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My top three horses:
1) Strong Promise – One of the most natural jumpers there has ever been, and without doubt one of the best steeplechasers not to win a Gold Cup. He was placed twice (1998, 2000) and also won a Grade 1 chase at Ascot (beating One Man). Tragically, just when it seemed he was back to his best, he was killed in the Martell Cup at Aintree.
2) Pridwell – A really classy hurdler, even if he did have his own ideas about the game. I remember the 1997/98 season when he picked up the West Yorkshire Hurdle, Elite Hurdle and Ascot Hurdle in quick succession, all with the greatest possible ease. At the end of that season, he conquered the mighty Istabraq in the Aintree hurdle, under a vintage McCoy ride. Some may say he wasn’t quite top class, but how many hurdlers managed to beat Istabraq?
3) Cyborgo – A champion staying hurdler, who also won two top novice races at Aintree, one over hurdles and the other over fences. Its a shame his form declined the way it eventually did.
Other favourites that just missed out on the three include:
Lord Sam<br>Bishops Yarn<br>Self Defense<br>Baracouda<br>Southampton<br>Calapaez<br>Morley Street<br>
(Edited by Suedehead at 9:05 pm on Jan. 6, 2004)
Forgive my past indescretions!!! i used to be a huge fan of Nh WHEN it was a sport !!1
1 Arkle
My childhood favourites, rightly or wrongly, remain the best horses in their sphere that I have ever seen:
NH — Arkle, who else? Only Flyingbolt (ironically his contemporary) has ever inhabited the same planet. Since then I have been thrilled by the likes of Tingle Creek, Desert Orchid, Istabraq, and of course today’s equine superstar Baracouda.
Flat — No contest, it has to be Sea Bird II — Timeform’s highest rated flat horse of the 20’th century. I’m surprised that no-one else has voted for him. I admit I was only 12 when he won the Derby but I defy anyone who has watched that old grainy black-and-white recording, and that incredible surge of acceleration, not to be moved by his scintillating brilliance. And then when he destroyed a high-class Arc field pulling his jockey’s arms out. I’ve been thrilled by Sir Ivor, Shergar,<br>Dancing Brave, and the great Derby/Arc winners of the present era but for me nothing will ever hold the candle to the immortal Sea Bird.
It’s a wonderful feeling when you can bet on a horse, and feel truly confident of its superior class. I felt this with Galileo (not the hurdler). It only lost its last two, its loss to Fantastic Light by a show of heads.
Smithy, ironically Dessie took a crashing fall on his very first outing as a hurdler! I thought the worst when I witnessed it live, luckily he survived to become the household name he is today.
I unfortunately don’t remember Sea Bird II too well as I was a mere toddler at that time. As such, my knowledge of racing was rather limited at that time ;) <br>I don’t doubt however that he was a superstar based on the vintage Arc/Derby footage that sometimes get played.
1. Dark Fountain – My first ever winner as a punter at my first ever visit at a racetrack. Beat a 4/6 shot ridden by Richard Dunwoody by a head winning at 7/1. The reason my flirtation with Horse Racing lasted longer than those of wannabe footballer, pilot, dus driver and womoniser. Dark Fountain is and millions of racehorses like him worldwide are the only reasons why horse racing exists at all.
2. Party Politics – A giant of a horse and the winner of the Grand National the year before I first watched horse racing. I couldn’t accept Esha Ness as my jolly as he didn’t have to contend with the mighty Party Politics. Back then, the Grand National was a wonderful, magical spectacle and it still was until pundit after pundit slagged it off for being a ridiculous handicap THANK YOU ALISTAIR DOWN YOU FAT DRUNKEN IMPOTENT SELF IMPORTANT IMAGE SPINNING IDIOT!! Despite Red Marauders extraordinary heroics in my favourite GN of all time (because I picked a 33/1 winner) Party Politics takes second place as those were the days where gambling didn’t come anywhere near first and you were happy to just sit on the edge of your seat, enjoy the race and cheer on your favourite horses.<br> <br>3. Dubai Millenium – A horse that really captured the imagination and the reason I got back into racing full time. Nobody could have beat Dubai Millenium, not even my second favourite flat horse of all time Lammtarra. Dubai Millenium made absolute trees out of everything the world had to throw at this machine. Shame how it ended but we must dwell on his on course performances and nothing but.<br>
Flat:
1. Marling (!)<br>2. Zafonic<br>3. Peintre Celebre
NH:
1. Istabraq<br>2. Run For Free<br>3. Suny Bay
(Edited by marling at 5:32 pm on Jan. 6, 2004)
1 – Red Rum. I nearly wept when I saw that he had died on the cover of a newspaper in my local Sainsbury’s. Right there in the shop. His record speaks for itself.
