one of the greatest of all time. She is a phenominal horse and in my opinion her ranked at number 3 behind Arkle and Secretariat is where she deserves to be, however, if it was greatest flat racehorses of all time, she would have been 2nd with Shergar 3rd.

Zenyatta was garbage.. Never beat anyone good, except a couple decent turf horses on synthetics... In 20 races only raced out of her backyard 3 times... Only faced the boys twice losing 1 of them... Maybe in list of top 10 mares, but certainly not top ten of all time... Quick note of 10 horses better than her... Secretariat, war admiral, a.p Indy, Curlin, alydar, cigar, easy goer, personal ensign, go for wand, ruffian.... Need I say more

Whatever 'floats your boat". Zenyatta was great, but unfortunately she is "EASILY" not even the best female race horse of all time since Ruffian would have left her in a cloud of dust!!! Please get real!!!

She is EASILY the Best racehorse of all time,no arguement

Super horse but strangely lacking super times. Still think Ruffian was the faster and better horse. Had Zenyatta faced Ruffian, Queen Z would have required a different stategy because NO WAY Zenyatta would be making up her typical stretch run ground against Ruffian's blinding speed.

Uh, for one, shes retired now. And to win the triple crown a horse has to be 3. Queen Z is now 6. I think 8 is a fair number. I defiantly believe shes in the top ten of all time.

She was a great filly. But no not good enough for number one. Once she wins the triple crown should she be given the title if the best.

If anything, she should be ranked number 1 mare of all time. I honestly can't think of a better one.

If anyone is counting.. 19 in a row is second all time. If she retires 20-0 she has to be considered the greatest.

Zenyatta is the greatest closing runner of all time. Her jockey has never asked for her top gear, and she has never been defeated. If she wins the BCC again, just imagine how that defies logic. She is an older female horse. GOAT has never been more properly given to an athlete. Zenyatta is the GOAT. (Greatest Of All Time)

We may never know how fast she really is because what she does is get to the wire first. I have never seen a horse more nimble and able to step out of trouble, and with the drive and instinct to win like Zenyatta.

Seattle Slew tattooed him both times they met.

What has that last comment got to do with Arkle? Bizarre!

How can all you people forget Man o War ? Just because he is before your time ? In my opinion you can take Secretariat and Man O war and put them 1 -2 in any order. None of the others come close.

Perhaps you should learn to get your facts right,Lochroe! You stated that Flyingbolt had won over almost 3miles6furlongs, which is incorrect. The longest distance that Flyingbolt was successful over was 3miles 2furlongs and that was in the 1966 Irish Grand National.

Absolutely correct! I posted that and I was WRONG! The RP confirms this in their NH course records section.

Someone claimed that Arkle holds the record for Sandown's extended three miles and five furlongs. He doesn't, but he does hold the record for the extended three miles on the same course.

So was Pat Taaffe, who rode both Arkle and Flyingbolt, and he couldn't split them.

The official handicapper IS an expert.

Brilliant. You say it. Therefore it must be so. Your debating powers are clearly as good as they were when you were in primary school. But you should have gone on to say that the Jockey Club's handicapper of steeplechasers in the sixties must have been totally incompetent, as he rated Flyingbolt (as well as Arkle) approximately two stone superior to Mill House.

Arkle is and in my opinion always will be the greatest steeplechaser ever. 1. Because he carried weights which are not allowed now and still won. 2. Because Flyingbolt although extremely good himself would never have beaten Arkle in any race off level weights. 3. Because if any steeplechaser in history raced against Arkle off level weights he would have destroyed them. And 4. Because of how easily he consistently beat 1 of the top 5 steeplechasers of all time in Mill House who coincidently would have pissed all over Flyingbolt.

Suggest this list be scrapped now that mischief makers have tampered with it.

To the previous commenter - what are the criteria by which we will compare a steeplechaser with a flat track horse? What are the metrics in common? Frankly, I wouldn't be able to come up with anything, and I would be curious to hear what you would say.

No one in Europe,nor I suspect,any other part of the world where horseracing is predominantly run on grass, takes the American horseracing scene seriously. After all most of the US racetracks are run on dirt,or a quagmire when it rains, and EVERY racetrack is the same sterile, flat course with a few bends thrown in to break the monotony. I am quite convinced that if most of these American horses were to race on ,say, British racecourses such as Epsom, they would become unbalanced and found wanting. I'm fed up of hearing about how great Secretariat was,yet his connections never had the bottle to send him over to Europe to take in a race such as the Prix de l'arc de Triomphe.

I must agree with the last writer about this being a "disorganized" list. I have been an advocate for Arkle (and for Flyingbolt) but it would make more sense to have a list for flat-race horses and another for jumpers.

