Most Under-appreciated

[Pick6]

My picks:

1. Risen Star - only raced 11 times, but possibly (probably?) the best 3YO since Affirmed. Injury after the Belmont ended his career.

2. Typecast - won sprinting, won at 2 miles. Beat males, won on turf, won on dirt, east coast, west coast.

3. Coastal - gave Spectacular Bid everything he could handle (and more). Was in the mix in the '79 JCGC, got the lead at top of the stretch and ended up losing by 3. Retired at 3.

[Robert Goren]

Tosmah the champion filly or mare in her age group 1963-1965. Often took on some of the best males of the day and usually beat them. She was so good that the other mares of her day often ran against the boys just to avoid her.

Native Diver The west coast great gelding who is over shadowed by another great gelding racing at the same time Kelso.

[tzipi]

I always go with Sham.
A review of the 1973 Kentucky Derby shows that Sham's second place finish was truly a great effort, as it was 8 lengths back to the third place finisher, Our Native. Sham finished 2 1/2 lengths behind Secretariat in that race, but that was nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, he ran the second fastest Kentucky Derby ever, crossing the wire in an estimated 1:59 and 4. Only Monarchos has broken the sub 2 minute barrier running 1:59.97 back in 2001. How many horses can say they have run the second fastest Kentucky Derby in history? He ran faster than Citation, Count Fleet, Seattle Slew, Spectacular Bid, Sunday Silence, and a host of other legendary horses.

The Preakness was similarly played out, again with Secretariat winning easily, again beating Sham again by 2 1/2 lengths. And as in the Kentucky Derby, Sham finished a convincing 8 lengths ahead of third place finisher Our Native.


He was abused in the Belmont through unbelievable fractions and got hurt training up in Saratoga and retired. Who knows what would've been after those performances.

[Market Mover]

His dominating wins in the Dubai World Cup and BC Classic against solid fields in such dominating fashion were scary. When they cite "the great ones," they should always include this gutsy animal from Uruguay.

[thaskalos]

Smarty Jones. He got some recognition, but IMO he deserved more...

[andtheyreoff]

Sky Beauty, Prove Out, Quick Pitch, Moccasin, Morvich, Officer, Bertrando, Formal Gold, Groovy, Peteski, Wando, Slew O Gold, Point Given, Big Brown, and the most underrated of them all: ROSEBEN.

[KirisClown]

Sky Beauty.


It's a shame the Breeders' Cup wasn't at Belmont in 94 when she was in top form..

It would have been a heck of a race with both Sky Beauty and Heavenly Prize battling it out on a track they loved..

[Pick6]

I always go with Sham.
A review of the 1973 Kentucky Derby shows that Sham's second place finish was truly a great effort, as it was 8 lengths back to the third place finisher, Our Native. Sham finished 2 1/2 lengths behind Secretariat in that race, but that was nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, he ran the second fastest Kentucky Derby ever, crossing the wire in an estimated 1:59 and 4. Only Monarchos has broken the sub 2 minute barrier running 1:59.97 back in 2001. How many horses can say they have run the second fastest Kentucky Derby in history? He ran faster than Citation, Count Fleet, Seattle Slew, Spectacular Bid, Sunday Silence, and a host of other legendary horses.

The Preakness was similarly played out, again with Secretariat winning easily, again beating Sham again by 2 1/2 lengths. And as in the Kentucky Derby, Sham finished a convincing 8 lengths ahead of third place finisher Our Native.


He was abused in the Belmont through unbelievable fractions and got hurt training up in Saratoga and retired. Who knows what would've been after those performances.
According to wikipedia, Sham lost two teeth and some blood in the starting gate prior to the Derby. Hard to say what the impact of that was, but certainly Sham had great ability, in particular <= 1 1/4 miles.

[Rackon]

I was there at that Derby - yes, Sham knocked at least one tooth loose when he banged his head in the starting gate (he came back from the race with blood in his mouth/on the bridle) and he still ran the second fastest Derby in history. My dad had Sham in the Derby and I remember the horse's connections truly thought at the time that he was better than Secretariat (they were in a box near ours).

Had he been born another year Sham would likely have been a TC champion.

I always felt the Belmont broke his heart...but he was a wonderful hrose, now forever in the shadow of his rival.

[joanied]

I'd have to list just about every horse mentioned in the posts...and add a few more...top of my list...
Foolish Pleasure...also, Cicada, Shuvee, Mom's Command, Affectionately, Gamely...
better stop right there!!

[affirmedny]

what about Bold Forbes? Nicknamed "the Puerto Rican Rolls Royce" by jockey Angel Cordero Jr. 13 for 18 lifetime, Derby (beat a 2-5 shot) and Belmont winner. all heart!

