Horse racing is the best sport in the world. There is nothing more thrilling and exciting than witnessing the victory of your favorite horse. This is especially the case if you have backed a winner after closely looking at the list of Melbourne Cup horses for the race.
1- Red Rum
Red Rum is one of the most famous names in the horse racing world. It looks unlikely that any other horse would be able to match his achievements.
His story is also hugely inspirational. He was born with an incurable bone disease but that didn’t stop him from creating history.
Red Rum stunned everyone with his breathtaking performance at the 1973 Grand National. His rival Crisp was 30 lengths clear at one point and had a 15 lengths advantage at the last fence. How Red Rum managed to make a comeback from that situation is hard to believe but he pipped Crisp to win by three-quarters of a length in the end.
The Ginger McCain-trained horse retained his title the following year but he came second in 1975 and 1976. Many doubted whether Red Rum could win another title but McCain still believed in his horse. And he repaid the faith of his trainer by winning the 1977 Grand National and thus achieving a historic treble, a feat no other racehorse has been able to match even to this day.
2- Secretariat
Secretariat is widely regarded as one of the greatest racehorses of all time. He made his debut in 1972 but finished fourth in the race. However, he soon discovered his winning form and claimed victory in seven of his eight starts. His only defeat came in the Champagne Stakes where he was disqualified to second for interference even though he finished first in the race.
However, his greatest success came in 1973 when he became one of the few lucky horses to win the American Triple Crown. However, he not only won the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes and the Preakness Stakes but also set speed records in all three races. Secretariat won the Belmont Stakes by an incredible 31 lengths, a record which is standing to this day. This is also regarded as one of the greatest races of all time. He also won five Eclipse Awards, including Horse of the Year honors at ages two and three.
His name was included into the US Racing Hall of Fame in 1974. He died at the age of 19 due to laminitis. The entire country mourned the loss of Secretariat who was one of the finest horses of all time.
3- Seabiscuit
Seabiscuit’s amazing successes offered hope to many Americans during the Great Depression. He was the grandson of Man o’ War, who was one of the greatest racehorses of the 20th century.
Seabiscuit made a very slow start to his career, with his first victory not coming until his 18th race. He ended his two-year-old season with only five wins. However, he became the leading money earner in 1937. The amazing racehorse won the San Juan Capistrano Handicap in March before claiming six straight victories. He then suffered a defeat but made a big comeback to win three successive races. The American horse concluded 1937 with an impressive 11 victories from 15 starts.
Seabiscuit’s most famous victory came against War Admiral in 1938. War Admiral was a big name at that time as he had just won the American Triple Crown. However, Seabiscuit proved his racing prowess and defeated his rival by four lengths. The Tom Smith-trained racehorse ultimately won the American Horse of the Year for 1938.
4- Desert Orchid
Desert Orchid has the distinction of being one of the most successful jump horses of all time. He was given a Timeform rating of 187, which is the fourth highest of all National Hunt horses. His most memorable moment came in the 1989 Cheltenham Festival where he won the coveted Gold Cup, a victory which would have surprised all the devoted followers of frenchhorseandcountry. His triumph was incredible because of the unfavorable conditions for him. The racecourse at Cheltenham became heavy because of the relentless rain and snow. However, he made an almighty effort and managed to defeat the mud-loving Yahooin the final stages of the race. He ultimately claimed victory by one and a half lengths in front of a crowd of over 58,000.