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Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind
I actually have it....shockingly I didn't lose it.
Repeated superiority while running many fast races. I think greatness is very rare.
Look at it this way, while it is not his fault, what if Bernardini and Invasor had stayed around all last year, and Street Sense, Hard Spun, and Any Given Saturday had stayed around this year. Do you think Curlin would have had an unblemished record? Now, this is no knock on him, more an attempt to put things in perspective. Horses these days don't get the opportunities to prove their potential " greatness " but running mildly fast ( for top horses ) races while beating Barcolo and Past the Point doesn't make a horse great.
Do you think Roses in May was a great horse? Do you honestly think Curlin has shown on the racetrack that he is vastly superior to him? How do you think Ginger Punch would have done against Go for Wand? How about Inside Information or even Heavenly Prize? Forget them....she wouldn't have beaten their much less heralded stablemate Dispute. She may be " great " relative to her current competition but greatness has to be measured against history. Against history these horses are relative also rans.
Curlin would have traded decisions with Albert the Great. He would have gotten dusted by Street Cry. Lido Palace would have given him a rough time ( in his 4YO year ). This is no criticism, as these were exceptionally talented horses, but do you think of them as great? Being better than your competition does not make you great.
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Ive read lots of posts on different boards on the subject of "greatness" and this is one of the best. Thank you.
To add a little bit, MDO would have no doubt beaten Curlin consistently at 9f. The Emoticon poster talks about grading horses at their best, but would Curlin's best beat Aptititude's JCGC? Candy Ride's Pac Classic? St Liam's woodward?
Curlin is a very nice horse and certainly accomplished. In the context of history, he doesnt even rate. In the context of the last ten years? He is not even top five.