Racing Hall Of Fame

Racing Hall of Fame

When you begin to collate possible inductees for any hall of fame, you must begin at the start. What would a baseball hall of fame look like without Ty Cobb or Babe Ruth?
So when compiling a list for a racing hall of fame, we go back to the beginning of most of today’s thoroughbred’s bloodlines to find three great stallions: Darley Arabian, Godolphin Arabian and Byerley Turk. From these three greats we have bred, trained and raced thousands if not millions of others including those others would first think of when recalling the greatest ever.

If we look at the origins of our current Classic races we also find names to stir the blood of any punter. The inaugural winner of the Derby, the great Diomed, named after ancient hero Diomedes who coincidentally attacked Troy from inside a great wooden horse. He won 10 races in succession and after a successful stud career he went Stateside and when he finally passed away at the age of 31, he had forever influenced the US bloodstock to a point where it could compete with English and French horses. He now has a G3 race named in his honour on Derby day at Epsom. 

Nearly 70 years later we were blessed with 2 of the greatest middle distance horses Flying Dutchman and Voltigeur . In a time where the greatest contests between horses were often match races, these two treated Yorkshire to two of the finest match races. The first, at Doncaster took place 2 days after the St Leger, and Voltigeur defeated Flying Dutchman while receiving 19 pounds. The rematch the following May at York drew an estimated 100,000 spectators. Flying Dutchman again conceded 11 and a half pounds to Voltigeur, and this time managed to defeat his rival by a length.

While the Brits were staging these great match races and thrilling the general public, plans were afoot in France to stage a race worthy of rivalling the Derby stakes at Epsom. 1863 at Longchamp saw the first running of the Grand Prix de Paris and while the inaugural running was snatched by British raider The Ranger, two years later the French would get their own back by sending Gladiateur across the channel. The gigantic bay colt became the second horse to win the English triple crown and would go on to land the Grand Prix de Paris, Grand Prix du Prince Imperial (which later became the Prix Royal Oak) and the following year the Ascot Gold Cup by 40 lengths no less. Not many others have won G1 races at 1 mile, 1 mile 4, 1 mile 6, and 2 mile 4.

The most underrated horse of this list is Sceptre. Her sire, Persimmon captured the Derby, St Leger and Ascot Gold Cup and her dam, Ornament was a full sister to the undefeated Ormonde. She started her 3 year old season in what is now the Lincoln at Doncaster, and after being defeated by a head she headed to Newmarket. She won the 2000 guineas in a new record time, and only 2 days later defeated her own sex in the 1000 guineas. After an unfortunate 4th in the Derby, where she was left at the start and was carrying a bruised foot, she returned to Epsom 2 days later to take the Oaks. She ran twice at Royal Ascot winning the St James’s Palace stakes and twice at Glorious Goodwood winning the Nassau stakes. The crowning glory of her 3 year old season came at the same venue that her season began, Doncaster. She became the only horse to win 4 classics outright when triumphing in the St Leger again defeating the colts and cementing her place on this list.

The final entry I pose to you is the most recent and our only American entry, Man O’War. In a glittering career, he won 20 of his 21 races and took home nearly a quarter of a million dollars in prize money in the pre-depression States. After winning 9 of 10 in his 2 year old season and being crowned US champion 2 year old, he missed the Kentucky Derby as his owner  Sam Riddle was reticent to send him racing over a mile and a quarter at such an early point in his career. Nevertheless he appeared at Pimlico in the Preakness and demolished the opposition, easing up in the final furlong saving some stamina for his next big challenge, the Belmont Stakes. Those doubts were unfounded however when he ran in a then record time over 1 mile 2½ furlongs and crushed his rivals by 20 lengths,  only surpassed by the almighty Secretariat. Despite his racing heroics, Man o’War’s greatest legacy is his stud career.  He sired amongst others, American Flag and Crusader who both won the Belmont, War Admiral who won the Triple Crown in 1937, Battleship the 1938 Grand National winner and Hard Tack who himself only won 3 races but in turn sired another of the most storied horses in US history, Seabiscuit. The enduring success of his bloodlines cements Man o’War’s place in any list of greatest racehorses or sires.

In summation, there are definitely some notable omissions from this list as I have only selected flat horses, I don’t wish to upset the National Hunt fraternity but they are more than welcome to post their responses and any lists of their own.  I have also concentrated on the earlier years of racing as Man o’War retired from racing in 1921, had I chosen more recent horses I would no doubt have included the likes of Secretariat, Brigadier Gerard and Sea The Stars. In the end it is a subject which should inspire debate between racing patrons, as that is what all good sports do, they allow us to chat with friends, argue sometimes and at the end of it all there is no definitive answer,  but we can all have fun searching.

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