[GaryG]

WAYA - As good a turf mare as ever lived. She was a champion 3yo in France and best older mare here in 1979. Won major races on both coasts. She won with more than 130 pounds and beat the boys once.

[sandpit]

It's a shame the Breeders' Cup wasn't at Belmont in 94 when she was in top form..

It would have been a heck of a race with both Sky Beauty and Heavenly Prize battling it out on a track they loved..

After the 94 BC, Jerkens was infuriated after both Sky Beauty and the Devil ran bad..."I don't know why I ever come to this f'in place." I don't think he's been back since.

[cees with dees]

Exit Five B was overshadowed as a three year old by Devils Bag.
He was one of the last really good ones for Calumet.
Visual Effects broke her maiden in champion style and subsequently got hurt shortening her racing career to nill.
Never turned out much as a broodmare but was a visually brilliant filly.
Paraje could never win a race aside from the 2 1/4 mile Display handicap that he won several years in a row.
The rest of the year he was a slow plodding mid range claimer.
As far as the best claiming horse is concerned, also a Sigmund or Viola Sommer/Frank Martin gelding, Steelwood. He put together a tremendous winning streak and I remember one race where he led early, dropped back to fifth turning for home. My friend Keith said:"I finally beat this piece of shit", and he re-rallied to win.
A truly great animal.
Ben

[cees with dees]

Sham:
He was abused in the Belmont through unbelievable fractions and got hurt training up in Saratoga and retired. Who knows what would've been after those performances.[/QUOTE]

Problem with this quote is he was abused. But by the winner.
Sham was an okay colt but even in the Wood Memorial where Secretariat was doomed by the 11 post in the two turn 1 1/8 Stake, Sham couldn't even get to Secretariat's stablemate Angle Light who wired the field while still eligible for NW1X at the time.
And Forego who was a 3 year old from the same crop, turned out to be the best of all in my opinion.
Secretariat was phenomenal. Don't get me wrong. But Forego was a machine who could overcome any and every obstacle.
Great thread. Brings back lots of memories when the game was still exciting and fun for me.
Ben

[the little guy]

WAYA - As good a turf mare as ever lived. She was a champion 3yo in France and best older mare here in 1979. Won major races on both coasts. She won with more than 130 pounds and beat the boys once.


I think she also won the Beldame on the dirt ( if not another Grade 1 on the dirt ). What a horse. She drowned Pearl Necklace ( who was a terrific horse ) when she set the track record in the Diana.

Her win against the boys was the Man o War. I was there. It might not have been the only time she beat males.

[the little guy]

She beat males twice, winning the Turf Classic after the Man o War, before finishing third in the Washington DC International.

She won three stakes on the dirt, all against females, and beat Late Bloomer in one of them. Each win, however, was on a sloppy track. She was third in her lone dirt race on a dry track. She was 13 for 26 lifetime, hitting the board 23 times, with two of her off the board races being her last two when she clearly didn't run her race.

[Cardus]

King Glorious.

[Charlie D]

Pride (Fr)

[GaryG]

She beat males twice, winning the Turf Classic after the Man o War, before finishing third in the Washington DC International.

She won three stakes on the dirt, all against females, and beat Late Bloomer in one of them. Each win, however, was on a sloppy track. She was third in her lone dirt race on a dry track. She was 13 for 26 lifetime, hitting the board 23 times, with two of her off the board races being her last two when she clearly didn't run her race.Thanks...I was just shooting from the hip.

[Jeremy Jet]

King Glorious.

That is an excellent, and suitably esoteric pick. I'd argue that KG might have been one of the great sprinters of the last several decades, had his connections not submitted to the lure of bigger purses in longer races.

He was a brilliantly fast horse.

A similar type which, in spite of her Breeder's Cup win, has also become under appreciated over time, is Very Subtle. She was ruined by her connections' insistence on stretching her out, but before they ruined her, she won both the Test and BC Sprint in electrifying fashion. I'd say that she was the best female sprinter to race in the U.S. during the past 25 years.

[only11]

My picks:

1. Risen Star - only raced 11 times, but possibly (probably?) the best 3YO since Affirmed. Injury after the Belmont ended his career.

2. Typecast - won sprinting, won at 2 miles. Beat males, won on turf, won on dirt, east coast, west coast.

3. Coastal - gave Spectacular Bid everything he could handle (and more). Was in the mix in the '79 JCGC, got the lead at top of the stretch and ended up losing by 3. Retired at 3.
Landaluce

[Rackon]

Landaluce

I'm with you there!

[nearco]

. Exceller .

