10 Best Race Horses of All Time - Greatest Thoroughbreds (2024)

Horse betting is a classic amongst the rich of the richest around the world. And, it is ultimately common knowledge to be a Million Dollar industry also. Internationally people would chance-fully place their bets on some of the greatest and most famous horses purely by that horses winning streak reputation or some just because they have too much money to know what to do with. The winning horse doesn’t always make a winning bet though if you haven’t betted on it which is the downside of where people easily loose a few thousands or millions too. This is the sad part, but those royal gamblers know what they had coming and should have expected it, win or loss, its part of the game.

I wouldn’t personally bet a fortune on an animal though. Never-the-less, let us give a honor to our stallions, Racing cars is easy because you know more or less how much of power it was built to push out and your ability to control it to win the race, but racing a horse with a mind of it’s own is unpredictable and uncertain of a win.

Here’s 10 of the best race horses of all time ranked by win rate, and other great things that make them legendary horses altogether.

10. Seattle Slew

Back in the 70’s, Slew was remembered as a thouroughbred horse born for victory and boy oh boy did he manage to live up to his oath by birth by eventually. Growing up till the age of 28 which is shocking for the amount of years a horse can actually live and also remarkable as well. He has grown older than some humans have had the chance to, sadly passing away yet still his name remains as a legend in the horse racing business and is recognized globally. He has influenced the training and breeding of other horses and has served a great inspiration to horse trainers also by the legacy of his greatness left behind. Seattle Slew can definitely be considered as one of the best race horses to have ever kicked the grounds of the race tracks.

See Also; History’s Most Famous War Horses.

9. Zenyatta

Female horses that exhibit the same amount of strength and determination as a stallion is somewhat of a remarkable thing and must be given the utmost of respect. Zenyatta has been dubbed as “The Queen of Race horses”. This automatically speaks enough about her reputation thus far and as far as ranked best race horses are concerned, she most certainly has the spirit of some famous human “godmother” we know, who do you picture that comes to mind? Zenyatta has also been the 2010 Race horse of the year due to carrying most of the weight during any other male or female horse of that year’s major races. In her majesty’s rest of retirement, she now enjoys motherhood with foals to her name.

8. Citation

With Citation were talking about an elderly lost phantom race horse legend. The great of the greatest and one of the best Race Horses of historical recorded all time. By history we mean in the 1940’s era, this horse was the best thing in the horse racing industry. Loved by the people and most anticipated of that time; A trusted one too in the faith of many’s favor and has proven to live up to their expectations on several occasions. Before Citation had entered the gates of the audienced race track of horse racing, he has already made a winning name for himself.

At his starting stages, winning 14 of 16 Starts and became a 2 year old champion and landed the fourth Triple Crown of the 40’s. He is a 16 all time Race Winner and that’s what makes him a legend on this list of the best race horses of all time.

See Also; World’s Most Beautiful Horses.

7. Ruffian

You cannot go against a Ruffian and expect to come out with a clean slated escape. Ruffian race horse legend however is something and somebody else I would say as she is another American Race Horse legend who started her career back in the brimming 70’s where Horse Racing and all of these businesses were booming with excitement and gained the interest of many money throwers world-wide.

Her Horse Racing experience though at the prime of her career as a Race Horse had turned out to be what was considered as one of the saddest moments in horse racing history as she tended to have lost her commonly known stride that everybody placed their bets of faith on. By witness of 50, 764 people who were present to watch her perform with confidence as she always shown boldly at Belmont Park only to see that she had, in the middle part of her race, snapped her forefront bones and dropped to what later appeared to be her demise after medical attendance. A movie has been made in her honor in 2007. If you wish to view the video of her last and final race, watch HERE. If you’re not faint hearted.

6. Black Caviar

Here we speak of Royalty Horses which represents one of the best in its field. Australian Royalty Horse Black Caviar is worth $210 000! Yikes now this is a fairly steep amount to pay for an animal isn’t so? Purely because an animal can eventually get sick and then die where as buying a ferrari for that price can also be smashed or stolen so either way its pretty much the same thing. Only thing is that a stallion Ferrari Race Car serves more of a flaunting chance than flaunting a horse for that price. In the case of Black Caviar though, were not speaking about just any ordinary horse. Royalty commands respect. Royalty Caviar as one of the bestRace horsees of all time, most certainly earned that respect by winning 25 Races of her 25 Races in the midst of her Horse career before retiring In 2013.

5. Frankel

Frankel, A horse raised by a prince, Khalid Abdullah. Abdullah is a business tycoon who to no surprise happened to be an owner of Juddmonte farms. One of his farms holds home to Frankel which is the crown jewel of 259 Stallions as a heir to his legacy. A horse like Frankel who is valued at a staggering unbelievable $150 Million dollars is an equivalent to buying about 3 buggati’s and a large estate big enough to spring a few state mansions in different locations all over the world and still have enough cash to blow in the end!

