Who are the greatest racehorses ever? What separates them from the others?

Question

I was surprised to see that with all the talk about Barbaro, no one has compared him to Ruffian. They were both great, strong, unbeaten racehorses when they broke down. Ruffian's tragedy provided the medical advancements necessary so that Barbaro could survive eight months. Is it just that no one thought to make the comparison or could it be that the fans have forgotten the greatest filly ever to set foot on the track? And if that's the case, is that the fate that faces our wonderful Barbaro? What makes a racehorse live on in our memories? Why Man O War, Seabiscuit, Secretariat, but not others? And how many of us can name all of the Triple Crown winners since the first in 1919 without going to look it up? In the end, it's not just our love for a great champion because all of the 11 Triple Crown winners were great champions. It's not the tragedy: Man O War and Secretariat were never injured. Seabiscuit and Man O War never won the Triple Crown. So what makes the few greats?

Does anyone know where there's a video of the 1990 Breeders Distaff? I was only 6 then and I didn't know that I should like to watch horseracing, so I've never seen it. I know basically what happened to Go For Wand, but want to actually see it... i know i'll cry, but I still want to know. I've found video of Ruffian's breakdown and obviously there's video of Barbaro's injury everywhere, but I can't find anything about Go For Wand except for the description in the news articles after the 2006 Distaff.

Answer 1

Being older than alot of people who answer questions I remember alot of the "Greats". Secretariat IS at the head of my list, but Spectacular Bid was an exceptional horse. Go For Wand broke my heart when she broke down at the Breeder's Cup. Bayakoa was another terrific filly! Sunday Silence and Easy Goer? Now who could forget those two? Charismatic, Alydar, Point Given, Monarchos, Seattle Slew... and the list goes on. Winning Colors, she won the Derby.

What rates as great in my book is the one who takes my breath away as soon as he/she enters the paddock. The real greats have a presence about them, that "look at me!" glint in the eye.

Answer 2

I immediately thought of Ruffian after Barbaro went down. Both horses had good careers while racing, and we may never know Ruffian's true worth because the fillies didn't really run with the boys back then.

I think horses that dominate,which Barbaro and Ruffian did, as well as Secretariat and War Admiral, stand out. Seabiscuit had the disadvantage of being a "west coast horse and looked down upon, though he did win a decent amount of races (33 out of 83) or something). I think the fact that he beat War Admiral and also came back from a fairly serious injury helps.Triple Crown winners too. There are some that set other records, like Genuine Risk being the only filly to be in the money all 3 Triple Crown races (still think there should have been a disqualification on the Preakness). Horses from back in the day like Whirlaway and Citation that are just being fogotten.

There's no set rule as to what makes a horse memorable, it can be one of many different things.

Answer 3

I think the competition is what separates them. There are plenty of nice horses that can win against claimers or allowance horses, but when you see a champion take on other champions and win, it sets them apart. Like Barbaro, crushing all those horses that had looked so strong on the Derby Trail. Or the classic rivals like Sunday Silence and Easy Goer, Affirmed and Allydar, or the underrated pair of Silver Charm and Free House from a few years ago.

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I just wanted to add that, though you may not have, I did hear a lot of people comparing Barbaro to Go for Wand and Ruffian and, to a lesser extent, Union City. Ruffian and Go for Wand are well remembered, and I think Barbaro will be also.

Answer 4

I can only speak about those I've seen and since I'm not yet 30 I'm sure I will leave a few out so I will stick with my recent memory.
Ghostzapper was awesome the few times I saw him run, I stood and clapped when Discreet Cat returned to the winners circle after his return this year at Saratoga, I remeber leaning against the outside rail on the far turn of this years Derby and singing He's Gone by the Dead as Barbaro opened up on the turn in front of me, Ouiga Board was another one that I think rates up there as one of the best fillies of this era, I saw her win her 2 Breeders Cup and she has been such a classy filly vs. the boys in Europe. Honorable mention goes out to Invasor who saved me from a bad betting day at Churchill this year, Bernardini who was retired way too soon. Afleet Alex even though both times I saw him run he was 3rd, and Tiznow who was one tough racehorse.