Beat two Triple Crown winners. Grade 1 winner on grass and dirt. Won the French St Leger (Prix Royal Oak) at almost 2m. Finished a ½ length behind The Minstrel (one of the best Derby winners of the 70's/80s) in the King George.
Won Grade 1 races in France, England, Canada, California and New York.

Pity that he is mostly remembered these days for the sad demise he came to at a slaughterhouse in Sweden and not his accomplishments on the racecourse.

[pandy]

Good thread. I too thought that Sham was a fast horse who was unlucky to have been born the wrong year. I thought Hard Spun was a bit underrated and poorly handled. After he lost the Derby they should have just run him in shorter races, he could have been a great sprinter/miler, fast horse with a big heart who belonged in races 9 furlongs or shorter.

[dccprez]

What fun!

Many of my selections are little more "contemporary", and echo some other excellent choices. NOTE: It's kinda hard to settle upon one universally accepted defintinion of "under appreciated" - and my selections reflect this;

Point Given - my personal favorite of the 00's, and one of my top five, period. His is one of the best "What If/If Only" careers cut short. A short head from post 14 in the Juvenile, a bad ride (although not Mr. Steven's fault) in the KD otherwise we have TC winner #12. I think he walks through the Goodwood or JCGC and then the Classic and on to immortality...but I digress...

Alysheba

Riva Ridge

Hard Spun

Behrens

Invasor

Spain

Kona Gold

MOST of the outstanding mares from 99' to present....

Congaree

[Paseana]

I have two off the top of my head that not many will think of......

Albert The Great. He was fast, sound, and honest, earning over $3M in an underrated career. He won the JCGC, Brooklyn & Suburban Hcps, and was a nose shy of a Travers victory after a protracted and torrid stretch duel with Unshaded. He also got a 4th behind Tiznow, Giant's Causeway, and Captain Steve in the 2000 Breeders Cup Classic, and then only Tiznow and Sakhee were better than him the following year, when he finished 3rd. He was a racehorse that it was impossible not to love.


Perrault. I've always thought this horse was robbed in the HOTY voting in 1982. He ran THREE GI mile and a quarter races that year at three different tracks on two different surfaces. He "won" all three, but of course, was DQ'd in the Santa Anita Hcp. His Big Cap time was 1:59, his Hollywood Gold Cup time was 2:00 2/5, and he set the stakes record standard in the second running of the young Arlington Million in 1:58 4/5! He was favored in a stellar Marlboro Cup field, but unfortunately went lame in that race and never ran again. He lost HOTY to a horse who did something remarkable in the span of 5 days, but didn't really do much else. His name was Conquistador Cielo. I just think there was a major injustice there. Perrault may be one of the most underrated, underappreciated, and yes...forgotten horses of the last half of the 20th century. Just my opinion.

[pandy]

You have a good memory, both good choices that I had forgotten about.

[46zilzal]

lasix is the most over hyped least effective of all the malarkey that horses have to suffer through.

[Cratos]

My picks:

1. Risen Star - only raced 11 times, but possibly (probably?) the best 3YO since Affirmed. Injury after the Belmont ended his career.

2. Typecast - won sprinting, won at 2 miles. Beat males, won on turf, won on dirt, east coast, west coast.

3. Coastal - gave Spectacular Bid everything he could handle (and more). Was in the mix in the '79 JCGC, got the lead at top of the stretch and ended up losing by 3. Retired at 3.

It is very tough to choose the underappreciated, but I do agree about Risen Star and he is on my short list along with Go for Wand and Ghostzapper. My criterion for choosing them is that they would have been good in any era.

[46zilzal]

Ack Ack a truly amazing physical specimen (Whittingham's favorite) that ran on turf short and long under big weights.....a huge black beast that looked like a quarter horse through the chest.

I last saw him at Claiborne in 1988.

[alytim]

Java Gold was the best wet track horse I can remember.

[sandpit]

Formal Gold: still has the highest ever debut Beyer of 112...in a year where it was Skip Away this and Skip Away that, Formal Gold finished in front of him more often than not...certainly his injury prior to the 97 BC made the win much easier for Skippy...

[RXB]

Ack Ack a truly amazing physical specimen (Whittingham's favorite) that ran on turf short and long under big weights.....a huge black beast that looked like a quarter horse through the chest.

I last saw him at Claiborne in 1988.

Yes, Ack Ack was an outstanding horse. His 5YO campaign was especially sensational.

I think the most underappreciated of all the greats might be Round Table.

[Jasonm921]

I got one....a current one....Musket Man.

The horse never runs a bad race....runs at any distance and not one thread about him.

[eastie]

Point Given comes to mind. Summer Squall is another. Sea Hero won the Derby and Travers. Java Gold was super mud but, Waquoit was the best mudder i ever saw.