Did I say Arkle wasn't a thoroughbred? I've read and reread my entries above and can't possibly fathom what you're talking about. I don't find you very educated, so I'll try harder to explain. If we’re going to include steeplechasers on a list of the greatest racehorses, then we have to include the top harness racers, the top hurdlers, top endurance racers, top dressage performers, etc. Are these not all “racehorses” in your uneducated opinion? When I think of “racehorses,” I’m thinking flat track. And I think most people are. There has to be a common set of metrics by which racehorses can be measured against one another. For me, the chief metric is SPEED, because that’s what it’s all about. Beating the other horses on a flat track. No matter how great Arkle certainly was, his achievements were not of the speedy kind. Here is what one biographer said about Arkle: “As a youngster, he was noted for his kindness, intelligence and easy going nature, but his running ability was being questioned. . . Arkle was initially entered into flat races. After only six outings on the flat however, this soon to be famous race horse was pulled from the flat scene and would be asked to jump over hurdles.” Put Arkle #1 on a list of the greatest steeplechasers, no question. Put Bret Hanover as the greatest harness racer. But you can’t compare horses of different styles against one another. It makes for a disorganized, rowdy list and that’s why I don’t find this particular web page very useful and will continue to critique it in my discussion posts.

To the last contributor and, frankly, to educate YOU! A thoroughbred is any breed of horse,bred chiefly for racing,originating from a cross between Arabian stallions and English mares, which, incidentally , is precisely what Arkle's breeding stems from. Perhaps you will, in future, be in full possession of the facts before making yourself look ridiculous in these posts.

Arkle is a steeplechaser - he runs pretty fast, then he jumps over a barrier and sometimes he lands in a puddle too. Then he runs pretty fast again, then jumps over another barrier. A racehorse is a thoroughbred who runs around a flat track. I'm glad to have had the opportunity to educate you. Tell me (if you know), what were Arkle's best times in the mile, 1-1/8, 1-1/4, 1-1/2 and 1-5/8?

If Arkle isn't a racehorse then perhaps you can tell me just exactly what he is. There's an empty cell in some institution, Watch out pal,the men in the white coats are looking for you!

Steeplechasers can't be included in a list of racehorses. I'm sure Arkle was great, but he's taking the place of some other horse that deserves to be in the top 10.

Having "absolutely no doubt whatsoever" is no argument, Jeepster. Pat Taaffe was far from sure about which of the two was superior, and so was Ireland's official handicapper at the time. Who are you to argue with them? I should add that I made a mistake in my appreciation of Flyingbolt, stating that the longest trip over which he won was three miles and a quarter when, in fact, it almost half a mile more.

There never has been a greater steeplechaser than Arkle and there never will be. Flyingbolt would have had Arkle's measure at 2 miles,but at the championship distance of 3miles plus I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that Arkle would have been superior to Flyingbolt. Remember that Arkle still holds the Sandown Park course record at 3miles 5furlongs which he set in 1965 ,almost 46 years ago. We will never see his like again.

"No other steeplechaser can be compared to Arkle....." ? Read about Flyingbolt (farther down this list) and bear in mind that Pat Taaffe, who rode both, was far from sure about which was better.

I was convinced Mill House would have been the greatest chaser of all time. He was the perfect chasing machine until he met Arkle. Not just great. This horse is a legend.

the greatest race horse ever, a total freak of nature .secretariat a close 2nd

Very few people,if any, will argue with that assessment of the best chaser of all time.

Seabiscuit was good and considered better because he was not thought in the first place to be race horse material! Unlike War Admiral.

Sorry Seabiscuit lovers. I know Seabiscuit won the great match race. But look at the record. War Admiral was 100 times the better horse. Yet Seabiscuit is ranked higher.

Great horse,definatley not the best, Still great

Red Rum certainly wasn't a 'plodder', as you put it. If you took the time to scan his racing record you would find that he actually won over 5 furlongs as a 2-year old, which not even Arkle or Flyingbolt achieved. I will,however, concede that Red Red wasn't in Arkle's and Fyingbolt's class as a steeplechaser. Finally, just bear this thought in mind: No horse in your lifetime, even if you're in your 20's, will ever equal let alone better Red Rum's Grand National record. In fact I cannot see Red Rum's Aintree record EVER being beaten.

red rum was a plogging handicapper. anyone who says this is a good horse needs their head examined.yes a popular horse for winning the grand national but lets be serious as a thorough bred measure did he win at Cheltenham NO so not in the same class as those great gold cup horses just a plodder

If you take a closer look at his racing record you will find that he only won 25% of the races he competed in. To put things in perspective Red Rum was a much better horse when racing at Aintree than anywhere else. His winning ratio at Aintree was 60%. Compare this with Arkle's winning ratio 34 races contested and he won 27 ,that's almost 80% achieved on many different courses. In fact Arkle was such a great steeplechaser that he still holds the course record for the extended 3 miles at Sandown Park which he set in 1965, 46 years ago. He smashed the course record by 19 seconds that day carrying top weight of 12 stone. With all those statistics, no sane thinking person could claim that Red Rum was better than Arkle. Just to add a postscript .It has been said that if Arkle had run in the Grand National the handicapper would probably have set him a crushing impost of 12 stone 10 pounds, which would have meant that he would have been asked to concede almost 3 stone to some of those horses at the bottom of the handicap. That would have bordered on animal cruelty.

