An old decade is coming to an end and a new one about to start. Who has been the greatest jumps horse of this current decade? Some absolute beasts have been strutting their stuff over the past 10 years. I go for Sprinter Sacre. The only jumps horse I've seen in over 30 years that I could actually say that in his pomp was truly unbeatable.
Agreed Spinter Sacre in his prime was an awsome spectacle.Honourable mention to little old Tiger Roll.
I think I’d have to go with Hurricane Fly based on his longevity. I’ve still no idea how he isn’t a triple champion hurdle winner and his 22 grade 1 wins will likely never be bettered.
A decade that started with a Cheltenham Festival where Imperial Commander won the Gold Cup, Binocular winning the Champion Hurdle and Big Zeb in the QMCC. My top five would be Sprinter Sacre - Two of my most memorable (for a good reason) days at the races were when he came back from illness to win at Cheltenham. The QMCC win was something else, and the way we were able to give him a rousing send off was special. Hurricane Fly - I am not a massive fan of Irish racing (often much to my detriment) but who could fail to be impressed by Hurricane Fly. His top level form was something special and whilst I am more a fan of chasers, he was a special horse. Cue Card - A massive "what if" with Cue Card, but he goes into my top five, because of his longevity and his wins in the top grade. Kauto Star - That 2011 Revival - He was already my favourite horse, but that was an epic return for an amazing racehorse. That King George! Altior - His record speaks for itself. Perhaps not as likeable as many of those mentioned above, but he was a winning machine, and had he beaten Cyrname he'd probably be high on everyones list. It is a hard one to choose just the best, but because of his health and complete return, I am going to go with head over heart and say Sprinter Sacre is my horse of the decade.
The most emotional ever for me. My family got worried thinking I was having a heart attack. No horse has ever got me like that; not even Dessie
The most nervous I've ever been was Black Caviar at RA. I was nearly sick with worry before the start, and even more so about 50 yards from the line.
I remember it well. That temporary sinking feeling when it was possible that she had lost, due to the jockey easing off. A similar feeling when Zenyatta's jockey gave them a "furlong" start and failed to get his film star finish
Injuries aside Faugheen was amazing. 2 wins at Cheltenham. Won over all distances and now jumping a fence at 11 and still winning.
Sprinter for me. When he came back and won at Chelters even Simon Holt had trouble getting the words out. "Sprinter Sacre, he's regained his title".
He might not have been the best horse of the decade but many clouds still brings a tear to my eye even now. What a story.
Douvan for me, went through the races with ease. In Febuary 2017 Ron started a thread it was called Can Altior really be better than Sprinter Sacre? That had only two pages of debate but brought some interesting thoughts too the fore
Zenyatta wasnt used to running in Championship dirt races, she spent most of her career winning on the bridle against G3 fillies and won her first classic on a pro ride surface with 2 decent turf horses finishing 2nd and 3rd. She was going her normal early speed but had never been in a field going so fast early. Struggling to think of a horse who was campaigned more conservatively than Zenyatta, Winx never left Australia but at least they didnt duck the top races in Australia. She ran in the best races in her country, Zenyatta lost to the only G1 horse she ever faced on Dirt, and I was on Blame at 8/1.
Andrew Beyer on Zenyatta, gives an insight into the level of opposition in her 2009 Classic win on a synthetic surface. After Rachel Alexandra dominated much of the U. S. racing season, it is finally Zenyatta's moment to take center stage. The 5-year-old mare, who has won all 13 of her races with a powerful late kick, will face males for the first time when she runs Saturday in the Breeders' Cup Classic. Trainer John Shirreffs has given Zenyatta an ultra-conservative campaign this season, racing her four times on the synthetic tracks she loves, always against small fields of overmatched fillies and mares. Zenyatta didn't blow away this competition, and her speed figures were unexceptional. Her modest winning margins were partly the result of her catch-'em-at-the-wire style, but nevertheless she has not looked as impressive as she was in her best efforts of 2008. Zenyatta's main advantage is that she has proven herself on synthetic tracks while her principal rivals have not. This is an issue that handicappers will confront in every Breeders' Cup event on Santa Anita's Pro-Ride surface: How do you evaluate horses such as Summer Bird and Quality Road who have never raced on a synthetic track? How do you view European turf specialists running on Pro-Ride? The 2008 Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita provided limited but clear evidence with which to answer these questions. Dirt specialists who were unproven on synthetics were unable to win, but turf horses made the transition effectively. The best American filly sprinter, Indian Blessing, was almost unbeatable on dirt and lost to the turf specialist Ventura. Europeans ran 1-2 in the Classic. The major prep races for this year's Breeders' Cup added more support to this premise: On a synthetic track, disregard the dirt runners and respect the turfers. That will be my strategy for the entire Breeders' Cup. If the 2009 Classic had been run on dirt, Summer Bird and Quality Road would have been the standouts. On Pro-Ride, I'm throwing them both out. I'll take a stand against Zenyatta. I'll throw out all of the males who have been racing well on the California synthetic tracks. (They're a mediocre lot; a third-rate European invader beat the Californians in the recent Goodwood Stakes.) That leaves the two European entrants, Rip Van Winkle and Twice Over. Rip Van Winkle won two straight Grade I stakes in England after losing by a length to the continent's superstar, See the Stars. He, not Zenyatta, is the class of the Classic field. So she ran in 2 open races in a 20 race career, she won the first on her favourite synthetic surface, beating Gio Ponti and Twice Over, and she lost to Blame in her second, which was her first proper race on Dirt. Brilliant mare but her fanclub where mainly clueless about racing and more interested in her dancing, weakly campaigned throughout her career and it cost her in the most important race. Rachel Alexanda lost 6 times in 19 runs but she was fully tested in the top races while Zenyatta was swanning around California in the sun on a cushioned track against handicappers. Massive waste of her talent imo and cost her even a mention in any of the best filly/mare ever discussions, she simply doesnt have the CV to merit consideration despite her obvious ability.
We've all seen some wonderful hunt horses doing there thing in the past 10 years, but I think there's only one horse that deserves to be mentioned on this thread, and he wasn't used to flinging himself over obstacles. He loved the flat, and he loved Stick, or maybe he didn't give a hoot for Stick or anyone else. And his name is ........ SQUIRE. Yellow cap. https://www.racingtv.com/racecards/...icap-6?show_all=true&non-runner_display=false