2 – Seven Towers. Beat Lord Gyllene by 7 lengths in the year he won the National. Most memorable race when he won over 3m6f at Newcastle in soft ground, he was 3rd jumping the last yet you could physically see the horse put his head down and run on to beat horses far younger than him. Pure guts! Shame his career was chequered by injury.
3 – Willsford. My mates went to see Oasis in Sheffield and I stayed behind because I couldn’t afford it, (I didn’t like Oasis either) put a quid each way on my favourite racehorse of the time in the Scottish National and he led from start to finish steamrollering the others into the ground. I nearly wept again when he collapsed and died on the track at Cheltenham.<br>I know I’m not supposed to have 4 but I have to shoehorn in One Man. Beautiful horse. I listened on BBC radio that fateful afternoon, the commentator was distraught and didn’t even want to commentate on the rest of the race…I’m just glad I didn’t see it on TV.
All this and I haven’t included Dessie or Anzum winning the Stayers Hurdle, can we pick 10 instead?
Secretariate He was the best I have seen in my life time which spans 60 years of race watching. To run each furlong in a faster time than the previous one is an unheard of feat, which is what he did in winning the Belmont by a distance. Because he was the greatest he has to be my choice.
DANCING BRAVE..great athlete with probably the best turn of foot at the end of a 12 furlong race.MTOTO tough,consistent,no better horse to have a massive bet on,and won my biggest ever pot beating refrence point.MILL REEF less and less people remember this great horse who was campained over many different types of races and was all heart.The best galloper that would never give up.
Well I know I could not possibly limit this to three horses (even to just three from each branch of the sport) so here goes with my list :
Flat
Brigadier Gerard – undoubtedly the finest miler I have ever seen in my life. He was a joy to watch, was campaigned openly and honestly by John and Jean Hislop and was pure class. I was very upset the day he was beaten in the Benson and Hedges Gold Cup in 1972 (I’d just had my A level results that morning too – not good !
), but it was my good fortune to meet the Brigadier twice during his retirement at Six Mile Bottom, though I have to say that he was handy with his teeth !!! 
Nijinsky Another wonderful horse who took my breath away with the ease of his successes and also of course the Triple Crown in 1970. I was very annoyed when Lester Piggott (in my opinion) threw away the Arc de Triomphe that year against Sassafras by lying too far out of his ground (the horse had had ringworm I think after winning the St Leger) and they should never have run him a couple of weeks later against Lorenzaccio in the Champion Stakes, a horse who Nijinsky would normally have beaten doing handsprings ! Still, great memories.
Allez France A wonderful mare from France owned by Daniel Wildenstein I think and trained by Alec Head – had a glorious career around the same time as Dahlia and capped it by winning the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe in 1974, beating Comtesse de Loir by a head in a somewhat nailbiting finish. Capped a great weekend for me as I had backed her to win it, as well as Mor to win the Velka Pardubicka in Czechoslovakia (which he duly did by a distance
).Dancing Brave Again, another very classy horse who won all his races bar two, and I can never forget that fantastic burst of speed to win the 1987 Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe, in one of the best fields I have seen assembled for the race. Did very well to overcome Marie’s Disease, and I was fortunate enough to meet him in retirement at Newmarket. He was a lovely horse and friendly (to me at least ! ) – I cannot forget being so thrilled to see him live and stroke him.
Other Flat Favourites
Not all of these are great horses and some never even won a single race – but I liked them all :
Cantique, Sergeant Sam, Red Reef, In The Wings, Indian Skimmer, Applecross, Kerkura (she was so friendly), African Dancer, Dragon Dancer, Remand, Urban Sea, Riverqueen………….and the list goes on and on and on………
Here is my National Hunt list (of the horses that I have seen) and in no particular order of merit :
Red Rum What more need I say ? 3 times Grand National winner, a truly extraordinary and highly intelligent horse, who sadly, I was never to see in the flesh. Was down after he died as my mother had died just 11 days earlier from cancer – but memories of both of them cheer me up no end.