You really fail to grasp the logic of NH racing. On any racecourse anywhere in the world Arkle would have given 2 stone to Red Rum and beaten him easily and anyone who knows anything about NH racing would agree. Red Rum was a special horse over the Grand National fences, but the fact is that he really wasn't anything special on other racecourses as his record testifies. I love Rummy as much as the next man, but the stark fact is that he wasn't one of the really great jumpers like Arkle,Flyingbolt,Mill House, etc.

Red Rum.... 67??? Is this a site for mental patients? Secretariat was a very good horse no doubt but he isn't anything as special as Rummy. 67 on the list is a disgrace to the greatest racehorse of all time

I think that Red Rum was a truly exceptional chaser,easily the best horse ever to jump those Aintree fences, but you MUST put things in their proper perspective. Red Rum could not compete with the very best and at level weights would have been beaten by many of the other top chasers on this list. Chasers such as: Arkle, Flyingbolt,Golden Miller, Kauto Star, Best Mate, Desert Orchid and Denman. If you believe otherwise then you know NOTHING about NH racing.

Yes,I quite agree.His triple at AIntree makes him a unique horse.To understand his achievement you MUST go to Aintree and see the fences for yourself.You cant watch it on TV and understand just exactly what Red Rum achieved.And the course is easier than in Rummy's day!!!Top 20 horse for sure..some might say top 10.

why is rummy so low?have people seen the fences at aintree?

Whilst I agree that Arkle was a better chaser than Red Rum,I too am disgusted to find this horse so low down in the poll.Its disrespectful to his amazing achievement.

Whoever elevated Red Rum above the likes of Arkle and Flyingbolt has only succeeded in showing his/their complete lack of horseracing knowledge and,quite frankly, proves what clowns you are

He is in the top ten of NH horses. He is only 91st in this cockeyed list. But you must face facts Rummy is NOT the best NH horse, that distinction belongs to Arkle. End of argument.

91st!!Thats some joke.This horse is a legend and must take his place in the top ten.No horse,except possibly Dessie,had a bigger heart.His record will NEVER be broken.You cant say that about any other horse here except Secretariat.91st!What an injustice.

It is totally ludicrous to believe that Red Rum was the best chaser of all time as he was often beaten by ordinary horses on park courses. One case in point is when Red Candle beat him in the Hennessey Gold Cup. Red who? you may ask. No, Red Rum was a truly great horse jumping those Grand National fences but cannot be mentioned in the same breath as Arkle, who would have beaten him out of site at any park course in Britain conceding more than a stone in weight. Those are undeniable facts as anyone who knows about horseracing will verify.

I never intended to turn this discussion into a head-to-head, bringing Golden Miller into the argument only because, like Red Rum, he is the holder of a unique record. A personal view is that Golden Miller, whose Gold Cups were won when the race had not nearly the status it has now, was not as good as Arkle or Flyingbolt, and probably several more recent staying chasers, but that, like all other opinions about the respective abilities of animals who raced in different eras, is obviously subjective. Incidentally, although you are certainly correct in your view that Red Rum was a better jumper than Golden Miller, that horse never actually fell. He was brought down once in his 52 races. On the other ten occasions on which he failed to finish he either unseated his rider or refused.

Just to add aswell that Red Rum only fell 1 time in 100 starts. Golden Miller actually fell 11 times. However you have turned this into a head to head between Red Rum and Golden Miller. That is not what was intended. All I was stating at the start is that Red Rum was underated for his unbeleivable and unmatched achievement. He desrve to be 10th on this list. But I do believe he was the best chaser of all time.

Agreed. Red Rum is indeed a legend. And you are right about a non-racing fan being likely to know the name, although Kauto Star might nowadays be just as likely to spring to mind. Agreed also that the National is a gruelling test few horses could pass. But it follows from that that most of the horses Red Rum (and all other National winners) beat at Aintree were non-stayers and were therefore not serious contenders. Am I saying that he "didn't beat anything", as you said regarding Golden Miller? Of course not. I have respect for both animals.

