TOP 5: CIGAR (The Invincible 16-WIN STREAK)
Cigar started his racing career as an unremarkable three-year-old in 1993. He was a low-grade stakes/high-class allowance horse that only won two out of nine races in his first year and two out of six in his second year. However, he was able to turn this around at the end of his second year where he won his last two races of 1994 and then proceeded to go on an incredible 16-win streak, tying the win streak set by Triple Crown winner Citation in 1948-1950.
During Cigar’s undefeated era in 1995, he had 10 consecutive wins with outstanding performances that earned Beyer Speed Figures of 108, 114, 116, 121, 114, 117, 118, 111, 111, and 117. When he was under consideration for the American Horse of the Year award in 1995, the judges were nearly unanimous in their decision: only two of the 306 ballots that were cast did not vote for him. Cigar was also awarded the American Champion Older Male Horse award that year, and he became the nation’s top money earner until 2008, when he was surpassed by Curlin.
Cigar was ranked 18th by BloodHorse in their list of the top 100 thoroughbreds of the 20th century and was later inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. The sportswriter Andrew Beyer called him the “best of the 1990s.” A life-size bronze statue was unveiled at Gulfstream Park to honor Cigar on “A Salute to Cigar Day” on February 2, 1997. A bronze statue of Cigar was also erected at Kentucky Horse Park’s Walk of Champions at his grave, which was unveiled on October 27, 2015.
After he retired from racing, Cigar proved infertile and quickly retired from stud. He spent his long retirement at Kentucky Horse Park before dying at 24.
TOP 4: FOREGO (The Great Old Forego)
Forego’s best racing years began in his second year of racing (1974) and continued through his fourth year. His long career proved that he was a versatile racehorse and earned him the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Older Male Horse for four years in a row (1974 to 1977) and the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year for three years in a row (1974 to 1976). He was also inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York, in 1979.
Forego started his racing career at three years old and ran until he was eight. He registered 24 stakes victories, including 14 Grade 1 wins. His wins had him frequently handicapped to carry more than 130 pounds (59 kg), and he still won races like he wasn’t carrying anything at all. His career record includes 57 races, with 34 wins, 9 seconds, and 7 thirds.
In his first year of racing at three years old, Forego had 18 starts resulting in 9 wins, 3 seconds, and 3 thirds for $188,909 in earnings. In his second year, he won 8 races, with 2 seconds, 2 thirds, and 1 fourth. In his third year, he won 6 races, with 1 second, 1 third, and 1 fourth. In his fourth year of racing, he won 6 races, with 1 second and 1 third. He won 4 races, with 2 seconds in his fifth year. He raced twice as an eight-year-old before his chronic fetlock problems ended his racing career.
TOP 3: GHOSTZAPPER (A Sprinter that also has Stamina)
Although Ghostzapper did not run as many races as other racehorses, he took first place in 9 out of 11 of the races he ran and received several awards for his incredible performances. He was undefeated during his third year in racing, winning four stakes races consecutively. Ghostzapper was initially viewed by many as a good sprinter, but one who may not be capable of handling longer distances. He astonished people when his stamina was finally tested during the 2004 Philip H. Iselin Breeders’ Cup Handicap, where he won by 10 ¾ lengths in 1:47.66. He earned a 128 Beyer Speed Figure from Daily Racing Form, causing them to declare, “There can be no argument that Ghostzapper is the fastest horse in the country.”
Ghostzapper had tough competition in the 2004 Breeders’ Cup, including the defending Breeders’ Cup winner Pleasantly Perfet, but he led the entire way and finished the race in first by three lengths. In his last year of racing (2005), he was only able to run in one race due to health issues that year: the Metropolitan Handicap (Met Mile) at Belmont Park. He ran an amazing race and won by 6 ½ lengths, and his time was a mere 2/5 of a second short of the stakes record. His trainer, Robert Frankel, said that Ghostzapper “impressed people in the Met more than he did in the Breeders’ Cup, and he ended his career in style.”
Ghostzapper was retired one month later when it was discovered he had a hairline fracture of his left front sesamoid bone. He was awarded the American Horse of the Year award, the American Champion Older Male Horse award, and was named the world’s top-ranked racehorse by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) with a rating of 130. Ghostzapper may have only run 11 races, but his incredible speed and amazing performance in the Breeders’ Cup and Met Mile make him one of the all-time great horses in racing history.
TOP 2: SPECTACULAR BID (The Almost Triple Crown, but Still not the Least)
Spectacular Bid was a horse that lived up to his name and created some truly spectacular races. He broke seven track records during his career and had a 12-win streak, followed by a 10-win streak. He even set the world record for the fastest 1 1/4 miles on a dirt track, which still stands to this day. Spectacular Bid had a great shot at winning the Triple Crown in 1979, if not for a freak accident. After winning the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, on the morning of the Belmont Stakes, it was discovered that Spectacular Bid had stepped on a safety pin and it had become embedded in his hoof. Although he performed well early on and held the lead before the halfway point, Spectacular Bid eventually fell behind and finished third.
This pivotal injury led to an infection that took two months for Spectacular Bid to overcome, but it was clear when he returned to racing that he was still a force to be reckoned with on the track. Hall of Fame jockey Bill Shoemaker rode Spectacular Bid to victory by more than 17 lengths in the allowance race at Delaware Park and set a new track record for 11⁄16 miles, 1:41.6. His next race that year (1979) was a slap in the face to those who doubted him during the Belmont Stakes: Spectacular Bid not only won the Marlboro Cup at Belmont Park, he also beat both horses he had previously lost to in the Belmont Stake, Coastal and Golden Act.
These incredible performances earned him the title of American Champion 3-Year-Old Male Horse at the Eclipse Awards in 1979 despite losing the Belmont Stakes. Spectacular Bid would go on to rack up even more wins in the following year when he won all nine races and set five records. He ran undefeated that year and concluded his glorious career with a walkover in the Woodward Stakes on September 20, 1980, and was named the American Horse of the Year by Eclipse.
TOP 1: SECRETARIAT (BIG RED, THE SUPERSTAR)
Considered by many to be the greatest racehorse of all time, Secretariat was a truly remarkable horse that earned his place in horse racing history with his amazing performances. Also known as Big Red, his incredible win in the Belmont Stakes by a record 31 lengths earned him the Triple Crown in 1973. His lead over the next-nearest horse, Twice A Prince, was so great that CBS cameras at the track could barely show both horses in the same shot. Secretariat not only won – he also set speed records in multiple races, including all three Triple Crown races.
This awe-inspiring performance catapulted Secretariat to fame and made him a household name. Secretariat won several awards as well, both during his career and after, including the American Horse of the Year in both 1972 and 1973, and he secured a place in the US Racing Hall of Fame in 1974. His enduring legacy has inspired dozens of books and a movie that was released in 2010, and statues of Secretariat were erected at Belmont Park, Kentucky Horse Park, Grand Falls, and in Lexington.
Secretariat ended his 21-race career with 16 wins, 3 seconds, and 1 third. Aside from his maiden race, every race where Secretariat didn’t take first was due to a disqualification or a health issue, such as a mouth abscess at the Wood Memorial or a viral infection at the Whitney Stakes. Secretariat’s incredible career guarantees that he will be remembered for all time, and his speed records at Churchill Downs for 1 ¼ miles and at the Belmont Stakes for 1 ½ miles still stand to this day.