Equine Rock Stars

jinnyj

jinnyj

Senior Jockey
Joined
Jan 8, 2004
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I was thinking this afternoon about exceptional horses (I won’t call them Greats) but those horses who you really look forward to watching and then they deliver a sensational performance. They almost give off this “Rock star” vibe (well for me anyway)

The most recent ones.....Constitution Hill, Shishkin, Altior, Sprinter Sacre

Is this because the British media hype them up too much? And they all seem to be trained by the same person...Hendo.

Its like they have it all...the looks, the ability, the engine, deliver the performance....until they don’t and then they retire (or make an emotional come back like Sprinter).

I know there are some exceptional horses trained elsewhere but they don’t seem to have the same effect? Or am I just on a whimsical Saturday rambling session? :lol:
 
Good thread, Jinny.

For me, in my lifetime:

Nijinsky; Shergar; El Gran Senor; Dancing Brave; Frankel.

Red Rum; Captain Christy; Kauto Star; Hurricane Fly; Constitution Hill.
 
I tend to let my figures guide my evaluation of performances but every so often one just blows you away.

Shergar in the Derby, definitely.

The likes of Shishkin in the Supreme I half expected because I had it a mile clear going into the race but Constitution Hill in his Supreme was definitely one because I was expecting DD to do a Shishkin.

Allaho in the Ryanair this year also did it for me and APT in last year's Betfair.
 
Grasshopper said:
Vautour deserves his place in this list.
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definitely

Douvan and Faugheen had the same kind of feel before they got bad injuries

Along with Constitution Hill I'd say Galopin des Champs has a similar excitement factor to him.

but yeah Hendo has had an incredible run of being sent elite racehorses
 
Too much immediacy around atm

CH has to beef up his CV to be compared to Hurricane Fly and Istabraq

Hopefully he'll stay sound and we can all have fun watching him do it
 
Truncheon said:
Too much immediacy around atm

CH has to beef up his CV to be compared to Hurricane Fly and Istabraq
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As far as his CV is concerned, yes, but not as far as their maximum ratings are concerned.

This is like an 18yo Pele at the 1958 World Cup.
 
Hmm a left suggestion who has done it and another left field suggestion of a horse who is in the process of doing it from me.

It's very hard to top the horses put forward so far but anyway.

I'd add recent arc winner Alpinista for what she did on the flat.

To beat the boys at Longchamp was awesome. Bar the first three horses home the field were strung out like the washing. She made top class opponents look week at the knees a long way out and her exploits abroad the last eighteen months or so, well we could wait at least another 15 or 20 years for another mare to do that again.

I'm hoping another flattie Rebels Romance, unbeaten on turf and the recent Breeders Cup turf winner can keep winning and improving next season. Hopefully a race like the King George is within his compass where he will likely take on the 2023 derby winner and the best of the rest over 1M4f.
 
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I was wondering how a horse could be deemed a "rock star" and I decided it meant a horse you would go to the races to see him/her in the flesh. there would still be too many to mention. I desperately wanted to see Frankel in the flesh but I'm afraid my deteriorating health buggered that up. Of the fairer sex Bosra Sham was a horse I would have loved to have seen.

Going even further back, Ankle, Flyingbolt, Crisp, Sea Bird, so so many - but I am very old.
 
Colin said:
I was wondering how a horse could be deemed a "rock star" and I decided it meant a horse you would go to the races to see him/her in the flesh. there would still be too many to mention. I desperately wanted to see Frankel in the flesh but I'm afraid my deteriorating health buggered that up. Of the fairer sex Bosra Sham was a horse I would have loved to have seen.

Going even further back, Ankle, Flyingbolt, Crisp, Sea Bird, so so many - but I am very old.
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Happy birthday, Col bach.....hope you enjoy your day. :)
 
Bosra Sham definitely had rock star quality. I saw her sold as a yearling and she had an aura about her then. George Washington was another.

Others I have seen in the flesh were Zenyatta and AP Indy whilst in the US. Zenyatta I saw when I went over for the BC that year. I remember posting on here after I saw her training to anyone who was listening (no-one was :( ) to put their mortgage on her....she was the most incredible specimen of a racehorse I have ever seen who was training like a monster.
 
I used to really love Mtoto, he was a rock star to me because I backed him and won good money on him a few times. The first time I was captured by hs brilliance was his win at Royal Ascot in the Prince Of Wales stakes. I remember going to Nottingham one Saturday evening just using the cash I got off him beating Reference Point that afternoon in the Eclipse. He was such a tough tough horse. One of my all time favourites for sure
 
If Flightline was still running, think I'd be considering how to divert the cash to book a flight to the US to go take a look at what a racing machine looks like.

But....

Come March (and the next few March's after that), I'm hoping Facile Vega will be the one to go see. Cheltenham is more doable anyway :-)

Aside : I registered the domain names facilevega.com and flightlinehorse.com. I would love to build them out as tribute sites (FV slightly premature, ofc, but nothing like getting in early)...but sadly, time is going to be somewhat of an issue :-(
 
EC21 said:
I used to really love Mtoto, he was a rock star to me because I backed him and won good money on him a few times. The first time I was captured by hs brilliance was his win at Royal Ascot in the Prince Of Wales stakes. I remember going to Nottingham one Saturday evening just using the cash I got off him beating Reference Point that afternoon in the Eclipse. He was such a tough tough horse. One of my all time favourites for sure
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I watched Mtoto's King George win a few months ago and was amazed at the off the pace ride he got -you don't really see it with proven Group 1horses these days -definitely not over 10 or 12 furlongs.
 
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