Top 250 racehorses of all time: Zenyatta, American Pharoah join

At Horse Racing Nation, our fan-driven community combines to form various lists by rating their favorite horses, with the “Top 250 Thoroughbreds of All Time” among them. Nearing the end of 2019, we’ve taken a closer look at where things stand, starting at the top.

Secretariat -- who set track records in all three legs of the Triple Crown -- is currently No. 1 on the list with a 9.77 rating out of a possible 10 with Native Dancer, Man o’ War, Count Fleet and Spectacular Bid rounding out the Top 5.

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HRN's Top 250 Thoroughbreds of All Time (click through for more)

Trained by Hall of Fame trainer Lucien Laurin and ridden in all but three lifetime races by fellow Hall of Fame inductee Ron Turcotte, Secretariat was campaigned by Meadow Stable (Penny Chenery) and became the Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse of 1972 before his legendary Triple Crown run in 1973.
As for those making an impact within the last decade coming to an end, Zenyatta tops the list. She’s also the highest-ranked female horse on the HRN all-time list, coming in at No. 13 after a career in which she boasted 19 wins from 20 starts, while 13 of those victories were in Grade 1 company. The only blemish on Zenyatta’s resume was a second to Blame in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic -- her final race, in which she was trying to beat the boys for a second straight year. Zenyatta remain the only female to win the Classic and narrowly missed on becoming the second horse to win it twice following Tiznow in 2000 and 2001. Where might Zenyatta rank had she eclipsed Blame in the Churchill Downs stretch? The highest-ranking recent male performer on HRN’s list is the 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, who broke the 37-year drought dating back to Affirmed in 1978. Coming in at No. 27, Pharoah also ushered in a new accomplishment, winning the unofficial “Grand Slam” of racing by sweeping the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes, then finishing the season out with a victoy in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. American Pharoah won nine of 11 career races, losing only his debut and the Travers Stakes (G1) when upset at Saratoga, which that day lived up to its reputation as “The Graveyard of Champions.” American Pharoah’s first crop of horses are on the racetrack, and he’s set to lead all other rookie sires thanks to Four Wheel Drive’s victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. And, finally, the other recent great to crack the all-time list seems to settle the Zenyatta vs. Rachel Alexandra debate. The latter is still ranked a respectable 43rd overall, as few modern-era horses have compiled a season like Rachel did in 2009. Undefeated in eight starts, she won the Kentucky Oaks, then beat the boys in the Preakness and Woodward (G1). That campaign took some wind out of Rachel Alexandra’s sails. In 2010, she didn’t finish worse than second but won twice in five tries before retirement. Continuing down the list, you’ll find stalwarts such as California Chrome (56), the late Shared Belief (57), Wise Dan (60) and Beholder (62) next among horses to have competed within the last decade. Should horses such as Arrogate (81) and Gun Runner (84) be on the move up? That’s up to HRN readers to decide.