The Dikler Great character – 1973 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner – one of those horses that you could not help but like as he was such an individual and had his own way of doing things. Was so happy he won a Gold Cup as few thought he would beat Pendil that day !
Mor Almost the Red Rum of Czech steeplechasing back in the 1970’s – ran six times in the Velka Pardubicka for 2 wins, 2 second places and 2 third places – never out of the frame in that race. Have film at home of him running 2nd to Stephen’s Society in 1973 and he reversed the form decisively in 1974 when winning easily (led almost all the way).
L’Escargot So under-rated for a dual Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, Grand National winner (and placed), Gloucestershire Hurdle winner, and also (I think) Colonial Cup winner. He was a class act and deserves to be much more highly rated in my opinion (I think he would have trounced Kauto Star and Denman !
)Maori Venture Lovely horse, 1987 Grand National winner the day my younger sister got married. Was lucky enough to meet him in retirement when he was given to Steve Knight, his winning rider, and both he and Steve were very nice.
Spanish Steps Good old fashioned chaser from the family of Tiberina and Tiberetta, trained by Edward Courage and a standing dish on courses for a many years . Superb win in the Hennessey Gold Cup one year and placed in the National – lived to the ripe old age of 34 and died in 1997.
Desert Orchid Not a huge fan of greys but this one was exceptional and his feats have been well categorised elsewhere. Loved his flamboyance, and total determination – and his record is there for all to see. Definitely (in my opinion at any rate) better than anything that is around now.
Night Nurse Yet another brave front-runner, a winner on the flat, of two Champion Hurdles (in a great decade of hurdlers) and also a steeplechasing winner (and 2nd to Little Owl in the 1981 Gold Cup I think).
Here are some lesser lights (with a couple of exceptions), all of whom I followed and was very fond of :
Cherokee Chief (a friend for life after he licked my face at Oliver Sherwood’s stable – described by his lad as a "a real gent"), Racoon (heartbroken when he was killed in the 1970 Grand National after falling at the third fence), Urban Spaceman (rather wild in his early career and a dodgy jumper in point-to-points in Cheshire in the early 1970’s, but settled down eventually and won twice for Gill Jones), Mickley (another Shropshire based point-to-pointer in the 1970’s, with whom I travelled in a horsebox several times to races – 4 times a winner, though his owner used to think I was a jinx !
), Crumlin (great winner for Toby Balding), Tenterclef (won 11 races for Peter Ransom), Tingle Creek (not a lesser light at all – wonderful jumper – still the best I’ve seen taking a fence), Happy Ranger (7th in Red Rum’s 1977 Grand National and twice a winner over fences) Mill House well documented winner of the 1963 Cheltenham Gold Cup – also Hennessey winner and Whitbread Gold Cup winner – was thrilled to meet him at a Country Sports Fair in the early 1970’s, where he looked so well and a real credit to connections Romany Blues erratic mare but got her act together to win a point to point to my great relief Clear Skies winner at Leicester for Nick Gaselee and would surely have done better but for training problems………….and this list too goes on and on….and on !!!! Finally, here are a couple of horses I never saw run but I think are worth a mention :
Golden Miller For me, here was the best steeplechaser of them all (was never an Arkle fan !
). How many horses could have won 5 successive Cheltenham Gold Cups, plus a Grand National under top weight in record time, over fences that were considerably stiffer than today’s chasers face ? 
I have a book about him at home and you can tell by his face and eyes that he was a highly intelligent horse – he just had that look about him ! He lived to be 30 and died in 1957, when I was just 4 years old – but happy that our lives did coincide for a few years at any rate !Seventy Four So many people remember who won a race – but how many recall the gallant runners-up ?
I took my screen name after this horse, who was twice second in the Grand National (to Lottery in 1839 and to Gaylad in 1842), but who, as far as I am aware, never won a steeplechase in his entire career. 
Three times second to Lottery in major steeplechases in his career (at Aintree in 1839, Leamington – beaten a short head there in 1840 – and at Cheltenham in 1840) as well as runner-up to Gaylad in the 1842 National after holding a commanding lead and only headed after the last.However, he was a winner on the flat at Wenlock in 1836 as a three year old, before being sold to Sir Edward Mostyn as a hunter, so happily, he did not end his career as a "maiden". Something of a character (occasionally refused), but a handsome and dashing Welshman (like me ! 
).
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