Grand National wins seem to be the yardstick for the above writer. So he will be impressed (won't he?) when it turns out that I CAN name not only one horse of note but three beaten by Golden Miller in Gold Cups. The three I have in mind are Grakle, Kellsboro Jack and Royal Mail, and the reason I have named them rather than others is that, in addition to being beaten by GM at Cheltenham, all three won Nationals. Facts are unlikely to impress that writer, however, and I daresay he will continue to press the up and down arrows until he has achieved his objective of getting dear old Rummy to the top of this list.

Ok have a look at how many horses run in a National and how many run in a Gold Cup. And can you name 1 horse that Golden Miller beat in any of his Gold Cups or his national. He didn't beat anything.

Golden Miller won an unequalled five Cheltenham Gold Cups (not to mention a Grand National). How many other horses have won the Gold Cup five times? That's right. Zero. That should tell you how hard THAT is. But that proves no more than the writer above proved as regards dear old Rummy.

Anyone who puts this horse out of the top ten obviously doesn't see the bigger picture. How many other horses have won the national 3 times. Thats right zero. That should tell you how hard it is.

He Should have been alot higher at least in the top 15

I don't think that anyone would argue that Flyingbolt was the greatest two-mile chaser ever to appear in Britain or Ireland in any era. I can't think of any other chaser who won the Two Mile Champion Chase at Cheltenham on the Tuesday and the very next day ran a fantastic race to finish a close up third in the Champion Hurdle, after looking like the winner two hurdles from home. A truly brilliant chaser at his best!

No need for apologies,my friend as I have been proved wrong more times than I care to recall. Good to know that you too admire the great horses of the past ,and they didn't come any greater than Arkle and Flyingbolt.

You're right. My shamed apologies. Not that that makes any difference to the relative abilities of Arkle and Flyingbolt. When Flyingbolt won in 1966 he gave Height O'Fashion 10lb more than Arkle had when winning by a similar margin two years earlier............ although Pat Taaffe did write in his autobiography that Arkle was not fully fit for that race.

Take another look, but this time more closely. The distance of the the Irish Grand National was increased from 3Miles 2furlongs to 3Miles 5furlongs AFTER Flyingbolt won the race.

Or, if that does not convince you, you can use the RP website to look up the result of the latest Irish GN, won by Organisedconfusion at Fairyhouse on April 25. Like all previous runnings, that was over three miles and five furlongs.

If the RP really does provide that info then the RP is wrong. Look at the Irish formbook, which confirms that the Irish National is run over three miles five.

Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Flyingbolt's win in the 1966 Irish Grand National was over a distance of 3miles 2 furlongs. He never won a race over a longer distance than this. The source of this information is The Racing Post , so it is authoritative.

To the latest commenter .......... Right enough. Flyingbolt did not win over three miles four furlongs. He did win the Irish Grand National over three miles five furlongs.

I remember you stating in one of your postings that Flyingbolt had won over 3miles 4 furlongs, which was totally incorrect. You later amended that post which proved that ,although you think you know it all, YOU DON'T!

Noel Murless, Abernant's trainer, rated him the fastest racehorse he ever saw. Abernant's speed was truly phenomenal.

He was very speedy, probably the fastest horse ever trained in the British Isles,if not in Europe.

In one piece of work over 3 furlongs Abernant was asked to go past a lead horse who had been given a 30 length start and he did so with ease. Abernant possessed absolutely blistering speed.

Abernant was an incredibly fast sprinter and must be considered as one of the very best over 5 and 6 furlongs.

Horse was tough as nails, Canada's greatest ever

Top sire of the 20th century

We will never see another hurdler who compares with Persian War, he was simply the best there has ever been. Sir Ken was the only other hurdler who would have given Persian War a race.

Awesome hurdler. He was the best, no argument.

The best hurdler ever to race on a British racecourse. No other hurdler comes close to PW's record especially when you factor in all the problems this great horse had to endure in his career.

I rate Persian War as the greatest hurdler I ever saw run or am ever likely to see. Istabraq, Night Nurse and Monksfield were terrific hurdlers, but not in the Persian War class. That's my opinion anyway.

Persian War was trained close to where I live ,but I never got to see him except on television when he won his three Champion Hurdles. I know that he is regarded as the best hurdler ever.

I agree that Persiaan War was the best hurdler but Golden Cygnet was brilliant and could have been the best hurdler ever if he had not been tragically killed in the Scottish ChampioN Hurdle.

There have been many great hurdlers down the years,far too numerous to mention here,but my idea of the top 5 are: 1 Persian War 2 Sir Ken 3 Night Nurse 4 Istabraq 5 Monksfield

Great hurdler,probably the best there's ever been. His owner, Henry Alper, didn't deserve to own such a wonderful racehorse, he ran him when he wasn't fit and too soon after recovering from terrible injuries. With a more compassionate owner Persian War might have won two more Champion Hurdles. I loved the horse,he was a BIG favourite of mine.

