Road to the Kentucky Derby 2022: Famous Racehorses

The sport of horse racing has been around for centuries, beginning in the middle east and in southwest asia. Modern horse racing is far more advanced than it was centuries ago, but some race horses go down in history and the legends of those horses inspire trainers and owners who hope to one day be lucky enough to have a horse with so much heart. So, here’s the list of some of the top racehorses in American racing history. 

Zenyatta: 2004, Street Cry (IRE) – Vertigineux by Kris S. 

Foaled in 2004, the winner of the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Classic, Zenyatta, took the late 2000s’ racing world by storm. With her nerve-racking-come-from-behind approach to winning, she clinched the win in many high class stakes races and concluded her racing career with a second place finish in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic. Out of 20 starts (20 races run) she won 19 and and came second in only one. Her jockey, Mike Smith, is also known for riding some notable horses including; American Pharoah (2015) and Justify (2018). Zenyatta was retired to Lane’s End Farm and is yet to have any successful offspring. She was inducted to the Racing Hall of Fame in 2016. 

Seattle Slew: 1974, Bold Reasoning – My Charmer by Poker

For a Triple Crown winner, Seattle Slew was thought to be an extremely ugly racehorse. His owners went as far saying he looked like a donkey. Despite his unfortunate appearance, Seattle Slew earned Horse of the Year in 1977 and was inducted to the Racing Hall of Fame in 1981. 

Secretariat: 1970, Bold Ruler – Somethingroyal by Princequillo

Everyone knows the story of the great Secretariat. This race horse was the result of a lost coin toss between Penny Chenery and Ogden Phipps and turned out to be one of the fastest racehorses in history. Secretariat won the Triple Crown in 1973 and was awarded Horse of the Year in 1972 and 1973. His most memorable win was the 1973 Belmont Stakes where he outran his other competitors by 31 lengths. A length is the length of a horse’s body and is used as a measurement of distance between horses during a race.

Seabiscuit: 1933, Hard Tack – Swing On by Whisk Broom II

This horse was known as a national hero in the midst of The Great Depression. He raced an impressive 89 times in his career and is known for winning a match race against 1973 Triple Crown winner, War Admiral. Seabiscuit injured his suspensory ligament in his front leg and was predicted to never race again, however, after making a miraculous full recovery, he ran in 1940 and made one of racing’s greatest comebacks under his jockey Red Pollard.  

Man o’ War: 1917, Fair Play – Mahubah by Rock Sand

Not much is documented on this prominent racehorse and sire, except he was considered the greatest racehorse of all time. Out of 21 races run, he won 2o and was said to win by an astonishing 100 lengths.