This is not a popularity contest, so hopefully people will vote realistically =)

Tiznow gets #1, I wish Einstein was on there!

Thank you, Adam. I hope people vote honestly this time around. That's the only way to avoid what happened with the Filly poll.

Just remember everyone, this is supposed to be fun! Don't take it too seriously!

Different categories.  

1. Who brought the most to the sport on the track?  Smarty Jones

2. Who had the best career?  Curlin

3. Who was the most talented? Ghostzapper

4. Who brought the most attention off the track?  Barbaro

I still remember Aunts and Uncles of mine who had never watched a horse race, excited about Smarty Jones.  Many became fans of the sport.

Nobody had more Beyers in the 120's than Ghostzapper....game over.

Ghostzapper is probably the most brilliant horse on the list, but Tiznow and Curlin aren't far behind. Mineshaft was underrated and deserves a better ranking in the community.

I just lament all of the 3 year olds on the list that we never really got to see what they were all about since they retired too early.  Most could have been rested and brought back the next year to race again, the owners etc. were just too worried about the almighty breeding dollar.  I put Smarty Jones, Point Given and Bernardini on that list.  Lost in the Fog was the horse that showed the most heart on the track, especially when everyone learned just how long he probably raced with cancer.  And Barbaro showed the most heart off the track.

Where are the Turf horses?  Seems to me that there are a lot of great horses left off this list:  English Channel, Kitten's Joy, Better Talk Now, Gio Ponti, Lava Man, Giant's Causeway, just to name a few.

  Mineshaft?  Never considered him to be one of the tops in the decade.

I am going with Point Given. In my opinion, in the years since Spectacular Bid, he is the best 2/3 winner of the Triple Crown.

absolutely no doubt that smarty jones was BY FAR the best on this list

Curlin #1  You have GOT to be joking......  If Curlin raced against this field, - lost in fog who shouldnt even be on the list, he would be 10-1!!!!

Tiznow eats them all for lunch, and Mineshaft at the bottom? sadly we never got to see his very best....Afleet Alex ahead of smarty jones...lololol  Tiznow beat how many gr and group1 winners?   Tiznow/Invasor/Point Given  really best of these by a bit.

I forgot to put zapper in the top..... 4

Can we recall that Mineshaft won the Woodward in 1:46.21 and the JCGcup in 2:00 while under TOTAL WRAPS!!!!  

wow, what a list.

reminds you of what a good decade it really has been!

all logic and data aside, I saw Afleet Alex the week before the Preakness and I said to myself, "self, THERE is a race horse."  Who knew he also had to be an acrobat at the top of the stretch and then still manage to come home flying!

Thanks for the memories!

Curlin, Invasor, Tiznow, Zapper, Mineshaft, PG, Lin theF, Bernardini, Smarty Jones, Afleet Alex, Barbaro, SS.

Those are my ranking in that exact order taking in career, longevity, talent, and overall accomplishment. Considering all of those Curlin topped my list with Invasor second. Tiznow third because he won the double classics. Zapper was a speed freak and brilliant, but longevity was not there. Mineshaft is underated here and deserves the fifth spot.PG is one of the most accomplished three year olds, even if he didn't stick around as a four year old. Fog was a fantastic horse and was brilliant up until the cancer struck. Bernardini, brilliant and talented, may have been higher if he had shown up another year. SJ was brilliant and a popular and loved as one could ask for, but he disappeared after the Belmont while others stuck around. AA is basicly the same as SJ, but Smarty had the love of the nation and benefit of being an unbeaten derby and preakness winner. Barbaro is low because though he brought publicity and had an immense amount of talent he just didn't do enough, even in being an unbeaten Derby winners. It is sad how his end came, but that should not influence the polls. SS never regained the form or dominace once he left Churchill. Talented, but he needed to do more.

I wanted so bad to put Afleet Alex #1. The horse refused to lose. Fell down in the middle of a grade 1, got back up and won going away! When it was time to go, I have never seen a horse burst like a rocket. He did.

With that said, I had to give Tiznow the nod. He won the BC two years in a row. I honestly think Ghostzapper would win. However, accomplishments equal facts.

