Worlds Worst Racehorses

World’s worst winning racehorse – Quakeress
You’d think that a victory to your name would prevent you from entering the list of the world’s worst racehorses, but the mighty Quakeress demands a place in the mix.
After seventeen disappointing performances on the track, Quakeress stunned the world in February 2000 when she smashed the record for winning off the lowest handicap mark in British racing history.
Whereas the legendary Frankel finished his career on a mark of 135, Quakeress was rated a shocking 16 when she scored at odds of 25/1 for her stunned trainer and even more shocking was her victory in another race five days later.
Her climb to the top was short-lived, but despite never getting her head in front again, she goes down in history for her mind boggling success at Wolverhampton.
World’s worst Classic contender – Noddies Way
Racing’s incredible history is littered with sensational Classic winners from years gone by and the Epsom Derby has been won by the likes of Sea The Stars, Generous, Shergar and the incredible Mill Reef.
People will always wonder who the greatest Derby winner of all time was, but there is no denying that Noddies Way was the worst Classic contender in the history of the sport.
The jaw-droppingly poor horse took his chance in the 2003 Epsom Classic after his owner Wayne Cox left him in the world’s most prestigious race by accident and the bookies were happy to lay odds of 500/1 on the charge stunning racegoers with a Derby victory. Unsurprisingly, trainer John Panvert’s runner ended up 30 lengths behind the eventual winner, Sir Percy, after a typically diabolical performance.
It would be another two years before the horse broke his maiden tag at Lingfield, but he will always be remembered for his exploits at Epsom
World’s biggest flop – The Green Monkey
Quakeress, Noddies Way and Quixall Crossett were all shocking performers but at least they were priced on their limited ability.
There were some stunned faces when breeding operation Coolmore parted with a whopping $16 million to purchase The Green Monkey in 2006 and the horse immediately became the world’s most expensive racehorse.
It was not long before it was clear he was also going to become the world’s biggest flop and connections were left scratching their heads when he retired after just three starts. With a measly $10,000 in prize money in the bank, The Green Monkey went to stud for $5,000 and left a lot of the Coolmore team red faced in the process.
The impressive beast was by no means the worst horse of all time, but he is certainly racing’s biggest disappointment.
World’s worst racehorse – Zippy Chippy
With a bridle nameplate that reads ‘Racing’s Biggest Loser,’ Zippy Chippy can rightly claim to be the worst racehorse of all time.
The hapless 21-year-old lost 100 consecutive races in the United States before he was retired in 2010 after scoring $30,572 in prize money.
It wasn’t all bad for Zippy, he finished second on eight occasions and was third 12 other times, but his lowest point came in 2000 when he inexplicably lost a 40-yard sprint to a minor-league baseball player. Jose Herrera powered clear of his rival to win their race by at least three lengths in what must have been a shock even to connections of the dreadful horse.
The superstar ended his career with legendary status and his name is all over fan clubs, message boards and forums. He even managed to find a place on People magazine’s list of the most interesting personalities.

 

Funny little read that Wooly

I felt a little warm inside after reading about 'The Green Monkey' - bleeding $16m?!

 

Fool's Paradise.

There was a palpable air of excitement as the handsome 2 year old bay colt entered the sale ring. He came with a huge reputation, one built on a lightning track gallop. He'd breezed up a strong 3 furlongs in 33, running home the last furlong in a tick under 9.5 seconds, with some left in the tank. The talk was so hyped, it was considered as almost a given that he'd annex the Kentucky Derby on his way to the Triple Crown during his 3 year old season. It was enough to draw two of the biggest gun fighters in the breeding world into what would turn out to be the thoroughbred auction's version of the OK corral, Coomore versus Darley. At stake, not just a race horse, but the pride in being the biggest swinging dick in the yard. It was to be egos bound with recklessness, where money would quickly take a back seat to self-conceit.

And so the striking bay with the giant white blaze, was introduced to the world at large at the Fasig-Tipton sales at Calder Race Course on that fateful day, February 16, 2006. The chairman of auction house, Mr. Walter Robertson was at a loss as to how to open the bidding. So great was the pressure, all he could say was, “I don't even know what to ask for.” After a short preamble, they stepped away at $500,000, and from there, the price quickly ballooned to $5,000,000 through a series of about 16 bids.

The crowd by now knew the something special was unfolding before their eyes. The buzz had become a tumult. The auctioneer at this point had to call for calm. The horse was now starting to become agitated. His handler, a well dressed gent, forever circled the horse to the left in an effort to pacify him. But in each action, there must be an equal and opposite reaction. In stark contrast, the protagonists had begun to whip themselves into a bidding frenzy. 7 more calls saw the price reach $7,000,000, where again the hammer man was forced to issue a censure to the spectators. For the second time, he called for quietness.

The heavy hitters had by now well and truly girded their loins. All other bidders, the minnows, had given up the ghost. At this point, John Ferguson, on behalf of Skeik Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum's Darley Stud, held the upper hand, but John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith's hired gun, Demi O'Byrne still had a box full of ammunition to fire off, and he couldn't wait to pull the trigger.