You got the name of the race wrong pal. It was the Lonsdale Hurdle at Kempton and not the Rendlesham Hurdle, but the rest of the information is right.

I recently read the story of PersianWar's racing career and believe me the injuries that this horse sustained during his racing career would have stopped a rhinoceros. I urge anyone who wants to know what a truly tough racehorse Persian War was to read the book. No other racehorse had anything like the injuries that Persian War suffered and he still won 3 Champion Hurdles and numerous other top hurdle races AFTER those injuries. A truly was a great hurdler of that there is absolutely no doubt.

Total rubbish, Persian War was a far better horse than Istabraq who beat absolutely nothing in his three Champion Hurdle wins. Persian War had to overcome terrible injury problems which would have curtailed most other hurdlers careers, but such was his greatness that in his first run of the season carrying 12 stone 7lbs on bottomless going he won with the Rendlesham Hurdle at Kempton, a feat that Istabraq was NEVER asked to perform. Istabraq the best Champion Hurdler? I've never read such rubbish!

Are you kidding. He is nothing on the immortal Istabraq who would have won 4 champion hurdles if foot and mouth hadn't stopped the festival. 10xbetter than Persian War

I've seen all the great hurdlers,but none of them can hold a candle to Persian War,a truly brilliant hurdler at his best.

Zarkava is the second greatest female horse of all time. Only Zenyatta betters this incredible filly. Disgrace that she is not top 10.

Superb filly.

Bold Ruler ran against the best class of throughbreds in the U.S.: Gen. Duke, Gallant Man, Iron Liege, Round Table, etc. and more than held his own. Heads up against Secretariat at 1 1/8 miles, Bold Ruler would win 7 of 10.

Great points regarding Forego's legacy. However, I do believe you do have to also throw Kelso and Man o' War into the American mix. I think it is so sad that Secretariat didn't have a chance to race as a 4 year-old. If you think SEC's 3-year old campaign was unparalleled, his 4-year old campaign would have been absolutely frightening NO MATTER HOW MUCH EXTRA WEIGHT HE WOULD HAVE BEEN SADDLED WITH!

Among American race horses I think Forego deserves to be ranked only behind Secretariat, Citation, and Spectacular Bid. Forego's 1976 campaign is among the greatest ever: he fell a nose short of winning the Handicap Triple Crown and then later won the Woodward Stakes and the Marlboro Cup. Had he not suffered an inflamed ankle he would have won the Jockey Club Gold Cup as the overwhelming favourite. Had he achieved there would be no doubt that he belongs as the 4th greatest American thoroughbred of all time.

Forego won races from sprints to marathons, while carrying a mountain on his back. No modern horse has carried anything like what Forego routinely carried. He wond the 1976 Marlboro Cup carrying 137lbs and the 1975 Suburban (a mile and half race) carrying 134. Let's see some of the more recent superstars do that.

Forego was an awesome horse. It certainly would have been awesome to watch Forego race against Secretariat as 4 and 5 year olds. What many people don't realize is that the comparison to a 3 and 4 year old colt, from an anotomical perspective, is synonymous to a 15 and 21 year old male with the 4 year old much bigger, stronger, and faster. Scary to think that we were all deprived of watching Secretariat as a 4 year old and the unbreakable earth shattering record times he might have continued to set!

Defeated champion sprinters JO Tobin and Dr. Patches, both of whom beat Seattle Slew. Beat another 8 or so champion horses and numerous stakes winners over many years. Beat Honest Pleasure in the Marlboro in stupefying fashion. All this on bad legs, carrying Dr. Fager on his back... There may have been a few flat our faster horses on a given day, but no horse had the heart Forego had, and therefore no horse was as favored by people, and still is. I don't know what the "best" horse means, but we all know what the FAVORITE means and -- favored in like 95+% of his 57 races -- WHO it simply has to be!

Defeated champion sprinters JO Tobin and Dr. Patches, both of whom beat Seattle Slew. Beat another 8 or so champion horses and numerous stakes winners over many years. Beat Honest Pleasure in the Marlboro in stupefying fashion. All this on bad legs, carrying Dr. Fager on his back... There may have been a few flat our faster horses on a given day, but no horse had the heart Forego had, and therefore no horse was as favored by people, and still is I don't know what the "best" horse means, but we all know what the FAVORITE means and -- favored in like 95+% of his 57 races -- WHO it simply has to be!

Actually that was a quote from his trainer about entering him in the Preakness. He was later gelded and returned as Sprint Champion before starting on his Eclipse run. Just happened to mature a little later than Secretariat. It would have been interesting to have seen them run as 4 and 5 year olds.

He was a great horse but when he lost to Secretariat in the Derby his owner swore he never race his horse ever again against him.

