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No. Maybe top 20. But just too many ahead
listed in order
Secretariat – let der be no doubt on this pls
Sea Bird II – just a brilliant horse, end of
Man ay War – awesome as the yanks wud say
Nijinsky – class class class
Peintre Celebre – watch his arc
Zarkava – her and petite etoile – hard to callcan name many others
STS? GREAT 3YO horse – dats it – top 20 maybe
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tank u UM – just tryin to inject a bit of reality here…………………STS is NOT the best horse of all time – hes not even CLOSE……………gracias
Certainly the best in the last 15/20 years id say but not all time. Nijinsky must come in that category(but was a bit too young to appreciate him. In my lifetime i thought Dancing Brave was the best i saw live, closely followed by Ardross and Oh So Sharp
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STS is the best of the last 15/20 years? I mean? How you can say even that is beyond me? Zarkava? And if you think STS is a better horse than Peintre Celebre? I dunno. You need to go back to school pal.
STS is the best of the last 15/20 years? I mean? How you can say even that is beyond me? Zarkava? And if you think STS is a better horse than Peintre Celebre? I dunno. You need to go back to school pal.
Its all about opinions mate what these forums are about
The two you mention were very very good horses, you asked for opinion….i gave it
IMHO Oh So Sharp would beat Zarkava if you could mess about with eras and the same with STS and PC
It’s impossible to compare generations, but Sea the Stars is equal to the best; 6 grade 1s, from mile to 18 furlongs, all won with consummate ease and thrilling speed
Take no notice of Johnson Ted. hes still upset cos he didnt get enough Duck at some dinner somehwere. I said duck by the way….
Dancing brave is missing from list. This isnt a great or really worthwhile debate, but he will always have the fact that he beat a surpeb field in the arc to his name.
in terms of versatility you have to say he’s deffo in the top 10
in terms of 12f horses sea bird is no1 for me
peintre celebre is a good shout, i think he quickened 4 times when he won his arc
dont forget generous was sensational on his best days as well
Incidentally, here’s the first 10 of the Bloodhorse Top 100 US Racehorses of the 20th Century.
1. Man O’ War
2. Secretariat
3. Citation
4. Kelso
5. Count Fleet
6. Dr. Fager
7. Native Dancer
8. Forego
9. Seattle Slew
10. Spectacular BidMy rankings:
1. Man O’War
2. Citation
3. Secretariat
4. Kelso
5. Dr. Fager
6. Buckpasser
7. Forego
8. Damascus
9. Round Table
10. Native DancerNote that each of these horses raced at least 20 times, most of them at least twice that. Kelso was our Horse of the Year 5 years in a row, Forego 3 years in a row. I can never put a horse like Sea Bird II, Zarkava, Sea the Stars, Peintre Celebre, or Dancing Brave above them-none of those raced more han 10 times.
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Probably raced so many times because there wasn’t the same clout/stud value they have these days.
I happen to think Seretariat is the best I ever saw but I’m not that convinced I am right or that he would have beaten Sea BirdII.
At least in Europe we acknowledge the fact American horses exist. We continue to prove year after year European bloodstock is more than a match for their American counterparts, yet you can’t have any our champions above your own.
I find that odd guess you must be oblivious to the fact we keep taking your major prizes at the Breeders back to Europe year after year?
What distance, which surface, what was the going, left or right handed track?
We need to know these details before even attempting a light-hearted guess otherwise it’s just a popularity contest.- Total Posts 17716
Good point if it was 1m2f maybe Sea the Stars should be up there and maybe not. Timeform rated him what 140 was it?
Everyone was knocked out by his Arc win and I even heard one commentator say he should be rated up there with Sea Bird II
The expected increase in his rating never came. Timeform had actually made a right hooch of things rating him far too highly too early. It wasn’t until he ran in the Arc they realised how similar his win was to Zarkava 132 so they said he had ran below his best
So using Timeform figures isn’t the answer when working out where he should really fit.
I’m not knocking them what I am saying is their figures have a shelf life where an awful lot of horses are concerned.
They are probably right in the case of Arkle and Sea Bird II who were head and shoulders above anything seen since in the British Isles but trying to fit in other between Sea the Stars and Sea Bird II is a nightmare.
e’g’ would Zarkava have beaten Sea the Stars, would Sea the Stars have been able to cope with the finishing speed of Dancing Brave? Would Nijinsky have beaten Mill Reef etc?
All we have to compare them is our eyes but in my opinion that is enough to stab a very good guess. Those who are big flat fans and were around to see them in the flesh should be heeded and I don’t mean me. I never had a bet on the flat for years and missed a lot.
Not knocking younger people but when I was younger everything that won the Triumph Hurdle was the new Persian War and the RSA winner the next Arkle.
Sea the Stars may be your number 1 now but in 10-15 years I doubt if he will be.I’ve watched Sea the Stars a hundred times and thought he was brilliant but when I look back at videos of Nijinsky, Sea Bird, Mill Reef etc. The memories come flooding back at how just good these horses actually were and the buzz they gave when they won…Never quite got that buzz from Sea the Stars so for me he’s just another very good horse among many others I have seen. But that’s me and not you.
I would definitely rate Sea The Stars in the top ten – without a moment’s hesitation.
I rate him above the likes of Zarkava, Mill Reef ( as does Ian Balding ) and Dancing Brave.
Secretariat was a great horse ( on level left handed dirt and turf tracks ) but it is hard to gauge how he would compare to the European greats. He did lose five times, it should be added.
Sea The Stars had by far the best temperament I have witnessed in any top class throughbred. Totally comfortable whatever pace or tactics were employed and could find the necessary gears when required. Every horse has an off day; York was his, yet he still managed to win. That’s true class !
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It is hard to compare horses from Americs and Europe, the racing style is different, there’s less of an emphasis on speed and moreso on rating well and having a good closing kick. Sea the Stars, Sea Bird II, Brigadier Gerard, they are all legends, but they were in a different racing world than Citation or Man O’War. Not a worse one, just different. There’s a lot to be said for being unbeaten, or nearly so-I have to admire Sea the Stars accomplishments and his legendary season, even if isn’t in my personal all-time top 10 list.
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