Best miler of the 1980s
- Dancing Brave
- El Gran Senor
- Miesque
- Warning
- Zilzal
- Other
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After the sad passing of Barry Hills, I posted the video of Sure Blade winning the St James’s Palace Stakes in 1986.
That got me thinking about Dancing Brave, who demolished his field in that year’s Guineas. Which led me to El Gran Señor, who won surely the strongest Guineas of that decade (Chief Singer, Lear Fan, Rainbow Quest, etc). Which made me think of Warning, who was a stunning miler. Which made me think of Miesque, who beat Warning at Deauville… Another outstanding miler was Zilzal, who Timeform rated above them all over a mile (137).
Anyway, who gets your vote?
If “Other” please try to explain who and why.
Thanks.
Interesting – I would argue that both DB and EGS were not actual milers per say, more that they had one great performance at a mile before going up in trip so I have discounted them both.
Therefore, I would have to go with Miesque as while Warning was a very good horse on his day he was beaten by Miesque in the Marois and once again in the BC Mile when he failed to fire in his 3 yr old season and then by Zilzal in the Sussex as a 4 yr old when he was a shadow of his former self.
Zilzal was brilliant in his all too brief career but Miesque was equally as brilliant and she fully ticked the longevity box also. As a 2yr old she beat the colts in the Prix de la Salamandre and also won the Marcel Boussac, as a 3 yr old she won the English and French 1000g and then was second to the brilliant Indian Skimmer in the French Oaks over 10F, then she dropped back to a mile to win the Marois and Moulin, was second in the QE2 before finishing her busy season by winning the BC Mile (her 7th G1 race of the year!).
As a 4 yr old she only raced 4 times but won Prix d’Ispahan (9F), was beaten narrowly in the Moulin before winning the Marois and BC Mile again, thus becoming the first horse to win those two races back to back.
Although I concede she might not be the greatest over a mile, I’ll put in a shout for Pebbles to be included in the short list. That most of her finest wins were over longer distances only enhances her achievements over a mile in my view. I would probably still vote for Miesque though.
Sorry LD, you mentioned most of that hours ago.
I was just too young for proper horse racing at that time, but what miler has ever matched Miesque’s results from two to four years? To win a Marcel Boussac, a French and British 1,000 Guineas plus twice the Jacques le Marois and the Breeder’s Cup Mile.
She was 12-3-1 from 16 starts with a Timeform Rating 0f 133. Travelled a lot more than Frankel, didn’t she?Miesque. She beat Warning. Dancing Brave and El Gran Senor didn’t stay at a mile. And I prefer Miesque to Zilzal.
Another vote for Miesque echoing ERL’s comments.
The more I know the less I understand.
Strange one this. I can’t really argue against the posts made here because they all make fair and rational points. With the longevity and success Miesque’s career, she stands out as the one with the best credentials.
However, when I think of the 2000 guineas victories of Dancing Brave and El Gran Senor, they seem to hit harder from another angle. In an alternative world/racing career, I’ve no doubt these two brilliant colts would’ve cleaned up if they went down the mile route.
Out of all these horses mentioned in the vote, Dancing Brave was the most talented one by some way IMO.
KRIS was the greatest miler I’ve ever seen. As he won the Lockinge in 1980, he just about fits the criteria, albeit that 1979 was his imperious season, winning the Sussex, QEII, St James Palace & Waterford Crystal Mile amongst others, generally in devastating fashion. He produced tremendous acceleration at the business end, normally against very smart opposition.
Syndicated post-retirement to stud for a then-eyewatering amount of £4m, he sired some decent crops, including Oaks winners Oh So Sharp and Unite.
Mike
I tried so hard not to pick Dancing Brave ….but Jesus he was a superstar , prob better over farther but he’s at the very very top of most lists
Pick 3 on Saturday champion 2025/2026
While I can echo much of what’s been posted above of those mentioned ZILZAL would be top of my list with with Warning & Kris in a photo for second.
However for me the best was never seen of the brilliant colt NUREYEV who was never seen on track again following his disqualification after ‘winning’ the 1980 2000 Guineas.Under today’s rules he may have kept the race with the jockey deservedly punished for his riding …. but in my opinion Nureyev was the best in the contest and has sadly become very much a forgotten horse.
good luck to allIf El Gran Senor had remained at a mile/10 furlongs his star would be brighter. But connections, probably with stud value in mind, pushed the boat out too far. Best miler i’ve seen, tho based on that one race and the quuality of the field
Having mulled it over a bit more in the old memory banks, I was remiss not to mention Sonic Lady who perhaps should also have been given serious consideration to at least being added to the list.
She was a 3yr old the same year as Dancing Brave and whilst she did get beaten in the 1000g (where she got upset in the prelims) by subsequent Oaks winner Midway Lady, she then proceeded to win the Irish 1000g (beating the French 1000g winner), Coronation Stakes, Child Stakes (now the Falmouth Stakes) before putting the colts and older horses to the sword in the Sussex Stakes (including the Queen Anne winner).
She repeated the dose to the field in the Moulin (which also included the Marois winner) and then she went on to the BC Mile but cut little ice although that was probably because she was over the top by then considering it was her 8th run of the season. She returned as a 4 yr old but was never really as good with a 3rd in the Queen Anne, although she did manage to win a 2nd Child (Falmouth) Stakes (the first of only two horses to do so) and was then 3rd to Milligram and Miesque in the QE2 and then finished 3rd again to Miesque in the BC Mile on her swangsong.
Timeform had her on 129 as a 3yr old (the joint highest 3yr old filly with Darara – who incidentally finished a 4L 6th to Dancing Brave in the Arc) and while the the International Classification had her on 127, that was actually still high enough to make her the top rated European 3yr old Filly.
Sonic Lady was a very good filly, LD, but the poll was for the crème de la crème.
The only other horse I considered for inclusion was Northjet, who put up an absolutely top-class performance to destroy those old rivals To-Agori-Mou and King’s Lake by five lengths in the 1981 Prix Jacques le Marois, before following up with a less spectacular but comfortable success (in course record time) in that year’s Prix du Moulin.
Timeform rated him 136, the same as El Gran Senor and Warning, but a couple of French races in 1981 probably aren’t remembered by most people here!
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