ZATT’s Top 10 All-Time Greats

The Top 10 Horses to run on American soil according to ZATT. Let’s count it down… 10) Native Dancer - The Gray Ghost was racing’s first television star and so dominated his peers of 1952 through 1954, that he came a desperate photo away from being a perfect 22 wins in 22 starts. Unfortunately the loss came in the Kentucky Derby, as the gray hero gained with every stride, but came up just short to longshot, speed horse, Dark Star. One jump away from an undefeated Triple Crown champion, but alas, it was not to be for one of America‘s favorite horses. At stud, Native Dancer became a prolific sire, and his sire line proved to be one of the most influential in modern American racing. 9) Forego - Forego was a late developing son of Argentine great, Forli, and did not race as a two-year-old. At three, he was no match for the king of his generation, Secretariat, but he continued improving through a busy campaign and by that Winter was a major player. As an older horse, he became an all-time great, highlighted by four consecutive wins in the Woodward. Seeing Forego’s stretch run was like watching a force of nature. The gelding won 34 of his 57 career starts while running against the top competition in his era and consistently carrying hefty weight handicaps. He was named Horse of the Year three consecutive times from 1974 through 1976. 8) Seattle Slew - In a matter of weeks, Seattle Slew went from an inexpensive unknown to a juvenile champion and early Kentucky Derby favorite. In 1977, Slew did not disappoint his legions of fans as he steamrolled through derby preps in Florida and New York. The ultimate test of the Triple Crown turned into nothing more than a coronation for him as the dark bay speedster easily cantered into immortality. At four, Slew showed his tremendous talent and will to win as he handled the superb three-year-old, Affirmed, twice in the Fall. A true rags to riches story Seattle Slew remains the only horse to win the Triple Crown while still undefeated. 7) Kelso - If dominating the Horse of the Year voting year after year, was the top criteria, Kelso would be number one with a bullet. King Kelly amazingly was named America’s best horse five consecutive seasons, from 1960 to 1964. The great gelding made it to the racetrack in eight different years, won 39 times and is still the benchmark for durability at the highest level. Kelso carried great weights and won at all distances. He was probably best on dirt, but some still consider his romping win on turf, over rival Gun Bow in the 1964 D.C. International to be his finest performance. Kelly’s feat of winning five straight Jockey Club Gold Cups will never be matched. 6) Dr. Fager - No other horse was quite like the Good Doctor. He was a wild child with his flowing mane and go for broke running style. Irresistible speed and undeniable heart carried Dr. Fager to finish first in 19 out of his 22 starts between 1966 and 1968. He did not have it easy as he had a super rival in Damascus, a champion older horse to contend with in Buckpasser, rabbits to pressure his awesome speed, and great weights to carry. In 1968, Dr. Fager pulled off the unprecedented feat of being named Horse of the Year, Champion Older Horse, Champion Grass Horse, and Champion Sprinter. He set a world record for a mile of 1:32 1/5 while toting 134 pounds in Chicago and finished his career by winning the Vosburgh in 1:20 1/5 (only one fifth off another world record) while carrying 139 pounds. 5) Count Fleet - Did Count Fleet go out in style? How does winning the Triple Crown with a 25 length runaway in the 1943 Belmont Stakes sound? Count Fleet was not perfect early on, as it took him awhile to discover his best running. When he did 6 furlongs in 1:08 1/5 in a workout as a juvenile, it was clear that legendary jockey Johnny Longdon had been right. Longdon had urged his owner not to sell Count Fleet when he was still winless. Together him and The Fleet would roll to 10 wins as a juvenile and the best was yet to come. When Count Fleet arrived in Louisville, it was clear that he was the best and was sent off at 2-5. The rest is history as The Fleet rolled through the Triple Crown with amazing ease. He threw in a romp in the prestigious Withers Stakes during the Crown for good measure. Count Fleet was undefeated in six starts at three and never broke a sweat. 4) Spectacular Bid - Oh, if not for a safety pin. The Bid was a great two-year-old, a greater three-year-old, and a supreme example of the excellence of a thoroughbred at four. The Bid set multiple track records in his championship season at two. At three, he was so dominant in the lead up to the Derby, that the world thought it a foregone conclusion that he would become the third consecutive Triple Crown champion. Things were going swimmingly until the morning of the Belmont. The Bid stepped on a safety pin and lost the Belmont, finishing 3rd and having a 12 race win streak snapped. At four. Spectacular Bid trumped his first two marvelous seasons by completing one of the greatest seasons ever. He finished his career with an unbeaten season in nine starts, setting four track records, and set a career earnings record. In an ultimate sign of respect, not one horse would line up against The Bid in one of the biggest races of the year, the 1980 Woodward. It was Spectacular Bid’s final race and it was a walkover. 3) Citation - Big Cy had two separate racing careers. The first was a testament to his incredible ability and consistency, and the second to his heart and courage. In 1947 he was the top juvenile in the nation with only one loss and in 1948 he incredibly won 19 out of 20 starts in his Horse of the Year season. His Triple Crown run was a tour-de-force as he won each race easier than the previous, culminating with an eight length romp in the Belmont. The Calumet runner missed his four-year-old season due to arthritis in his fetlock joint, but in his first two remarkable seasons, Citation had 27 wins and two 2nd place finishes in 29 starts. Not the same after his arthritis problems and layoff, Citation still proved to be one of the finest handicap horses of his time in 1950 & 1951. 2) Secretariat - When Big Red was at his best, I believe he was the greatest horse that ever looked through a bridle. His win in the Belmont Stakes has never and may never be equaled. Secretariat fell short in a troubled trip in his first start of his career and thrice was stymied by his W curse in the Wood, Whitney, and Woodward as a three year old, but the sheer brilliance he displayed in the rest of his 17 races is enough to consider Secretariat one of the two greatest horses in American history. Secretariat not only ran the greatest 12 furlongs ever in the Belmont, he had already set records in the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness. For one horse to be so sensational in each leg of the grueling Triple Crown series is truly unbelievable. Despite a few losses after the Triple Crown, his powerhouse wins in the Marlboro Cup, Man O’ War, and Canadian International were more than enough to cement his place in racing lore. Drum roll please, and the number one race horse of all-time is… 1) Man O’ War - The original Big Red had it all, consistency and greatness. In only two seasons of racing, the great horse won 20 out of 21 races. His only loss was as a juvenile, when he finished 2nd to Upset in the 1919 Sanford Stakes when he gave the winner 15 pounds and was said to be the victim of a horrible trip. The son of Fair Play dominated the rest of the year and was named champion juvenile. As a three-year-old Man o' War won all of his 11 races. In eight of those races he broke track records. He carried up to 138 pounds in the , he won the Belmont Stakes by 20 lengths and Man O’ War won the Lawrence Realization by an unbelievable 100 lengths breaking the track record by more than four seconds in the 1 5/8 mile race. In a match -up of stars Man o' War defeated the previous year’s Triple Crown winner Sir Barton by seventeen lengths in a match race at Kenilworth Park. At stud, Man O’ War was one of the best sires of the first half of the twentieth century.