That's why he is 29th not 2nd.

this is the most UNDER-RATED and under-appreciated horse of all time...he was also the most unfortunate because of the year of his birth...if he had been born almost any other yr...prob triple crown of US winner...he still ran the 2nd fastest kentucky derby EVER....even if the 'powers that be' chose only to record winning times....that means he had the speed to beat 10 of 11 TC of US.....he beat the 11th another day..... now i love BIG RED...all 3 of them....i rank them sec 1st, phar lap 2nd, and MOW 3RD..but sham never gets the respect he deserves.....also, i have read the "xfactor" literature...and they talk about it being an advantage...thankyou eclipse.. then they talk about phar lap...should have listened to the aussies sooner...we know eclipse, phar lap and secretariat all had that special gene for the big heart....but SHAM HAD IT TOO..and you could almost see his big heart breaking in the 1973 belmont

HE couldn't beat Big Red!

When Sir Ivor swept past Connaught with such incredible acceleration to win the 1968 Derby I just could not see him ever being beaten, but he seemed to lose his form and only regained his former brilliance when annihilating the American horses in the Washington D.C International at Laurel Park. At his best Sir Ivor was a truly brilliant racehorse,of that there can be no doubt.

Upto 10 furlongs may have conquered the likes of Mill Reef and Nijisnky.Sir Ivor produced devastating finishing speed to win the Guineas and Derby.He capped a hard season by winning the Washington International in 1968 to prove he was a true great.Not a true stayer ,which he was not bred for.He faced very high-class opposition i n his year like Petingo,Royal Palace,Fort Marcy etc.

Piggott always said he was the best horse he ever rode. Not a bad judge in my opinion. I certainly think Sir Ivor's turn of foot was something to behold.

39th is an insult to this great mare and Australian racing...

Makybe Diva was certainly a champion stayer. 3 times winner in 2003, 04 & 05 of the unofficial staying world championship race, the Melbourne Cup, where she beat the worlds best over 2 miles. She set weight carrying records for a mare in the latter 2 of these 3 wins. She won the 2 mile Sydney Cup. She also won Australasia's 2 best races at WFA, the mile & 1/4 WS Cox Plate as well as the mile & 1/2 BMW Stakes. She also ran a head 2nd in Australasia's toughest mile & 1/2 handicap, the Caulfield Cup, where she was just beaten by Elvstroem (a Derby winner as well as a winner of the Dubai Duty Free). Champion racemare !

She needs to be higher!!!!!

Great horse no doubt, first two cups, outstanding. Unfortunately the fact they watered the track so heavily to benefit her and ruin chances of others makes the third cup pointless, in my humble opinion. Sunline still beats her as Australasia's best mare in recent times

In three Melbourne Cups, beat 23x3=69 (less 1 or 2 horses that were scratched for those races). That's pretty good.

should easily be up there with Carbine and Phar lap especially considering shes a mare that carried so much weight to melbourne cup wins three years in a row.

Seattle Slew Offspring.

Truly great steeplechaser probably one of the greatest there has ever been. Only Arkle and perhaps Flyingbolt could match him.

His record was phenomenal. There will never be another horse who will win 5 CGCs.

Without a doubt!

#30....no way! Count Fleet is one of the fastest and under rated horses of all-time. On a bad day, should at least be in the top 20.

great horse, seen him race live twice, including at the jockey club gold cup to become north america first 10 million dollar man. however, he is not a belmont winner, he was runner up to rags to riches, a great filly. he did win the preakness though that year.

Tulloch is more than likely the 2nd best horse to ever race in Australia. As one of the world's premier racing jurisdictions and with 150+ years of racing history it is simply ludicrous Tulloch is not in or close to the top 10. His record speaks for itself. Once unplaced in 53 lifetime starts, including 36 wins 12 seconds

Tulloch was always rated higher than the superstar 3 times Cox Plate winner Kingston Town by the one man who should know, champion trainer Tommy Smith. He trained both of them ! He won from 5 furlongs to 2 miles and established Australian records at 10 furlongs - in winning the WS Cox Plate, 12 furlongs - in winning Caulfield Cup and it was the world record time for mile & 1/2 on turf and he was still only a spring 3yo when he did it. He also took 2 secs off Phar Lap's 28 year old AJC Derby record. He was almost certainly the world's best 3yo in 1957 having won many major races such as the Rosehill & Caulfield Guineas, AJC, VRC & Queensland Derbys as well as beating the older horses in the Caulfield Cup. Tommy Smith wanted to run him in the Melbourne Cup as a 3yo however Tulloch's owner was against it. He won the VRC Derby on the Saturday thrashing Prince Darius by 8 lengths before he was scratched from the Melbourne Cup on the Tuesday. Prince Darius ran and was 2nd beaten a neck ! Tulloch had 16 starts as a 3yo for 14 wins one 2nd one 3rd. His owners knocked back huge overseas offers to buy him. They planned to race him in England and the USA but he contracted a mystery stomach illness which robbed him of his 4 and 5yo years, more than likely his best years. He came back and won his 1st race almost 2 years after he got sick beating multiple Group 1 winner Lord. This time he was aimed at the Melbourne Cup. He won 3 lead up races incl the WFA championship of Australasia the WS Cox Plate prior to his Melbourne Cup run, where he carried 10 stone 1lb (64kg) and was given a terrible ride by his jockey Neville Selwood, who had him some 60 lengths behind the leader with 6 furlongs to go. He ran on very well to finish an unlucky 7th, his only unplaced run in his career. Tulloch was certainly a leviathan and deserves to be ranked much higher. He was a certainty to be top 10 had he not contracted his sickness, which cruelly robbed him of maybe his best racing years.