I dont think Barbaro should be ranked so high, or Lost in the Fog. Barbaro is a sad story. But, we never got to see how good he may have turned out. Lost in the Fog beat up on subpar comp, and got drilled in the BC--Sprint. Yes, before you yell, I know he later came down with cancer.

If this race was ran, I would put Afleet Alex on top, and put Ghostzapper and Tiznow for second, over all. Had to go with my heart.

I like kingmambo handicapping a sprinter in a field of classic horses. If the race were at 6f he would be a much shorter price(although Ghostzapper would win) and if were at 10f. he would 50-1.

Ghostzapper was the fastest horse and did it running wacky splits like 1:08 change going 10f.

Curlin had the best career(maybe Tiznow)

Point Given was the best 3 year old and his Belmont was a real Grade 1 effort at the distance(<1:27) not something we see a lot of here.

Mineshaft was a monster at 4

The rest were alot of fun and each has something to be remembered by

I think Tiznow,  Invasor and Ghostzapper are easily the top three, but I would kick Mineshaft off this list and add Medaglia D'Oro. He would be number four on my list.

Well this is hard for me. I ado agree that I hope people vote realistaclly than by popularity. i"d either say btw Tiznow and Ghostzapper. O4 BCC was an awesome field though!

Why is Barbaro so highly ranked? Really,take a look at who is behind him.

Ghostzapper, Invasor, Tiznow, Curlin & Barbaro are the top 5, no doubt about it.

IMO, it's really a tossup between Curlin and Tiznow... I was fortunate to get to see Curlin in person at his Arkansas Derby win...man... what a colt... absolutely brilliant - a man among boys..

I am not sure how Curlin is ranked first and Street Sense is last. I agree that Curlin is faster but only by a hair. Street Sense and Curlin were stride for stride in the Preakness. Curlin barely eeked out a win. As for the Breeder's Cup, I don't think that he liked the track so that race is not a barometer of his true talent.

I put Smarty and Alex ahead of Barbaro.  Unfortunately, Barbaro only ran one race in the triple crown series.  Smarty and Alex both brought out a lot of new fans for the sport; that means much these days!  There is no doubt that Curlin and Ghostzapper were great runners. All of these horses were great .

I ADORE CURLIN. HE IS MY GOLDEN GOD OF ALL THINGS EQUINE. He raced everywhere they took him always giving 100%. Even when he lost the Belmont, he managed to make it, along with the Queen of racing at the time Rags to Riches, one of the most memorable races of all time. He was 2-time horse of the year and the top money maker of all time in North America. So aside from being stunning physically, who can beat those statistics? I rest my case.

Point Given and the rest!

Where is Skip Away?

He was voted champion three year old colt and was Horse of the Year at five and champion older horse at both four and five and he is the only horse to compile all of his $9.6 million earnings in North America and he defeated Cigar as a three year old as well as Louis Quatorze, Editor's Note, Will's Way, Formal Gold, etc.

He has got to be on of the most underrated horses.

I put Curlin on top with the list that was here.

LJ - Skip Away retired in 1998, therefore he is not eligible for this poll.

You have to rank Tiznow at the top as the only dual winner of the BC Classic. It takes a special horse to do that. Ghostzapper was a freak but I rank him second only because he seemed to really only excell for one year. Which is why you have to discount Smarty Jones, Bernardini and Barbaro. At least with Afleet Alex and Point Given they won graded stakes at 2 and 3. Bernadini is a bit of stretch on the list. His claim to fame is winning the race Barbaro broke down in. The next time he faced a great horse, Invasor, he lost. Curlin was a good horse but everyone may have gone crazy picking him in the #1 spot. Remember, he really only showed up with his top stuff at the '07 BC and the '08 Dubai World Cup. He was a shell of himself by the end of '08. The horses who should at least a get a courtesy listing are Perfect Drift (by far the most consistent in the decade) and Lava Man who hold the rare distinction as the only G1 winner on Turf, Dirt, and Synthetic and there could be more in store for the old guy!

I missed out on the previous poll for the fillies, but, from a few of the posts so far, it sounds like something, somewhere, went wrong.  

