The Great Horses of History
December 7th 2006 15:55
The great horses of history… let me count them. Let me define what it means to be great. Let me count the Melbourne Cups, or measure the highest jump, the fastest furlong. Greater than Phar Lap? Then Phar Lap must be the measure of all great horses…
On the 11th June in 1973, the US champion Secretariat appeared on the cover of Time magazine. The super galloper went on that day to win the Triple Crown, setting a world record time for a mile and a half – a world record time. The horse won by 31 lengths and the effort is breathless. Is this greatness, or great enough to be a great horse? Phar Lap slashed records each time he set foot on turf. The horse’s heart set records when it was extracted from him, and his hide still sets records as the greatest draw in the Melbourne Museum. Greatness? The weight-carrying record for the Melbourne Cup was set in 1890 by Carbine who sloshed 10st5lbs through a Flemington track that was kept down by sheep! Makybe Diva – three Melbourne Cups, top weights and a mare. Greatness?
In the nineties a showjumping grey called Milton, in a lifelong partnership with top rider John Whitaker, became the first horse ever to exceed £1 million (over AU$2.3 million) in prize money in that discipline. In 1967 a 14.2hh pony, Stroller, won the coveted Hickstead Derby competing over fences that towered above him. A year later he won individual silver at the 1968 Mexico Olympic Games. Greatness in the face of adversity?
Greatness in the equestrian world is generally measured on any horse’s feats. Achievements that astonish the human mind can send a horse into history, can stir conversations over drinks and winning stubs, can have us pitting a horse we see today against a horse that lived a century ago. Could Makybe Diva have taken on Phar Lap? Could Milton outclass Huaso's world record in the Puissance? Several days ago in a conversation with an old racing character I mused at his convictions that Phar Lap was a consistently drugged horse and the result of this is the immortality that follows him still nearly eighty years later. Questionable greatness then?
Who are your great horses? The pony that taught you fearlessness, or the stories surrounding the feats of many – Secretariat, Phar Lap, Ruffian, Reckless? Which equine will splash the cover of Time, Newsweek and Sports Illustrated next? Will he have to win the Triple Crown or will he be your own horse, just because he’s yours and if wishes were horses..!
Secretariat commands front page 11/06/1973
In the nineties a showjumping grey called Milton, in a lifelong partnership with top rider John Whitaker, became the first horse ever to exceed £1 million (over AU$2.3 million) in prize money in that discipline. In 1967 a 14.2hh pony, Stroller, won the coveted Hickstead Derby competing over fences that towered above him. A year later he won individual silver at the 1968 Mexico Olympic Games. Greatness in the face of adversity?
Phar Lap trapped every headline from 1929 to 1932
Greatness in the equestrian world is generally measured on any horse’s feats. Achievements that astonish the human mind can send a horse into history, can stir conversations over drinks and winning stubs, can have us pitting a horse we see today against a horse that lived a century ago. Could Makybe Diva have taken on Phar Lap? Could Milton outclass Huaso's world record in the Puissance? Several days ago in a conversation with an old racing character I mused at his convictions that Phar Lap was a consistently drugged horse and the result of this is the immortality that follows him still nearly eighty years later. Questionable greatness then?
Who are your great horses? The pony that taught you fearlessness, or the stories surrounding the feats of many – Secretariat, Phar Lap, Ruffian, Reckless? Which equine will splash the cover of Time, Newsweek and Sports Illustrated next? Will he have to win the Triple Crown or will he be your own horse, just because he’s yours and if wishes were horses..!
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