All-time Favourite Racehorse
 

I thought it would be interesting to ask people who their all-time favourite racehorse was and why and if it was the best horse you have ever seen?

My personal favourite would be Kingston Town. Being there that day seeing him win his third Cox plate was probably what got me into racing, even though I was quite young at the time.

I'd say the best I've ever seen would be Octagonal. Obviously just a phenominal horse, one who I have great memories of.

I emphasise that the following are my nominated favourites and not necessarily who I think are the best, that's a bit too hard. Nevertheless, obviously some of them could very well be the best.
2YOs :- Luskin Star and Todman
1000-1200: Takeover Target and Scillachi
1400: Wenona Girl and Manikato
1600: Sunline and Super Impose
>1600 - 2000: Kingston Town and Northerly
>2000 - 2400: Tulloch and Might and Power
>2400: Makybe Diva and Rain Lover.

There have been so many good ones, some that I can remember at the time of writing and so many others that just don't readily come to mind but probably should. How about just this few: Sky High, Time and Tide, Fine and Dandy, Kilshery, Dhaughligiri, Rising Fast, Redcraze, Vain, Gallilee, Light Fingers, Let's Elope, Placid Ark, Miss Andretti, Tobin Bronze, Lohnro, Octagonal, Rubiton, Choisir, Falvelon, Dulcify, Better Loosen Up, Vo Rogue, Myocard, Red Anchor, Imagele, Naturalism, Strawberry Road, Rough Habit, Gunsynd and 2YYs like Rancher, Eskimo Prince, Resling, Eye Liner and on and on and on and on. Not surprisingly other peoples' choices are likely to be quite different to mine. Let's have them.

Too hard to just mention a few ey? Schillaci was definately my favourite sprinter and probably the best ive ever seen, but youre old enough to remember horses like Tobin Bronze and Rain Lover good on ya. Mate I'd be suprised if somebody mentioned one that you havent named because you have pretty much covered them all.

Funny though my father (who was friends with some big names in the industry around the 70's) who knew enough about racing always told me how Galilee was the best he'd ever seen the way he could win sprint races and of course the great staying races by going past champions of the time like Light Fingers and Tobin Bronze like they werent even there, but I too find it hard to name just one or two as my favourites.

Do you know what Hussler I originally put Gallilee in but changed only because I have a soft spot for Rain Lover in view of his two Melbourne Cups, at least one of which he won by a big margin and also a record breaking run. If someone pinned me down and said "come on which of those two horses had the most ability", I think I would have to acknowledge that it would be Gallilee. I am trying to think of that filly/mare who is featured in the race call by Bert Bryant when he says something like "go you beautiful little thing" (actually have subsequently thought of it, Surround, she should also be in the possibles list). Hey that's another idea to try and stimulate some comment, that is, 'favourite racecallers' and although I don't particularly like getting into the area of criticism, most 'disliked racecallers'. However, wasn't Bert a beauty, he was very entertaining. I am originally a Sydney person until I was married to my present wife at 24 years old (only had one) and therefore of course had the usual NSW v Vic prejudice (my brother taught me to call them "Viccos", probably just to stir up my mother who was originally a Melbourne person) but it was people like Bert Bryant who probably instilled in me a preference for Melbourne Racing. I think that preference continues today. Sorry NSW that I am such a turncoat. Did you know that there was a Sydney horse once named Turncoat (late 60s???) - chestnut I think. I had a very nice "last race get out" on him one day at Randwick (20/1 or similar). Anyway I better get going before I start thinking of other great horses like Ripa, Storm Queen, Beau Zam, Apollo Eleven, Bonecrusher, Our Waverley Star, Zephyr Bay and who was that Brisbane horse who won all of his races bar one, at Doomben, was it Chief de Beers (I am sure he is a favourite of many).
Hussler you should also think about doing something similar with the dogs but maybe break it down into categories and do one category at a time. However, not everybody is a long time racing in general lunatic like me. The dogs are my true passion. Could be categories like but not only: Best greyhound up to 400ms, 450ms (big track), 500ms (WP, Sandown style track), 600 and 720. We've already done something on the Harness horses, that's where I nominated Cardigan Bay and James Scott who went to America for special international races and did Australasia proud by being victorious.

The greatest in my mind is without a doubt Kingston Town.