Remembering ... Wajima

I will never forget the afternoon when Wajima and Forego came together in a furious stretch battle during the 1975 Marlboro Cup. They turned the race of the year into their own personal dual. Top horses Ancient Title, Foolish Pleasure, Avatar, Royal Glint, and Step Nicely were left far behind as these two champions had at it. The five-year-old Forego carrying ten more pounds than his younger rival, gave Wajima everything he had, but could not get by. It was striking for me to see the big, beautiful son of Bold Ruler almost dwarfed by the monster that was Forego. As they sprinted home to the wire he simply would not let the giant horse win. Wajima had beaten Forego for the second consecutive race, this time by looking him in the eye and battling to a hard-fought, head victory. It may not have been the result that the majority of the Belmont crowd wanted that day, but I went home happy. Wajima was the highest priced yearling of 1973, and for that matter was the highest priced yearling ever at the time of his sale. Out of the last crop of the great American sire Bold Ruler, and a half brother to Naskra, the strapping bay always exuded the look of quality. So it was some surprise to see Wajima languishing as just a good horse, but far from a great one, in the early Summer of 1975. Everyone had been watching the $600,000 colt and my family was no exception. I was only in the first grade but already was an avid fan of the sport. My Dad was, so I was. Thanks Dad! 1975 was the first year that I remember races quite well. Bits and pieces of races from 1973 and 1974 scatter my memory, but in 1975, I became a full-fledged fan. Everyone loved the ill-fated Ruffian who died that year and Forego had legions of fans especially in New York. For me, the first horse I really loved was Wajima and that love affair was born from a short stretch of time in 1975. It began with a change of strategy by his experienced trainer Steve DiMauro. DiMauro knew that the real Wajima had not revealed himself on the track yet. He won four times and had been 2nd in a few major stakes, but his true talent was still below the surface. DiMauro decided what his colt needed was some confidence, something to bring his mental game on a par with his physical abilities. That prompted a trip to the old Bowie Racecourse and a start in the Marylander Handicap. Wajima toyed with his rivals and set a track record in the process. Mission accomplished…he was now a confident horse. Monmouth Park and the Monmouth Invitational (now called the Haskell) was next on Wajima’s dance card. His new found confidence was on display that day as he overcame an extremely troubled trip to defeat the game Intrepid Hero by a measured neck. The real Wajima had arrived and it was time for him to test the big boys back in New York. Unfortunately, there were no big boys to be found in that year’s Travers and Wajima turned it into a laugher, cruising home best by ten, effortless lengths. On to Belmont and the best of the best. The old Governor Stakes was a showdown. The Champion Forego taking on the best handicap horse in California, Ancient Title and the top 2 three-year-olds in the country Foolish Pleasure, the Derby winner and last year’s 2-year-old champion, and the now red-hot Wajima. This story’s hero was again victorious as he beat Foolish Pleasure by a head with Ancient Title third and Forego, carrying a whopping 134 pounds, a wide and late fourth. Wajima had beaten three future Hall of Fame horses and he would do it again just 12 days later in the Marlboro Cup. In a five race span, Wajima had set a track record at Bowie, overcame a bad trip to win Monmouth’s biggest race, won the Mid-summer Derby by 10 lengths, and did something that I am not sure if any horse has ever done by beating three Hall-of-Famers in two consecutive races. In so doing he clinched the 3-year-old championship despite not having raced in any of the Triple Crown races and propelled both his trainer, DiMauro, and his jockey, Braulio Baeza, to eclipse awards as well. The mighty Forego would gain a measure of revenge by edging away from Wajima in their third and final meeting in the 1 ½ mile Woodward just two weeks after the Marlboro. But once again, Wajima proved his greatness as he battled Forego gamely down the stretch and it was a full 11 lengths farther back to the third horse, Grade 1 winner Group Plan. That record yearling price of 1973 certainly turned out to be a steal. As Wajima’s successful racing career came to an end after his 3-year-old season, he once again broke a world record when he was syndicated as a stallion for $7.2 million. Wajima’s final race record shows 9 wins and 5 seconds from 16 starts, but it was that five race stretch in the Summer/Fall of 1975 that will always be special to me. I remember you … Wajima