The Most Famous Race Horses of All Time

We’d wager that most of you know at least a few famous race horses, even if you’re not the biggest fan of the sport of kings. After all, some of these runners have achieved outstanding feats that transcend the world of sport and remain unmatched to this day.

The most famous race horses of all-time will have also had hundreds and thousands of dollars bet on them over the years. But which runners are the most renowned, and what sets them apart from their rivals?

Frankel 

Where else can we start but with Frankel, whose peak Timeform rating of 147 is the highest ever awarded to a flat runner? Frankel accomplished a perfect career record of 14 wins in 14 outings, including 12 flat races. 

He won the 2000 Guineas Stakes in 2011 before following this up with victories in the St James’s Palace Stakes, Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and Sussex Stakes later that year. He retained the latter in 2012 before triumphing in the G1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Frankel’s most incredible performance came in the 2011 2000 Guineas Stakes. He romped ahead from the start at Newmarket, opening up a staggering 15-length lead by halfway. 

He subsequently won by six lengths (the biggest winning margin since Tudor Minstrel in 1947), which many described as “one of the greatest displays on a British racecourse.”

Arkle 

Some 40 years before the UK-born Frankel made his mark in the 2000 Guineas, the Irish-bred Arkle dominated the sport of kings. He had the distinction of winning three successive Cheltenham Gold Cups (between 1964 and 1966) and the Irish Grand National in 1964.

With a peak Timeform rating of 212, Arkle is the highest-ever-ranked steeplechaser. He won 27 of his 35 career starts, with notable victories including the Hennessy Gold Cup (twice), the Punchestown Gold Cup and the King George VI Chase.

He was most successful between 1963 and 1965, with his 1964 Cheltenham Gold Cup particularly notable. Although he only prevailed by a single length, he carried 30 lbs more than his rivals, and no runner could realistically compete with Arkle at this time.

Incredibly, Arkle’s career was ended prematurely in 1967 by a fractured pedal bone, so he could have achieved even more had he been able to continue racing.

Kelso

Kelso is the first US-bred horse on our list and one who contested an impressive 63 races after being foaled in 1957. He won 39 of these races and placed in the top three on 53 occasions, while the gelding earned a cumulative sum of $1.97 million during his career.

Intriguingly, he missed out on his US Triple Crown bid in 1960 after failing to win any of the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes. Despite this, he was named an American Champion Three-Year-Old in 1960 and defeated many of the great champions of the era.

Kelso was a five-time winner of the popular Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park and remains the most successful runner in this fall G1 event. 

He also earned the American Racehorse of the Year accolade for five successive years between 1960 and 1964 and is more than worthy of a place on this list.

Makybe Diva 

Makybe Diva is the second of our famous race horses to be bred in England, although she was shipped to Australia as a yearling. Foaled in 1999, the mare went on to become a legend and amassed $14.5 million on behalf of her owner.

She was particularly dominant in the Melbourne Cup, with three of her 15 career victories coming in this race. No runner has won this race more, while her wins also came in consecutive years between 2004 and 2006.

Her form at Flemington and ability to raise her game on the biggest occasions truly sets Makybe Diva apart, especially as her career record is less impressive than many of her peers. 

She also completed the coveted Melbourne Cup and Cox Plate double at her peak in 2005, becoming only the seventh horse in history to achieve this feat. 

Zenyatta 

The US-bred Zenyatta was once named the greatest filly of all time by Sports Illustrated, highlighting her incredible promise after being foaled in 2004. She was purchased for just $60,000 as a filly and earned the distinction of winning on 19 of her 20 career starts.

She notably won back-to-back races at the iconic Breeders’ Cup in 2008 and 2009. A victory in the legendary Breeders’ Cup Classic also saw her earn an astonishing $2.7 million, while she generated more than $7 million throughout her career.

She was voted the 2010 American Horse of the Year and inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame some six years later. She started her 20th race (the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic), hoping to become the first-ever American runner to retire undefeated with 20 wins or more.