True Champion. 2nd only to Phar Lap in Australia.

versatile champion racehorse who would have beaten any horse in the world in his time. Won from 6 furlongs to 16 furlongs. Few had more ability than The King. It should be noted injury forced him out of the Sydney Autumn Carnival in 3 consecutive years and he was unbeatable in Sydney. 14 time Group 1 winner. How many more Group 1 wins would he have had except for injury ?

was an outstanding Australian bred Thoroughbred racehorse who won a record three Cox Plates and 11 other Group One races in a career spanning from 1979 to 1982. In 1980 he was awarded the honour of being the Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year.

Champion mare. 2 times Cox Plate and Doncaster Hcp winner. 13 times Group 1 winner. Won Group 1's in 3 countries. She won 32 races. She was also a 3 time Australian Horse of the Year & a 4 time NZ Horse of the Year. She was a beauty

She should be higher on the list the GREAT MARE

Dubai Millenium is one of the fastest horse I've ever seen. He imposes a very fast pace and still outclasses his rivals.

Vastly overrated.

Top 10 horse for sure.

SHOULD BE IN top 5

2x horse of the year, most graded stakes wins all time, personality to spare, longevity...etc. John Henry should be in the top 25 on this list. He didn't have the greatest genetics and he was all heart. One of the greatest, most exciting closers ever, possibly 2nd only to Zenyatta.

He beat Easy Goer in the Kentucky Derby and the Breeders Cup Classic at Belmont. How can he be rated lower than Easy Goer? East Coast bias I guess. Truly a great horse.

Heads up Dr. Fager would win more than Secretariat. Too bad Secretariat didn't win the Wood--forgot to run his race. As he forgot to run his race in the Woodward--and as he forgot to run his race in the Whitney. Also remember, Dr. Fager is the world record holder at a mile. Guess he beats Secretariat 10 of 10 to the slower Secretariat!!!!! Dr. Fager carried larger imposts and ran fantastic times. Secretariat got weight from Onion and Prove Out, and didn't beat them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No way Dr. Fager loses to Angle Light, Onion, Prove Out, Twice 'a Prince, or Master Achiever even ONCE. Much less lose to them two years running. Furthermore, Secretariat's great competition: Twice A Prince, My Gallant, Our Native doesn't match up with some of the great's competition. Swaps would have ate Secretariat for lunch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Interesting statement since Secretariat set the 1-1/8 mile WORLD record in 1973 at the Marlboro Cup (1:45-2/5 seconds) and "galluped" to an unfathomable 1:57-4/5 seconds 1-1/4 mile that unofficially ties Spectacular Bid's still standing World Record. Bottom line is to say ANY horse at ANY distance would beat Secretariat 9 out of 10 times borders on insanity!!!!

Would have beat Secretariat at any distance up to 1 1/8 miles--9 times out of 10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

62ND!!!!!!!!! KAUTO STARS ONLY 62ND!!!! absolutely unbelievable horse. only horse to have won grade 1s 7 years in a row over fences, won more group 1s than any other steeplechaser, won from 2m up to 3m2f, done all this at a time when there were so many other vintage horses like Denman, Long Run etc so how on earth is he only 62nd? mick fitzgerald was interviewed just before the 2010 gold cup and when asked what weaknesses the horse had said he has none. the 3rd greatest chaser behind arkle and flyingbolt. ive been reading this list from 100 up and its a travesty that him, Denman and other NH horses arent higher up. rant over lol

Well he won again! The best chaser the UK has ever seen. FACT.

Yes it was fantastic to see KS bounce back with that great win at Haydock, BUT watch Long Run turn the tables on him in the King George on Boxing Day.

i am delighted that after you and so many people said kauto is past his best that he showed once again what he is made of.. see what did to long run in the betfair last weekend!! greatest chaser and most charismatic horse ever!!

