LEGENDS, CHAMPIONS AND VERY GOOD HORSES

The Greatest Horses in Australian Racing History - Nature, nurture and fortune.

Simon O'Donoghue and Stephen Silk holding the 1948 Cox Plate trophy

Which horses stand out as the greatest in the annals of Australian thoroughbred racing? This week, we had the privilege of hosting Stephen Silk, a former veterinarian, racehorse owner, and racing administrator, as our guest speaker. Stephen elucidated the complexities in answering this question, including the role of luck.

As he delved into the challenging endeavour of pinpointing the genuine legends, champions, and merely very good horses in the rich history of Australian racing, Stephen explained the conventional standards employed for ranking racehorses and highlighted their inherent limitations. Employing a combination of these criteria, Stephen offered us his own assessment.

 
 
 
Some Common Criteria
 
Using career prize money is a common criterion for rating horses, but it is not the best indicator because the annual prize money available has increased over time.
 
Using Group 1 wins suffers from the exclusion of great horses that raced before the Group system was introduced. The top horses with the most Group 1 wins include Winx, Black Caviar, Kingston Town, Rough Habit, Super Imposed, and Better Loosen Up.
 
However, if the top races from the early years are upgraded to Group 1 status, Phar Lap rises to the top of the list with 27 wins, then Tullock with 27, and Carbine and Winx with 25.
 
 
 
Stephen introduced the measure of historical time form ratings, a European method for assessing a horse's performance. Applying this measure to Australian champions, Phar Lap leads the way, having the highest rating at 141 pounds. Other legendary horses like Tullock, Kingston Town, Black Caviar, Winx, Makybe Diva, and Carbine are also rated highly on this measure.
 
Stephen's Verdict?
 
After applying his criteria, Stephen claims The Legends are Phar Lap, Tullock, Kingston Town, Black Caviar, Winx, Makybe Diva, and Carbine.
 
The Champions, Stephen says, are those above 133 on the time form rating system and include
Bernborough, Peter Pan, Todman, Vain, Manikato, Chatham, Tobin Bronze, Better Loosen Up, Galilee, Might and Power, So You Think, and Gunsynd.
 
 
What makes a great horse?
 
A horse's status as a legend, champion, or very good horse can change based on performance. What influences performance? External factors, such as breeding, rearing, training, and riders, are critical. Also, internal factors like a horse's physical attributes, such as height and weight, heart size, and biomechanical characteristics, play a role in determining greatness.  
 
Stephen exemplified these factors by citing the case of Black Caviar. Despite her imposing size, she possessed attributes that elevated her to champion status, such as her exceptional heart, flexibility, and reach.
 
Enigmatic elements also exist, like resilience, the will to win, and the role of luck. Black Caviar's luck came in the form of not being required to run on wet tracks.
 
That's Racing!
 
Using Naturalism as an example, Stephen illustrated the part LUCK plays and the consequent highs and lows of racing. Naturalism was one of the very good horses of Australian racing with two Group 1 wins as a three-year-old, several top-level placings and was named the Australian Champion three-year-old star of 1992-1993. He was known for his toughness and will to win. However, these were not always enough; coming off a victory in the Turnbull Stakes, Naturalism took excellent condition and form into the 1992 Cox Plate, which featured a strong field of champions. Unluckily, Naturalism lost his jockey when two horses fell in front of him, the Cox Plate eluded him. Later in Naturalism's career, he finished a close second in the Japan Cup after unluckily sustaining a hoof injury close to the race.  If only!  But that's racing!