Quote:
Originally Posted by randallscott35
And Bid is placed wrong as well but forget that.
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In terms of ability - a lot of the old horses on that list are very overrated.
Bloodhorse rated Count Fleet #5 of the last century - if you saw the form of the horses he beat in those races - and looked at the times he was running in relation to the speed of the track - you'd want to load up on Smarty Jones against him. Let alone a Sunday Silence or Easy Goer.
Man O' War is obviously a bad #1. He was born into a microscopic foal crop. After his Preakness win at age 3 .. which truly wasn't that fast even for the handful of horses around at that time .. he faced all 1-to-3 horse fields - and his brilliant early speed was great in match-race situations. His great claim to fame was beating Sir Barton in a match race in Canada .. Sir Barton never won another race.
Citation, Kelso, Forego achieved a monsterous amount. Certainly great horses - but I think they would have been taken to the woodshed by a Spectacular Bid at distances of up to 10fs
Native Dancer had a GREAT 2-year-old season. His Triple Crown campaign was very weak.
Dr. Fager, Swaps, Tom Fool all truly great horses from every angle. I've finally had a chance to see some charts of their races and forms of opposition faced.
Ruffian was a great filly at both 2 and 3 - but obviously she doesn't belong on this list. There are easily way more than 15 males better than her and maybe even a few females as well.
Zenyatta never raced at two - accomplished nothing at 3 - and there's at least five older females unquestionably better than her. Princess Rooney would make no one's top 500 .. and she's run a 120 Beyer at 10fs ... was one of the most brilliant 2-year-old fillies of all-time ... and would beat Zenyatta by a city block at a distance of a mile.