Top Horse Racing Moments Of All Time
Photo by Mike Kotsch. Unsplash/CC
Being a sports fan means that being loyal to a specific sport goes further than any goal scored or points accumulated. It is about memories created during a match or a race that we can’t ever forget. Like the 93rd-minute Aguero goal against QPR or the Abu Dhabi 2021 title decider between Lewis and Verstappen. These are moments we all live for, moments that go beyond the sports to gain cultural relevance. In the same way these moments exist in the world of football and motor racing, they also exist in horse racing, and here are some of the most exciting ones!
1. Red Rum vs. Crisp, The Greatest Steeplechase Comeback (1973)
The Red Rum Crisp showdown is one for the ages. The 1973 Grand National is one that you are likely to hear about if you hang around folk who know the sport. They’d tell you how Crisp, carrying 23 pounds more than his rivals, was set for a guaranteed win, but Red Rum had other ideas. The Irish Bay, described by its jockey as “an express train thundering up,” will not be defeated, mounting a charge that saw Crisp’s 15-length advantage disappear in a red rush and ended up winning the race by three-quarters of a length. Red Rum would go on to win the Grand National an unprecedented three times.
2. Go for Wand vs. Charon, The Alabama Stakes Takeover (1990)
Despite its name, the Alabama Stakes runs at the Saratoga Race Course in New York, named after horseman William Cottrell of Mobile, Alabama. Alabama hasn’t hosted live thoroughbred racing since Birmingham Race Course discontinued it in 1995, and with sports betting prohibited in the state, racing fans often find competitive odds and various horse racing markets on AL online sports betting platforms, for instance. However, at the 1990 Alabama Stakes, what was billed as a showdown between Go for Wand and Coaching Club American Oaks winner Charon became a demolition. Go for Wand seized the lead and never looked back, with jockey Randy Romero sitting motionless for over a mile. She crossed the wire seven lengths ahead in a record time of 2:00.80 that still stands today.
3. Secretariat, The 31-Length Belmont Miracle (1973)
On June 9, 1973, Secretariat didn’t just win the Belmont Stakes; he demolished the field in what many consider the greatest performance in racing history. After 25 years without a Triple Crown winner, “Big Red” ended the drought spectacularly. He pulled away on the backstretch and kept accelerating, winning by 31 lengths in 2 minutes 24 seconds. Track announcer Chic Anderson’s call, “Secretariat is moving like a tremendous machine!”, became legendary. More than 50 years later, no horse has come within two seconds of that record.
4. Kauto Star vs. Denman, The Clash of Titans (2008–2009)
Kauto Star did something no other horse had done at the time; it became the first horse to ever regain the Gold Cup after losing it to stablemate Denman. The battle between these horses started in 2008 when Denman defeated the then-champion Kauto Star at Cheltenham, having pulled away by seven lengths. But Kauto Star was not done and defeated Denman only the year after with a bigger margin of 13 lengths. The 2009 victory is regarded as one of the finest Gold Cup performances since Arkle’s era.
5. Affirmed vs. Alydar, The Rivalry That Defined a Generation (1978)
The most intense rivalry in American racing played out across the 1978 Triple Crown. Affirmed and Alydar met 10 times, finishing one-two in nine encounters. In the Kentucky Derby, Affirmed won by 1½ lengths. The Preakness margin shrank to a neck. At the Belmont Stakes, the two ran together for more than half a mile, closing with the quickest final mile the race had ever seen. With the Triple Crown at stake, 18-year-old jockey Steve Cauthen used a left-handed whip on Affirmed for the first time, giving the colt the edge he needed to win by a head.
6. Mine That Bird, The 50/1 Derby Shock
No one gave Mine That Bird a chance in the 2009 Kentucky Derby. The gelding arrived from New Mexico in a trailer behind his trainer’s pickup truck and went off at 50-1 odds. When the gates opened on a sloppy track, Mine That Bird fell 20 lengths behind. But jockey Calvin Borel patiently guided his mount up the inside rail. Approaching the stretch, Borel found a seam and threaded through so quickly that TV cameras missed the move. Mine That Bird exploded past the field to win by 6¾ lengths, paying $103.20 for a $2 bet, the fourth-biggest upset in Derby history.
