The Best Horse Ever? - Part 1

The question of who is the best horse ever is one that is frequently asked. The stars of each generation come and go, and the best of them inevitably generate comparisons with the greats of years gone by. In recent times we have been blessed with a select bunch who deserve this comparison. Horses such as Sea The Stars, Goldikova, Zarkava, Zenyatta and so on. This comparison is nearly always fruitless for it is nearly always impossible to draw anything but tentative conclusions. Was Sea The Stars as good as Dancing Brave? A question to which we will never know the answer. This does not mean that it is not worthy of discussion. There are many who will offer a definitive answer, but this is merely their own interpretation of the information available, and you can guarantee that somewhere there will be someone who has come to an alternative conclusion. One of the great beauties and frustrations of horse racing is the need for this interpretation. So often there are mitigating factors, reasons for success and, most importantly, reasons for defeat. It is how we interpret the information provided that enables us to form our own opinions. This ambiguity provides for rich discussion about the relative merits of the equine athletes in question, and the opportunity for the shrewdest to make a quick buck in the process. 

One horse about which this question has been asked is Frankel. There can be little doubt that he is worthy of such exalted discussion. There is almost unanimous agreement that he is deserving of a seat at the table of great racehorses. But whether he deserves to sit at the head of the table is still the cause of great debate. It is also a question which can never be answered. We can form our own opinions, whilst questioning those of others, but nobody can be proven right or wrong. Even the official ratings are just opinions. They are opinions based on rigorous and formulaic interpretation of the form, but opinions nevertheless. 

My own opinion on the matter is as follows. I think he is without doubt the most outrageously talented horse that i have ever seen. Whilst i would hesitate to label him the outright best horse ever, i am very hopeful that he will claim that crown outright during the races that are yet to come. I think i would conclude that he is the most talented horse ever, but perhaps not the most complete. His tendency to pull in his races, for example, means that he is unable to run to the full level of his ability. If these faults are remedied, and there is every chance that they will, then he will be a phenomenal horse. He is improving all the time and that is a scary thought to his potential opponents. The undisputed best horse in the world is still getting better. 

During the coming week i will offer readers an insight into the Frankel story, from his debut in August of last year right through to his truly brilliant victory in the Sussex Stakes, culminating in a preview of the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on October 15th.