The World's Best Horses

[wilf]

Actually I ducked this thread as I thought that it was shallow at first ,however I was wrong and reading some of the replies has stimulated me to action,not from frustration however but because they were very well thought out. As a foreigner it took a while to absorb the USA champs and give them the respect they deserve outside of the Secretariat aura. KELSO......beyond belief. Spectacular Bid .......oh that I could have paid my respects while he lived! Northern Dancer.........simply the greatest "All Around" thoroughbred that ever lived,so good that he ran a track record in the Derby until Big Red showed up,then became the dominant sire of sires of sires of sires!! Dr Fager ....... a fragile freak lost way too soon. Charlie Whittingham said he never saw Man O' War run but he would have had to run some to beat PHAR LAP!.....The sway backed TULLOCH from Australia was absolutely fantastic as a 3yr old and came back from near death to win more Grade One races and his trainer the brilliant "Little General" T.J.Smith only had one other that he mentioned in the same breath.....'Kingston Town", gelded after his first race he won 15 in a row. I rubbed a horse that beat him but he was the best I ever saw. SEA BIRD was the best horse on turf anywhere as the highest rated horse ever in Europe with remarkable American pedigree! If you love horses racing then Steeplechasing will make your pulse quicken watching ARKLE replays on Youtube and the fabulous Desert Orchid's exploits over timber,however if you should watch the 1973 Grand National you will witness two things; the start of the legendary career of Red Rum as he wins his first Grand National and even more remarkable is the single greatest performance of any horse in defeat as the "Black Kangaroo" CRISP from Australia runs faster than any jumper before in that race carrying a brutal weight impost much greater than Red Rum,only to be caught in the last two strides of the 4 and a half mile race; a terrible injustice indeed!. As for me, the best horse is my pal in the back paddock,"Classic Jewel", 171 starts, 33 wins...........you see it's all relative and it keeps us thinking!

[Bid]

Wilf- you're correct that it is our personal recollection that makes a horse great. My uncle, now 87 and still drives to the track 5 out of 7 days, has told me many times that Dr. Fager was the fastest horse he ever saw. But, the story he tells me most often is of a claiming horse he bet at Bowie years ago. He recalls the name and the name of the horse he beat that day all because he hit the double.

[smokeglacken]

Steward gets it exactly right: " The Jockey Club Gold Cup was the proverbial classic dirt championship at the time, and the DC International was the same for the turf."

Kelso won the JC Gold Cup five times in a row; one win set a new American record which still stands. He was awarded HOY in all five years.

Kelso ducked no one. He represented the US in four consecutive editions of the DC International, running 2nd three times and finally winning in new American record time.

Kelso was the compleat race horse -- he won top stakes from a mile to two miles. I never saw a better American horse. Unfortunately because he was a gelding and didn't breed on his achievements tend to be forgotten or overlooked by later generations of fans.

All that needs to be said right there... 5 crops couldn't take the old man off his pedestal. Dubai Millenium and some of the others shouldn't be mentioned in the same breath.

[bdw0617]

Steward gets it exactly right: " The Jockey Club Gold Cup was the proverbial classic dirt championship at the time, and the DC International was the same for the turf."

Kelso won the JC Gold Cup five times in a row; one win set a new American record which still stands. He was awarded HOY in all five years.

Kelso ducked no one. He represented the US in four consecutive editions of the DC International, running 2nd three times and finally winning in new American record time.

Kelso was the compleat race horse -- he won top stakes from a mile to two miles. I never saw a better American horse. Unfortunately because he was a gelding and didn't breed on his achievements tend to be forgotten or overlooked by later generations of fans.

All that needs to be said right there... 5 crops couldn't take the old man off his pedestal. Dubai Millenium and some of the others shouldn't be mentioned in the same breath.

while kelso was a remarkable horse, everyone can agree with that, you can't take anything away from a horse becuase like dubai millinium. what exactly did he do wrong? he lost one race, a race which he was basically horny before the race and got too worked up in the paddock. he toyed with the rest of the horses he ever faced in his life.

No one is saying Dubai Mill was a better horse, but I think it's rather narrow minded to say he shouldn't be mentioned in the same breath. and on turf, at 9 furlongs, i'm not so sure kelso beats him. however anything longer I'd give the nod to kelso.