Nah mate I'll leave the greyhound chat to somebody else, like yourself. I don't know a thing about greyhound racing and obviously don't follow it, but mate if you want to start up a thread about that your more than welcome to and I'm sure it would attract interest.

TIE THE KNOT won plenty on the punt following that horse.

Yes and Saintly's gotta fit in somewhere...

How could you go past Makybe Diva?

God youre right! she hasnt been mentioned once! Personally think that there have been better though...

3 Melbourne cups in a row!

How can you get any better than that?

Mate I could go on for ages listing reasons why others were better, but I wont. Its just a personal opinion, one which I share with many people in fact.

Hussler, I did mention Makybe Diva in my first posting. I saw the mention of Tie the Knot, it was one I was trying to think of but apart from remembering Guy Walters' name I was having a "seniors' moment". Heavens, imagine me not readily recalling Saintly, it goes to show that there have been so many great horses and I don't use that term lightly. He was good.
To be honest, the criteria for my initial nominations is a combination of favourite/best horses. In fact, my favourite horse was Blue Clan which I am sure none of the members will have ever heard. He raced back in the 1960s and was trained by Fred Harold Hood whom my father had know since their primary school days in Alexandria, Sydney. Blue Clan was a versatile Sydney Saturday handicapper but did have, what is now know as Group 1 potential. He was good from 6 furlongs to 10 furlongs and held the 9 1/2 furlong track record at Canterbury (winning the Frank Underwood Cup) and also the 1 mile record at Ipswich winning the Ipswich Cup. He was very unlucky in an Epsom running 4th but blocked for a run. He had the nice habit of getting up at some very big prices. Frequently aboard him in those days was the then apprentice, Kevin Langby, who of course became my favourite jockey for those years as I followed him throughout his career. Blue Clan was far from the best but to be honest, he was my favourite.

Yeah sorry you did mention her, my bad.

Galilee was a great horse but Cummings kept him in Adelaide so he wouldn't cop a hefty weight in the Cups. He won over 10 furlongs there in 2.2, a flying gallop but got into the Caulfield Cup with virtually nothing on his back (8.7) considering his ability, which he won easily beating Gala Crest with Tobin Bronze running about sixth in a flying 2.27 8/10. Even the penalty he received for the Melbourne Cup was light and he fronted on the first Tuesday in November with 8.13 and got home by two lengths beating the previous year's winner Light Fingers. She lumped 9.1 that day and went into the race on a very much interrupted preparation. For mine, both fit and at weight for age over two miles, the mare would carry him on her back. Rain Lover, under the care of Mick Robins was a freak, at two miles, he'd brain Galilee, at a mile and a half, he wouldn't have seen where Galilee went. Kingston Town mind you would have carried the lot of them, he's the only horse post war to win a big two mile Cup carrying more than weight for age. These namby pamby horses of today with 55 on their back after winning 10 million are a joke. Kingston Town won the Sydney Cup carrying half a kilo over weight for age and he did it when three. If he didn't have a clown on his back, he'd have won the Melbourne Cup by half a furlong, remove Johnson and put Cook, Dittman, any Melbourne hoop on his back and he creates history. Smith refused to bag Malcolm, I seem to recall that Malcolm eventually bagged himself saying something like he cost the greatest horse in history a Melbourne Cup. Yep, he gave it a sore back. The difference with Kingston Town and all these other great stayers was that the "King" could sprint with the best of them, 1.9 for 6 furlongs, 1.21 (record) for 7 furlongs, he could run a mile in 1.35, 10 furlongs in 2.0, a mile and a half in 2.26 and still could run 2 miles in 3.18......kind of makes the rest look slow, I could go on but definitely the best horse to race in Australia in the last 50 years.

my favorite horse wasSUNGENT a horse trained by the late ray bradleyat rose hill.obviously cause of the punt i backed him at warick farm wednsday meeting last race ,raining like cats and dogs .i put $1000 to win 500 the place (when i was single and had money),pre post he was about $4.50 i backed him at 1pm when it was dry and sunny by the time of the last race it was pouring rain and wanted to cancil the bet but couldnt.gai waterhouse had just started training and she had a horse that was favourite shortening as much as sungent was blowing in the market.it was the days when there were no phones on track comunication was dificult.anyway i was so nervous i nearly pee myself well gai s horse went to the lead and looked the goods but in the straight down theout side the grey(sungent) won by 4 lengths ,what a feeling .followed the horse all his life.but popular horses .id say super impose wins in the big mile nrace were great