She started poorly in a competitive field, however, and was subsequently beaten by a neck by her rival ‘Blame’.

Hurricane Fly

The Irish-bred Hurricane Fly was foaled in 2004, with this gelding winning 26 races and placing in the top three in 35 of her 42 career starts. He also won 22 of his 32 G1 races over the hurdles despite starting by being trained on the flat.

He often reserved his best form for the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown. In fact, he won five successive iterations of this race between 2011 and 2015, with this record remaining unmatched to this day.

He also holds the record for most outright wins in the Punchestown Champion Hurdle, earning four in a row between 2010 and 2013. In 2013, Hurricane Fly became the first runner to regain the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in 38 years, which is notable given the race’s competitiveness.

Overall, Hurricane Fly amassed career earnings of £1.89 million and is undoubtedly one of the best and most famous race horses ever.

Denman

Denman was another Irish-bred gelding who belonged to the excellent Paul Nicholls stable. He was foaled in April 2000, earning 14 career wins and 20 top-three finishes in just 24 outings.

Denman boasted a peak Timeform rating of 183, which is among the highest recorded for a National Hunt runner. His most notable achievement came in 2008 when he won the coveted Cheltenham Gold Cup ahead of Neptune Collonges and ante-post favourite Kauto Star.

He ultimately prevailed by seven lengths in this G1 race, while the gelding also won the Hennessy Gold Cup twice during his career (in 2007 and 2009). 

The G2 ‘Aon’ Chase at Newbury (which Denman won in 2008) was also renamed the Denman Chase in 2012. The gelding has enjoyed incredible success at the track over the years.

Secretariat

No list of the most famous race horses would be complete without referencing Secretariat, considered by many as the best-ever US colt or stallion. 

There’s also a good reason for this: he won 16 of his 21 career starts and only once finished outside the top three. He also generated $1.3 million in earnings and was named ‘Champion Juvenile Colt’ before he dominated the US Triple Crown. 

He won the coveted Triple Crown in 1973, securing this in style with a record 31-length victory in the Belmont Stakes in New York. This race also saw him race the fastest 1 ½ miles on dirt in history, and he was simply poles apart from his competitors.

He was deservedly crowned ‘American Horse of the Year’ in 1973, having also won this accolade the previous year.

Man o’ War 

If a US runner were to rival Secretariat in the annals of history, it would be the imperious ‘Man o’ War’. He won 20 of his 21 career races, with his sole defeat at the Saratoga Race Course. This was aptly nicknamed the ‘Graveyard of Champions’, while he was beaten by a horse named ‘Upset’.

After being foaled in 1917, he quickly won nine of his first 10 starts, while the only reason he never won the US Triple Crown was because he was denied the opportunity by his owner.

However, he did sire Admiral, who was able to win the Triple Crown in 1937. He is also the only horse to win the American and English Grand Nationals over jumps in history.

Man o’ War earned $249,465 during his stellar career, with this amounting to $3.2 million when adjusted for inflation.

Red Rum 

Red Rum’s record of 24 wins and 62 placed finishes in 100 outings may not compare favourably with some examples on this list, but some things set him apart from many of his rivals.

Firstly, he never once fell over the jumps in his 100 outings. Secondly, he dominated the iconic UK Grand National during the mid-1970s, winning three times in 1973, 1974 and 1977 and placing second in 1975 and 1976.

His most notable win at Aintree came in 1977 when new jockey Tommy Stack rode the 12-year-old Red Rum to victory against all odds. His maiden National win in 1973 was similarly stunning, as he overcame a 15-length deficit at the final fence to overhaul his rival Crisp.

He certainly saved his best for Aintree, where his record of three National wins has yet to be matched.

Winx

Chris Waller’s legendary mare Winx remains one of the best Aussie-bred runners of all time. She won on 37 of her 43 starts (and placed in the top two on 40 occasions), including her last 33 in succession before retiring.

