Harbinger vs Montjeu

Having listened to/ read all the superlatives for Frankel's wide margin wins and the comparisons with other greats, I'd thought I get some views on racing styles.

For this I have looked at Harbinger and Montjeu's King George wins and wonder which others thought was the most impressive?

Harniger romped home by 11 lengths with Montjeu teased the field to win by a length or so.

For me Montjeu's King George was the more majestic win but many racegoers see a horse win by lengths and eulogize.

 

For pure unadulterated power, Harbinger does it for me everytime

 

Both won in impressive style - Harbinger for me though as he won going away in record time against world class opposition in Workforce and Cape Blanco.
Montjeu was a very temperamental horse - I think he refused to enter the paddock that day and Kinane let him do all he needed to - that said, he has said that Montjeu is the best 12f horse he has ever sat on.

 

HArbinger v Sea The stars is a race we were cruelly denied.

 

I'm not easily impressed by winning margins as it depends what is behind. But when a horse wins as easily as Harbinger did in a very fast time, and just looking at the sheer power of the horse, it has to be Harbinger for me without a doubt. I am a Montjeu fan make no mistake but Harbinger was the best I've seen since Ribot. And it was nice to later discover Ribot on his pedigree

Harbinger

Tribute to Harbinger

 

I was sitting on a very nice 20/1 slip for Harbinger to win the Derby. Who knows, maybe it would have been him that would have won the Derby and Arc that year and STS would have slipped away as just another Guineas winner!

 

And if Alex Scott had not been murdered maybe Lamtarra would have ran more races!

 

Harbinger would not have won the Derby. He didn't mature until he was 4 and then he progressed. It's a pity more horses aren't allowed to fully mature. Too many are rushed in order to win as much as possible as early as possible and then put to stud as early as possible. Money driven.

 

I know he only proved himself a class act once, but I'm convinced that Harbinger would have beaten pretty much anything that day, and I include Montjeu in that.*

Montjeu was good, but I'm not sure he was a superstar. Harbinger may well have been without the injury

 

For me it's runs on the board.

Prix Isonomy (1998)
Prix Greffulhe (1999)
Prix du Jockey Club (1999)
Irish Derby (1999)
Prix Niel (1999)
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (1999)
Tattersalls Gold Cup (2000)
Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (2000)
K. George VI & Q. Elizabeth Stakes (2000)
Prix Foy (2000]

 

One could argue that the two most telling races there (being all age) are the KG and the Arc.

Ribot also won both and won the Arc twice.

 

Ribot for me too. And if there was a bigger legend than Ribot, it was Federico Tesio. The man was a genius.