Thoroughbred Champions: Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century (Paperback)

~ The Blood-Horse Staff (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Of all of the fantastic horses this century has witnessed, it must have been a most difficult task to narrow down which of those were among the very best one hundred. However, the (Blood-Horse) magazine staff accepted the challenge to select the century's best.

Have you ever wondered where to find the race record of Dahlia (ranked 50th) for instance? Where can you find the pedigree for Sunday Silence (ranked 31st)? What great racehorse of the 1910s was sired by the farm's teaser stallion? By the way - the answer to that is Roamer (ranked 99th).

Opinion on "the greatest" will vary considerably, and a case can be made for almost any that are preferred. But within the covers of this book, you are sure to find the one that YOU think was "the greatest". And on his/her page you will also find a four-generation pedigree, tabulated race record, photographs, and a compelling narrative written by the talented editors of the Blood-Horse. You might even learn something you had not previously known, like I did while reading aboutRoamer's parentage.

We, the editorial staff of Thoroughbred Champions (the web site), give our most heart-felt accolades to Thoroughbred Champions (the book). -- ThoroughbredChampions.com, December, 1999

Product Description

Man o' War. Secretariat. Citation. Ruffian. Seattle Slew. The names are revered in the sport of horse racing. These and many other Thoroughbreds have inspired fierce devotion and loyalty from racing enthusiasts through the years. Now, racing fans can revel in the racetrack triumphs of their equine heroes. In Thoroughbred Champions: Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century, the stories of these great four-legged athletes are told by the Turf writers and correspondents of The Blood-Horse, the leading weekly Thoroughbred racing magazine. Thoroughbred Champions follows The Blood-Horse's Top 100 list as selected by an esteemed panel of experts, starting with Man o' War in the No. 1 spot to Blue Larkspur at No. 100. Each horse on the list has left a mark on the history of Thoroughbred racing, making the sport that much richer. Whether the reader is revisiting an old favorite, learning about a horse from yesteryear, or discovering something new about a modern-day champion, Thoroughbred Champions pays homage to the grand heritage of the Thoroughbred racehorse and the sport of racing.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 255 pages
• Publisher: Eclipse Press; 1st edition (October 25, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581500246
• ISBN-13: 978-1581500240
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #185,897 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th century, April 16, 2001

By	E. A. Lovitt "starmoth" (Gladwin, MI USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

"Thoroughbred Champions" does a meticulous job of presenting the top one hundred Thoroughbreds who raced in America (at least once) during the 20th century. Each racehorse is pictured with accompanying statistics. Stories flesh out the statistics and try to give us a feeling for the drama inherent in owning, or working with, or following the career of one of these beautiful animals. One of my favorite stories describes Personal Ensign's final race:

"Four lengths were all that separated Personal Ensign from a perfect career. With an eight of a mile to go in the 1988 Breeders' Cup distaff, it seemed an impossible amount of ground for the bay filly to close on the leader, Winning Colors. It took about fourteen seconds for that final eighth to be run, but it seemed like an eternity. Personal Ensign closed the gap relentlessly, inching slowly toward Winning Colors, and at the wire, she thrust a desperate nose in front of her younger rival."

I watched that last race of hers on T.V. I was recovering from abdominal surgery at the time, and I think I must have busted a stitch or two trying to 'help' Personal Ensign down that muddy track and over the finish line ahead of her rival (who had already won the 1988 Kentucky Derby).

Because these equine champions mean so much to some of us, there has been and will be lots of disagreement over the order in which they were placed on the list. Why, for instance does Easy Goer appear ahead of both Ruffian and Personal Ensign, not to mention Busher, Twilight Tear, and Dahlia? Both Busher and Twilight Tear were voted Horse of the Year---an honor that eluded Easy Goer.

