Whose was/is the best?

Originally Posted by JJP

Where would Secretariat be on the list of all time greats w/out his Belmont? His Derby was tremendous, no doubt, and he showed his versatility on the grass at Woodbine. But 1 1/2 miles on the dirt is basically an irrelevant distance. The Belmont has historically had some very big victory margins, as some horses simply want no part of the distance. At 1 1/4 miles, Secretariat might've been favored over The Bid, but I think it wouldn't have been by much.

You're completely overlooking the actual record. Spectacular Bid's accomplishments as a 3YO were nowhere near those of Secretariat.

Secretariat smashed all three track records in winning the Triple Crown ... two of those track records still stand today ... 33 years later ... and the other is still a stakes record.

Secretariat also set the world record for 9f ... broke a track record for 12f on turf ... and equalled a track record for 8f in early April of his 3YO year.

Spectacular Bid's only track record as a 3YO came at an oddball distance at Delaware Park. And if winning the Belmont Stakes by a large margin were so easy ... how come Spectacular Bid couldn't do it?