Besides this, Frankel has a Bronze statue that’s been unveiled by the Queen of England herself which is round about the greatest Honor any horse could have gotten in the European Union. When we speak about ‘Thouroughbred’, Race Horse Frankel hails this word in his victories as well as in the history of his bloodline too..

4. Seabiscuit

A really funny name to keep for a Horse I’d say, but then again it isn’t the name of a horse which makes it a winner but its ability to perform in stride and by the force of human driven demand as well as nature to take its ‘course’. Seabiscuit on the other hand is a direct example outlining this statement as don’t be fooled by his name since the history at which this horse has been apart of is something honorable. Being a leading money winner of 1937, another historical horse he was and plays a great role as bestrace horses in American sporting history. Nothing beats a classic they say.

The story of SeaBiscuit is more inspirational and doesn’t necessarily center around the number of wins it had, winning isn’t always as honorable as the integrity shown by someone or something and SeaBee has really been an exceptional example of utter dedication and perseverance. In his time, falling and getting back up then giving his competitors a duel finish and a run for their lungs at the last minute. Just like Race Horse Ruffian, SeaBiscuit also has a movie made in its honor. The determination of this specific horse has imprinted on an entire Nation of it’s era.

3. Phar Lap

Number 1 amongest the best race horses, which I’m sure everybody has been waiting for but hardly anticipated unless you’ve been a race horse fan since before Television then you would have probably had your bets on Phar Lap as well.

Just when we though we seen and heard it all, the best is and was yet to come and here comes Phar Lap! The greatest Racehorse of all time emerging into his victorious and glorious moments.

While Frankel is more of today’s billionaire’s greatest treasures on earth, Phar Lap on the other hand is a monument of history which is sunk deeper than we think as far as the best race horses of all time are concerned. Mafia hits are more common these days and with people dying like flies out of the outcome of their wrongful mistakes which they paid at the cost of their lives. Phar lap, met his fatal unfortunate end back in 1932 and a death that remained a mystery ever-since.

It is however, believed that he has been poisoned by Mafia members who had concerns of being out of ‘business’ due to the horses reputation of a constant winning streak. This statement in itself should tell you about the horses reputation and where one of it lies in being Austrailia’s historical prized jewels. Phar Lap will forever be remembered in Austrailian sporting history as the greatest race horse they’ve ever bred due to having a winning streak of succeeding 37 of 51 of his starts back in the 30’s.

His 19 pound heart however, can be found preserved at the National Museum of Canberra as well as his skeleton display which is held in the Dominion Museum and which totally defined his upstanding stance and stature of pride. Come to think about it, when we decipher the concode sound of his name, it actually sounds like “far lap” which in horse racing concept simply means reaching the finish line of several renowned race course tracks.

See Also; Top 10 Historically Famous Animals.

2. Man o War

Man o War sounds like a warrior stallion that you just don’t want to mess with, and packing a powerful kick back in it’s motion of fast paced movement to have made it on Second Ranking of 10 of the best race horses of all time and with no doubt or regrets earned it every ‘step’ of the way, Hay. Here is way we go way back into history which was an older horse than most all of whom we’ve given accolade to in the above rankings which is primarily why he deserves a higher regard despite winning rate etc.

The elders always have the most amount of respect and that’s what we are to give to Man o War who is also apart of a thouroughbred heritage that dominated the very very early 1900’s altogether. Just as how Sir Albert Einstein has become a standard comparison for brains and intelligence or IQ levels, Man o War has become a standard of comparison to other runners back in his day. Dominance as a stallion firstly and everything else remarkable that has been seen by the horse has always been the front-line of peoples views, hopes and bets. His life began in 1917, that can be considered as the era of industrial revolutions and other major things of the world that we are privileged to have in the way that we do in modern times.

1. Secretariat

Secretariat who can be considered as a God of War or an Spartan warrior. As the name sounds more Ancient Roman than anything else. But then again if horse names made them famous, horse racing businesses wouldn’t exist. In terms of the amount of money Secretariat has generated by his wins which spanned over a very short 16 month career altogether by emerging victoriously first 16 times, coming out second 3 times and third, only ONCE! Which all in all generated a winning total of $1,316,808 to be an exact figure. Which simply means to say that although horse racing is a billion dollar industry. And has subsequently made people millionaires too.

Its the actual legendary horses in the game that’s the foreground and foundation of a thriving industry. Secretariat is a direct example of what the horse breeding and racing business represents, Winning bets! And Dollar signs for those somewhat heartless millionaire tycoons that bet only on banking the most amount of money out of the life and physical strain of a horse. Secretariat as a race horse has also hit a record timing around the track. Which makes him even more legendary as we speak of his name in shining honor. Secretariat in his lifetime has literally grit the dust yet has accomplished more than most of his era and category.

10 Best Race Horses – Greatest Thoroughbreds

1. Secretariat
2. Man o’ War
3. Phar Lap
4. Seabiscuit
5. Frankel
6. Black Caviar
7. Ruffian
8. Citation
9. Zenyatta
10. Seattle Slew