Its going to be very hard to see horses running that fast ever again.
The reason for it is the lack of field size and rivalry where horses push each other to greater heights.
People seem to forget that horses can't read the DRF, but people can.
These days horses at the highets echelon tend to play keep away all year long and race against 4-6 other horses in the majority of their races.
Paces are slower and final time is a function of pace.
Also there is only so much you can do with a horse in the morning to get him to advance in fitness.
The matchups between the greats in the past pushed these horses on race days to hit new heights in conditioning and fitness.
Its really no different than tennis. If you play tennis agaisnt someone with no talent all the time, no matter how technically good you are, your game won't be raised. You take on someone of equal or greater ability, and your game will be raised.
How are today's horses supposed to advance to new heights and optimum fitness levels when they are running in slow paced small fields?
WOuld Sunday Silence and Easy Goer have been as fast without the battles pushing each horse?
Would Affirmed and Alydar been as fast without one pushing the other all year to greater heights?
Perhaps, but unlikely.
To get that to that really high, ultimate level of fitness you need to get their from racing and being pushed to new heights.
The way that the BC has shaped racing, well those days seem to be in the past. Thats going to make it awfully hard to see the greatness of years gone by in my opinion. Remember, as important as time and figures are, horses don't run against the clock, they run against other horses and when you are 5 in front as you roll of the turn whats gonna push the horse to run faster or harder.