Yes, Kauto was a breath of fresh air in the chasing sphere and certainly brought many people into the racing game with his tremendous jumping. As the previous contributor has said, Kauto Star is probably the best chaser since Arkle and Flyingbolt. I hope the connections of this great horse will now give him the retirement he deserves as he is clearly past his best. I would hate to see him get hurt in his twilight years.

People have to realise that Kauto Star has not only won 2 Gold Cups. He has won 2 Gold Cups beating another one of the top 5 Steeplechasers of all time. Denman. That is an amazing acheivement, and I cannot help but think that if Denman had been around 5 years before Kauto Star, how many Gold Cups would both horses of won. They both would have been totally dominant.

To put it simply the best steeplechaser since the great Arkle.

Rachel was an exceptional 3yo given her competition. And we'll never know how good she might have been but her 4yo races were not auspicious. Check out not only Zenyatta, but mares like Susan's Girl, who doesn't even make this list. She had a spectacular 3yo season, but one year does not make a "goat."

I love how thick some people are. People that argue that Rachel Alexandra is better than Zenyatta, well lets see shall we, have a look at how Rachel Alexandra beat Mine That Bird by then Have a look at how many horses beat him in the classic. And as for saying that Rachel Alexandra has more heart take a look at Zenyatta's only loss you will all see how much heart she has. Now I'm not taking anything away from Rachel Alexandra, I think she is a very good horse, all i'm saying is, is that there are some thick idiots (above) who are so one minded that even if they had raced and zenyatta cantered home they would still say Rachel Alexandra was better.

Love how some morons say she ducked zenyatta... When Rachel was a 3 yr old zenyatta camp stayed in California while Rachel was busy in new York, Kentucky, Maryland.... So who ducked who? And then finally after her grueling 3 yr old season which clearly ruined her, the moss's where finally ready to leave California and take on a broke down version of Rachel... Are u really to stupid to see what's really true....

Very overated horse. Her preakness which is supposed to be one of the greatest achievements of all time was against a rubbish field of which the best was a horse who hasn't won since the Derby. Also never dared to race against the great Zenyatta, shouldn't even be spoke about in the same breath.

I don't care what you say this mare has more heart than either one of those mares, even when she didn't win she was still fighting for the lead even though the race was over. In my opinion she should have at least been top 10

ducked racing zenyatta.... says it all

Are you telling me that rachel would beat either Sunday Silence or Easy Goes? No chance.

What can you say about Dessie that hasn't already been said? To watch Desert Orchid jump a fence was simply awesome. He was a standing dish at Kempton and always gave 100 per cent. I was over the moon when he capped a great career by winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Brillant! Brilliant! Brilliant!

This horse probably heads a lot of people's(well in UK anyway) favorite horse of all timel lists but as to greatest,I dont think so.Was Dessie rated top ten in NH?

Wonderful chaser and along with Red Rum probably the best loved chaser of modern times, and rightly so.

Loved this horse.Most beautiful horse not in an imposing way like Secretariat or Zenyatta but just breathtakingly beautiful.

Dessie to all horse racing fans will be remembered for being the best looking horse of all time and the horse with the most heart of all time and it is a tragedy that this incredible horse didn't win more than 1 gold cup.

Bernadini wasn't even in the Derby that year. Plus, had Barbaro not broken down, He'd have taken the triple crown. He was able to run all day. Up close, he was astounding. I was working on the backside on Derby day 2006 and WOW...what a horse, Bobby was!

he was the best......for sure he wold've been the TCC winner but he didn't live long enough to show the race world how amaizing this horse was...

Im going to get slated for saying this because it was the dreaded race that this horse broke down. But, I actually think Bernardini was a better racehorse. Yet he's not even on the list. Not taking anything away from Barbaro, his Derby win was very impressive and obviously he was unbeaten up to then so he was very good but like I said I beleive Bernardini was the better horse.

Would have been the next triple crown winner if not he run into that tragic event. Overall a great horse with a great will to win

this is a disgrace - if he hadnt broke down in the preakness he would have been drubbed by bernardini (how is he ahead of slew?)

Absurd. This is Martyr Syndrome again. He may have been good but he has next to no proof of real greatness.

Maybe not, but it was nice to dream. He won the Kentucky Derby and would have most likely won the Preakness against the 9 horse field had he not got injured !Most people thought he could have and would have been the next TCC! His 6 & 0 record speaks volumes as did his fight 'til the end! He was one of the best:) No denying.

Barbaro never lived long enough to see how good he was. Winning the Derby by no means makes him best next to any horse. A very foolish statement with all due respect.

barbaro almost as good as big red

Dual classic winner ( Epsom Derby and Two Thousand Guineas) and also defeated Sir Ivor in the Eclipse Stakes as a 4-year old in 1968. Not one of the greats though.

Shouldn't be on this list as he was just an average winner of the Epsom Derby.