As for Go For Wand I remember it was the first time I was watching the Breeders Cup on TV and seeing her battle so hard down the strech was amazing, until she went down at top speed, it was very remenicent of the way Pine Island went down this year, althought she did it infront of the crowd while batteling for the lead. I have seen it replayed a few times since and truly it is something you can go without seeing, I have a hard time looking at her when she gets back up because you wonder what was going through her mind, whether she cared about the pain or if she was more angry that she didn't win.

If you must see it I think the HBO documentary "Jockey" shows the breakdown.

Answer 5

Man O' War was great because he was only defeated once in 21 starts and even as a two year old he was asked to carry 130 pounds (that's the saddle, jockey and lead weights). He ran with power and ease even carring that weight. He was odds on favorite for every race he entered into, which no other horse has done to this day. He won one race by 100 lengths, he ran out of horses to run against.

Seabiscuit was great because he gave hope in the time of the depression (Watch the movie) If a little know person can buy a hoses the no one really wanted and turn him into a champion it inspires others.

Secretariat caught the nations with his running style and his 31 length win in the Belmont

Answer 6

While Ruffian (who is to me the greatest TB) and Barbaro were both unbeaten, Ruffian is by far the better horse. She ran more races and set or tied records in each of her 10 wins. Barbaro was not a record setter nor did he have as many races. Barbaro never had the trainer of another great horse (in this case, Secretariat) say he was better than his Triple Crown winner. "With God as my witness, she may be better than Secretariat." - Lucien Laurin after seeing Ruffian run. Ruffian, and hundreds of other not so great horses, provided the medical knowledge to allow us to have Barbaro these last 8 months. In that respect, they are all great horses. Barbaro will always be a special horse, but his legacy and greatness will be not what he did on the track, but his fight and what he's done for all horses...research into laminitis, sponsoring and donating to TB retirement organizations, safer track surfaces, horse slaughter, etc.
Ruffian's fans, and racing lovers, will never forget her. We can't. Those of us who watched her break down certainly never forget. And, to make sure she'll be forever remember, Fred Stone included her in his painting "A Century of Heroes."
As for Go for Wand, the video is truly disturbing and is very difficult to find. You might try the Library of Congress. Still photos of her demise can be found on the web; most of them are from Sports Illustrated. These photos are very sorrowful to see.
There is something special about the greats. Be it incredible victories, tragedy or timing. Sometimes it's heart, as with Alydar. He was a great also, without winning the Triple Crown. But the greats appeal to so many and there is no simple answer to what makes them great.
Rest assured, Ruffian will never be forgotten.

Answer 7

One of the Greatest horses I've watched with my own eyes was Tiznow. The only horse to win the Breeders Cup Classic twice, the second time was truley amazing as he nosed out a Horse that skipped the Turf Classic to run in the big event. Tiznow was actually passed in mid stretch and came back on to get it at the wire. How many horses can do that at any level, let alone the top level?

Answer 8

To answer the Go For Wand portion of your question..........The actual breakdown was removed from all types of viewing because it was so horrible..........I remember the actual race and the way her leg was just flapping every which way..........It's actually too brutal to be shown...............

There were so many horses people would consider great yet that's a word that all too often used............Seattle Slew, Kelso, Cigar, Dr. Fager are among the "greats" but hardly ever mentioned while we always think of Secretariat, Affirmed, and now Invasor and Discrete Cat as great...........It's just what holds the most vivid memories in the minds of racing fans..........Secretariat was my all time favorite...........Barbaro never had the chance to prove how great he was or wasn't because he only ran 6 times and was injured on his 7th start........Was he, or would he have been considered great???.........That's something we'll never know..........CAT

As an afterthought, add Holy Bull to that list...........

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Answer 9

Sir Barton
Gallan Fox
Omaha
War Admiral
Whiraway
Count Fleet
Assault
Citation
Secritariat
Seattle Slew
Affirmed
(triple crown winners!)

and might i add
Smarty Jones
Afleet Alex
Stevie Wonderboy

Answer 10

Lol there is actually a question from about a week ago that refers to ruffian and asks which horse was better. I believe Ruffian was better. Personally I love Ruffian but something that I think makes great horses great and, is the reason the crown is so hard, is the fact that 'Great horses' do not break down. I know I am holding a double standard here but I must agree with the answer above me.