The Most Famous Horses in Racing History
Horse racing fans love a winner and do not stop just because the objects of their affection have passed on to greener pastures! Take a look at the most famous racehorses that fans and bettors watched with keen interest whenever they took to the track:
Frankel, 2008
The charge of Sir Henry Cecil is already being hailed as the finest horse of the modern era, thanks to winning each one of his 14 starts. To date, he’s won the 2000 Guineas Stake, the Champion Stakes, the Lockinge Stakes, the QEII, the Queen Anne the St James’s Palace Stakes, as well as the Sussex Stakes, twice.
Man o’ War, 1917 to 1947
Widely considered to be one of the greatest racehorses of all time, Man o’ War was a superstar in the 1920s. Between 1919 and 1920 he won 20 of the 21 races he took part in, with his one loss, at Saratoga, to a horse ironically named Upset.
Man o’ War was famous for his 28-foot stride, believed to be the longest ever, and the sport was made more popular thanks to him.
Phar Lap, 1926 to 1932
Phar Lap’s humble origin story is part of his appeal. The magnificent beast that buoyed Australia out of the despair of the Great Depression was purchased for just $130 thanks to being skinny and covered in warts. He didn’t even place in his first four starts.
But his form steadily and incredibly improved and in 1930 he won four races in seven days at the Melbourne Cup. Phar Lap’s heart was apparently 1 ½ times bigger than normal, which not only gives the phrase All Heart a new meaning but may have also been the secret to his success.
Seabiscuit, 1933 to 1947
Seabiscuit captured the American imagination thanks to losing 17 career races before starting to win them in 1935. Once the champion thoroughbred got Johnny Pollard, known as Red, as his regular rider, he kept up the good work and took first place in seven consecutive races in 1937.
His story is perhaps something for all of us to remember when we’re down on our luck! The next time you’re having a bad day, enduring a dry run with your smartphone pokies games or simply feeling overwhelmed, keep going! Like Seabiscuit, your lucky break could be just over the horizon.
The highlight of Seabiscuit’s career was the 1938 one-on-one race with War Admiral, the winner of the 1937 Triple Crown. Even though Red wasn’t racing him, Seabiscuit defeated his much-favoured opponent in one of sports history’s greatest upsets.
Secretariat, 1970 to 1980
Secretariat, or Big Red, may be one of the finest thoroughbreds who ever lived. He was the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years in 1973, and his jockey, Ron Turcotte, waxed lyrical about what it was like to ride him.
Turcotte said that he had simply never been on a horse that could what he could do. He said that Secretariat’s turn of foot was magnificent and that the horse responded instantly according to Turcotte’s position, lowering, galloping, and quickening as he was asked.