What’s more, the bay mare’s record of 25 Group 1 wins remains a world record to this day. This haul includes four wins in the W. S. Cox Plate, while she also triumphed five times in the Chipping Norton Stakes at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.

Largely ridden by jockey Hugh Bowman during her career, Winx earned a staggering total of $26.42 million. 

Unsurprisingly, Winx was named the Australia Horse of the Year in four separate years (consecutively between 2015 and 2019). She entered the Australian Racing Hall of Fame in 2017 while still in training, becoming just the third runner to earn this particular honour in history. 

Black Caviar

Next up is another superb mare, while Black Caviar is just the second runner on our list to achieve perfection during her career. Bred in Australia by R. Jamieson, she was foaled in 2006 and quickly became one of the best sprinters around.

She won multiple G1 races, too (60% of her career victories were in this class), including the Newmarket Handicap in Victoria, the TJ Smith Stakes and the iconic Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot. 

The latter represented her sole venture outside of her native Australia and was one of four major victories in 2012. She also won the Lightning Stakes three times, and this race was subsequently renamed ‘Black Caviar Lightning’ in her honour.

This mare amassed $7.9 million on behalf of her owners, while she was named Australian Champion Sprinter and Racehorse of the Year in successive years between 2011 and 2013.

Kincsem

When it comes to unbeaten streaks, no single runner can match the record of Kincsem. Bred in Austria-Hungary and foaled in 1874, this talented mare was unbeaten in a staggering 54 career starts, with this record amassed over four seasons before 1876 and 1879.

No colt, gelding, filly or mare has come close to matching this prolific winning run, which saw Kincsem earn victories in Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, UK and France. 

She peaked in 1878, both in terms of her fame and accomplishments. Incredibly, she won the Goodwood Cup, Grand Prix de Deauville and Grosser Preis von Baden in just a few weeks, while she remains one of only two runners to win the latter race on three occasions.

Undoubtedly, Kincsem is the best runner to emerge from Eastern Europe and one of the most famous race horses.

 

American Pharoah 

Although the US-bred American Pharoah only completed 11 races, this thoroughbred racehorse (who was foaled in February 2012) managed to win on nine occasions and only once placed outside the top three.

However, this stallion really set himself apart in 2015 when he became the first-ever runner to win the modern ‘Grand Slam of Thoroughbred racing’. More specifically, he won the American Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup Classic.

He was only the 12th horse in history to win the Triple Crown, but his addition of the coveted Breeders’ Cup Classic means that he has more than justified his place on this illustrious list.

Unsurprisingly, he was voted the IFHA World’s Best Racehorse in 2015. After his Grand Slam victory, he also won the Secretariat Vox Populi Award and was anointed the American Horse of the Year.

Seattle Slew 

Last but not least, we come to Seattle Slew, another US runner who was foaled in 1974. He subsequently won 14 of his 16 career starts and never placed outside the top two.

He followed the familiar path of being Champion Juvenile Colt and Three-Year-Old in successive years between 1976 and 1978, and he was also named American Horse of the Year in 1977.

For a good while, Seattle Slew was the only racehorse to win the US Triple Crown without losing beforehand. However, Justify matched this achievement after a stellar 2018.

As a stallion, he overcame a life-threatening illness and subsequently came within two-fifths of a second of beating the world record in the coveted Marlboro Cup. He banked a cool $1.2 million on behalf of his owners.

Final Thoughts

While these runners may be our picks as the best and most famous race horses of all time, there are other honourable mentions. 

Take 1989 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Desert Orchard or Nijinsky (the only horse to win the UK Triple Crown of 2000 Guineas, Epsom Derby and Saint Leger).

Others stand out, but our picks have transcended the sport of horse racing with their incredible achievements. Runners like Seattle Slew also captured the public’s imagination to an unusual degree, with so-called “Slewmania” sweeping the states and boosting attendance wherever he raced!

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