Nostalgic Horse

Beginning with the 1990s, Nostalgichorse will select horses for your consideration. You tell us the order, and let us know if there are any “greats” we have forgotten. We can debate the top horses forever, so here are our selections, and why we feel they deserve to be nominated. Let us know who you think is the top ten per decade and who deserves to be number one!

Bayakoa- Another Argentinian mare that falls just on the cusp of two decades. Her career included five Grade I wins in 1990 alone. She won the Breeders Cup Distaff while refusing to yield to the late, great Go For Wand, and also defeated Gorgeous by three lengths in the Spinster.

Best Pal- A gutsy gelding that ran 47 times, finishing in the money in 33 of them. He won over 5.6 million dollars and faced the best his generation had to offer, running respectably every time. He finished second in the Kentucky Derby and won six Grade I races in his long career.

Cigar- Many will say he is the best on our list, but we believe there is one better. A winner of almost ten million dollars, and a remarkable 13 Grade Is, plus the Dubai World Cup. He ran 33 times, and won 19 times. Horses tried and failed for two straight years to defeat him, but Cigar fought back eighteen times and refused to be defeated. Dare and Go finally ended his streak at 18 when he finished in front at the Pacific Classic, but still Cigar revived racing for several years, when once again the sport truly had a superstar.

Criminal Type- He won four Grade I races in his career but he defeated the likes of Easy Goer, and Housebuster in the Metropolitan Handicap and then defeated defending Horse of the Year, Sunday Silence in the Hollywood Gold Cup. For those feats alone he makes our list as a classy, gutsy horse that could run with the best and win.

Flawlessly- Maybe Affirmed’s greatest gift to the racing community, Flawlessly is perhaps his best offspring. She ran 28 times and finished out of the money only five times. Her career included eight Grade Is, with repeat victories in both the Ramona Handicap and Matriarch.

Go For Wand- One of the saddest stories of the nineties, has to be that of the gallant filly, Go For Wand. Her fall on the racetrack haunts me still. She ran just 13 times in her career, and won or placed in all of them, except of course, her final race. She won seven Grade Is, including the Ashland, The Mother Goose, The Maskette and Beldame. Maybe her best race came in the Alabama where she crushed her opponents easily by seven lengths.

Holy Bull- A remarkable colt that ran the worst race of his career the day it mattered most. He ran terribly as the Kentucky Derby favorite but made up for it later that year winning the Travers and the Woodward. He defeated the likes of Concern and Tabasco Cat in the Travers and then bested Devil His Due by five lengths in the Woodward. All in all he won six Grade Is before breaking down in his first meeting with Cigar, thus passing the torch to the new champ.

Housebuster- Champion sprinter and winner of three Grade I races, Housebuster was a tenacious competitor who wrestled with stars like Summer Squall, Easy Goer, Criminal Type, Unbridled and Black Tie Affair, almost always finishing in the money. He ran out of the money just three times in his whole career.

Meadow Star- This star filly won her first nine starts with ease before finishiing fourth in the Wood Memorial in her first test against males. She then won the Acorn and Mother Goose and lost the Filly Triple Crown by losing the Coaching Club American Oaks to rival Lite Light. She never was the same horse after that race, and never won again.

Paseana- This Argentinian bred mare raced until she was eight years old winning over three million dollars. Her career included 19 wins, including ten Grade I’s. She finished out of the money only five times and won the Breeders’ Cup Distaff as well as the Apple Blossom Handicap twice.

Real Quiet- This forgotten horse lost the coveted Triple Crown by a mere snout! He finished out of the money only three times in a career that included five Grade I victories and over three million dolllars in earnings. He was at his best as a three year old never finishing worse than third.

Serena’s Song- This throwback to the days of old ran a remarkable 38 times and won 11 Grade Is. She won the Mother Goose and Beldame, and even beat the boys in the Haskell and Jim Beam, there defeating Tejano Run. She finished worse than third six times in her entire career, one being the Kentucky Derby.

Silver Charm- Another one that nearly won the Triple Crown in the nineties, this star only actually won two Grade Is in his career. He did however run against the very best. He also won the Dubai World Cup, the Strub and the Clark and finished a game second to Awesome Again in the Breeders Cup Classic. He is being inducted into Racing’s Hall of Fame this year.

Skip Away- Our absolute top horse on this list (if we were voting), Skip Away finished 2nd in both the 1996 Preakness and Belmont. He won 10 Grade I races in his career and bested Cigar by a head in the Jockey Club Gold Cup as a three year old. He also posted the fastest beyer numbers of the decade on numerous occasions. While many will put Cigar above him, he did defeat the grand Cigar in their only meeting, and his numbers speak for themselves.