The next 8 bids flew by in minutes until the $9,500,000 mark was reached and a shrilled woman's voice was heard to raise itself above the excited chatter and take the Lord's name in vain.“Oh my God!” she screeched. But the Supreme Being paid her no heed, and neither did Demi. He added $200,000. Ferguson hit back immediately with a bid of $10,000,000. Straight away all eyes were again on the Coolmore Agent, nobody wanted the ride to stop. And so they worked their way toward the championship rounds, as they say in the fight game. Then at $14,000,000, the unthinkable happened. With Coolmore holding the bidding, the Sheik's man played what he hoped would be his ace in the hole... a one million dollar jump bid. At $15,000,000, Coolmore looked out on it's feet. Serious discussions were going on among quiet voices. They decided to stay in the game, but they were shocked at where they were. They offered an extra $200,000. Both sides were now on the ropes, but Darley dug deep once again and raised the pot by $300,000, they were sucking wind though.

The horse was by now impatient to get out of the place, and so were the two rivals. Demi then threw his final salvo. He raised it a further half million, bringing the bid to a neat $16,000,000. The fight was over. The scene was not unlike the aftermath of a great World Heavyweight Title Fight. People shook their heads and wondered if they'd ever see the likes of it again.

But this is not where our story ends. Some tales have happy endings, others sadly don't. This finish was a bloody nightmare. For somewhere between the breeze up and his new home, the horse went from lightning fast, to being so slow, that he couldn't run out of sight on a dark night.

He disappeared off the radar for better than twelve months. All sorts of rumours abounded about him. It was said that he'd ditched his rider and taken a nasty fall, twisting his neck and in doing so, damaging his spine. But Tristan Berry, assistant trainer to Todd Pletcher, under whose guidance the horse was placed, is on record as saying that the only thing to hit the turf that day, was the rider's behind. The Green Monkey was retired after three unsuccessful races. The maiden went to stud for a paltry fee of just $5,000 per pop.

It's said that both Coolmore and Darley hardly speak of the affair.

 

Good read those Wooly and Cyc. Although there were worse racehorses I recall a couple of no hopers under the same ownership turning up at Cheltenham a few years back. I looked them up, one was Astonville and the other was Turnium. The latter never made the frame in his 19 race career but did contest 2 Champion Hurdles in 2005/6. According to ATR website he achieved a mark of 130 but I'm not sure how that was achieved. There doesn't appear to be anything in his form to suggest such a lofty status. I recall that that there was some issues with horse welfare investigated when they turned up at Cheltenham one year though not sure of the detail.

 

Lovely bit of film of a legend of Australian turf. Often described as the world's worst race horse, Vote For Lust has now been retired. The vid below centres around race 87, he retired 3 races later, defeated.

 

Nice clip Cyc though I thought the Aussie psyche was second place is the first loser. I thought it was only us Brits who love a plucky underachiever.

 

Quixall Crossett did quite well too, was the first to reach 100 consecutive defeats, I believe?

 

Nice addition to the post cyc!

 

Would be interesting to find out who the lowest rated racehorse in training is these days, and who the connections are

 

Here's a few more expensive flops

Snaafi Dancer - $10.2 million (US) $1 million was a ludicrous amount of money back in 1983 - $10.2 million was absolutely unthinkable. But that’s exactly how much Sheikh Mohammed paid for this colt out of Northern Dancer and the dam My Bupers. It completely demolished the record for the most expensive thoroughbred ever sold at auction and was seen as a future flagship stallion for the Sheikh’s Aston Upthorpe Stud. Unfortunately for the Sheik he acquired a genuine dud that couldn’t get out of his own way in trackwork and never made it to the races. Snaafi danced his way to the breeding barn but proved to be a real dud in the sack also, producing just three runners in two years at stud.
None of his progeny did anything substantial and he was retired from stud duties to live out his years at Del Boca Vista in Florida.
Plavius - $9.2 million (US)This galloper was a $9.2 million purchase by Sheikh Mohammed for Godolphin Racing in 2006. The colt out of Danzig and the dam Sharp Minister started his career in the United Kingdom but after failing to break his maiden status in four runs, he was transferred to the United Arab Emirates. He won two lowly races there before retiring as a gelding after 18 starts with $57,034 prizemoney to his name.

Mount Olympus - $3 million
Gai Waterhouse purchased this colt out of Rock of Gibraltar and the dam L'On Viteat at the 2007 William Inglis Easter Yearling Sale for $3 million. He had six fairly uninspiring trials before finally making it to the racetrack where he finished 6th of 10 in a Canterbury maiden. His 1st and only win came two starts later at Newcastle but it was all downhill from there. He was retired as a gelding after 20 starts with just one win and two placings with career earnings of $19,215.
Meydan City - $11.7 million (US) The Emir of Dubai purchased this colt at public auction in 2006 for $11.7 million, making him the 2nd most expensive yearling ever sold. The American bred galloper was out of the sire Kingmambo and the dam Crown of Crimson and raced in the famous Godolphin colours. He finished 3rd on debut before breaking his maiden at Newmarket in 2008 under the urgings of Frankie Dettori. In his seven-start career he recorded just one other victory and was retired with career earnings of $51,035.

El Cairo - $2 million
This galloper was also purchased at the 2007 William Inglis Easter Yearling Sale by controversial bloodstock agent Rob McAnulty. The colt out of Redoute's Choice and the dam Egyptian Ibis began his career with Newcastle trainer Paul Perry but was transferred to Chris Waller after an inglorious start to racing. The flashy type looked the part but unfortunately for connections was all show, no go - finishing his career as a gelding with just the one win from 29 starts and $48,965 in prizemoney.