Here is the list as compiled by the seven panel members chosen by "The Blood-Horse":

1. Man o'War, 2. Secretariat, 3. Citation, 4. Kelso, 5. Count Fleet, 6. Dr. Fager, 7. Native Dancer, 8. Forego, 9. Seattle Slew, 10. Spectacular Bid, 11. Tom Fool, 12. Affirmed, 13. War Admiral, 14. Buckpasser, 15. Colin, 16. Damascus, 17. Round Table, 18. Cigar, 19. Bold Ruler, 20. Swaps, 21. Equipoise, 22. Phar Lap, 23. John Henry, 24. Nashua, 25. Seabiscuit, 26. Whirlaway, 27. Alydar, 28. Gallant Fox, 29. Exterminator, 30. Sysonby, 31. Sunday Silence, 32. Skip Away, 33. Assault, 34. Easy Goer, 35. Ruffian, 36. Gallant Man, 37. Discovery, 38. Challedon, 39. Armed, 40. Busher, 41. Stymie, 42. Alysheba, 43. Northern Dancer, 44. Ack Ack, 45. Gallorette, 46. Majestic Prince, 47. Coaltown, 48. Personal Ensign, 49. Sir Barton, 50. Dahlia, 51. Susan's Girl, 52. Twenty Grand, 53. Sword Dancer, 54. Grey Lag, 55. Devil Diver, 56. Zev, 57. Riva Ridge, 58. Slew o'Gold, 59. Twilight Tear, 60. Native Diver, 61. Omaha, 62. Cicada, 63. Silver Charm, 64. Holy Bull, 65. Alsab, 66. Top Flight, 67. Arts and Letters, 68. All Along, 69. Noor, 70. Shuvee, 71. Regret, 72. Go for Wand, 73. Johnstown, 74. Bald Eagle, 75. Hill Prince, 76. Lady's Secret, 77. Two Lea, 78. Eight Thirty, 79. Gallant Bloom, 80. Ta Wee, 81. Affectionately, 82. Miesque, 83. Carry Back, 84. Bimelech, 85. Lure, 86. Fort Marcy, 87. Gamely, 88. Old Rosebud, 89. Bewitch, 90. Davona Dale, 91. Genuine Risk, 92. Sarazen, 93. Sun Beau, 94. Artful, 95. Bayakoa, 96. Exceller, 97. Foolish Pleasure, 98. Beldame, 99. Roamer, 100. Blue Larkspur.

You can always buy the book, then cut and paste the list so that your favorite champions are more correctly placed.

Several authors were involved in telling the stories of the top one hundred Thoroughbred champions.. Its stories pay tribute to a remarkable breed of athletes, and if you were fortunate to watch Secretariat win the Belmont or Personal Ensign win the Breeders' Cup Distaff, this book will mean all that more to you.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Reference Book for Racing Fans, June 6, 2000

By	Susan Nunes (Reno, NV United States) - See all my reviews

While this book will provoke arguments among racing fans as to which horses merit the "greatest" label, this is indispensible to anyone who loves thoroughbred racing. While most of the horses were and are familiar names to racing fans, some are not so well-known. Each horse is described in brief yet highly detailed biographies, and there are photographs galore.

As I said, there will be arguments as to which horses were the best, and the authors note how low the fillies, especially Ruffian, arguably a top 10 horse, ended up on the list. There was also some controversy over Secretariat's ranking, as one of the seven experts did not even list him in the top 10, thus he managed to finish only number two on the list, behind Man O' War (this immediately calls into question the "expertise" of the unidentified panelist).

But that's what these lists are for, to provoke discussion and even argument. I found this book endlessly fascinating.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Encyclopedia of Great Thoroughbred Champions, May 17, 2000

By	Patricia A. Rizzo "Patricia Ann Rizzo" (CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

That should have been the title of this book. I just received my copy and have been so deeply absorbed in it that the afternoon just flew by on golden hoofs. I've been an enthusiast of thoroughbred racing since, at a very tender age, my dad brought me to the stables at Belmont Park to see a friend who works there. They showed me a huge gray horse and I was so small I looked up into that massive animal's face, felt his warm breath on my face...and fell totally in love. The horse was Native Dancer, the love affair continues though I am now getting closer to retirement age. This wonderful book will take you from one champ to the next and all I could say was "I agree, I agree" as I moved down the list of the top 100. Though I knew most, there were some I did not know and those interested me the most. The list, together with pictures, pedigree and a small writeup on each makes this book a keeper! an encyclopedia of the 100 greatest thoroughbreds!