While emotion will always be a factor, perhaps the voting would be aided by the PPs.

I understand, some things are like Apples and Oranges, but maybe having the PPs would at least make it like Green Apples to Red Apples.

Or not.

- Peace

Lost in the Fog all the way!

What is Mineshaft doing at #11???? He is definately a top 5 contender!

Ghostzapper, zero doubt about it. Bernardini destroyed his 3yo competition unlike anyone else.

I am with Elaine in putting Point Given on top.  That was well put, that he was the best 2/3 winner of the triple crown.  I watched him take the Belmont with ease and he is the closest thing to a triple crown winner that we have seen in a long time. His winning time in the "Test of Champions" was one of the best ever. Tiznow certainly deserves to be up there. He gave us not one but two very exciting BC Classics. Yes Ghostzapper had talent, but he sure did not get out and run much. Winning HOY with only 4 starts, I have to rank him lower than some of the others.

All the IEAH/Dutrow antics and Belmont meltdown comments notwithstanding, does anyone think Big Brown deserves to be among the list?

I'll stick up for Lost in the Fog. He was undefeated (10 for 10) until the Breeders Cup and then still managed another win and a second while stricken with cancer.(14: 11-1-0 lifetime). He definitely belongs on the list of the decade's greatest.  

the best horse since Spectacular Bid is hands down Ghostzapper.

I agree about Big Brown. Even though I think Point Given is def. tops on this list, if Smarty and Alex and Street Sense are on this list, I don't see why Big Brown wouldn't fit as well - his accomplishments were very similar to theirs.

Yes, in spite of his connections Big Brown should be on this list. I put Ghostzapper first. He ran short and long and was an absolute monster. That being said where is St.Liam the horse that went stride for stride with him in the Woodward?I loved Lost In the Fog and Barbaro but I don't think they belong on this list while leaving Hard Spun out. My personel favorite is Afleet Alex. What heart! It's a shame he got hurt. I don't think anyone would have come close if he had the chance to race as a four year old. Invasor was brilliant on 3 continents, some thing on one else on this list has come close to. I can't understabd how Curlin is number 1. He was last on my list.

Tiznow number 1.   Saint Liam should be on this list.

Oh Boundary, you just had to go there, didn't you. ;)

Certainly, for a three-race skein BB was brilliant.

On the above list, I gave extra credit to those who raced at age 4.

Where are the turf horses?

curlin is the leader on the community??

curlin could not even warm up bernardini. how could any 3yr be listed higher than bernardini???

bernardini is easily the best horse on this list

Afleet Alex definitely. But why is Barbaro number 5 ahead of Smarty Jones? I guess he is getting the sympathy vote.

Racing fans,

The greatest performance I have ever seen at the Spa is not Rachel's performance (of course, not a colt), but that of Ghostzapper and he finished THIRD in the King's Bishop.  The 7 furlong Grade 1 King's Bishop was his tuneup for the Jockey Club Gold Cup and then that year's Breeders' Cup.  Wish I knew what his final quarter mile time was in the King's Bishop because I imagine it to be a sub-22 seconds!  It's the fastest closing kick I have ever seen.

Barbaro would have given Bernardini the challenge he never got by the 3yo crop of that year.  Those two would have rekindled Affirmed and Alydar.

Seeing this list, well, there's a lot of great memories there.  I saw Lost In The Fog up the track in the 2005 Sprint, but he will always be remembered at the Spa on that wonderfully sunny day in August.  Rest in peace, old friend.

I hope the Blood-Horse can recap this decade's cheaters, so they can be thoroughly scrutinized which will, hopefully, one day finally end illicit drugs and nefarious actions.  Those not on this list deserve it.

Lost in the Fog, Tiznow and Point Given are my top three.  Lost in the Fog was already ill when he had his rare loss in the Breeders Cup.

IMO, Afleet Alex should have been the 12th wearer of the crown.  A better ride in the derby, and he would be tops on this list for sure.  That aside, it's a toss up between Curlin and Tiznow.  Tiznow's second classic victory gives me chills.  

again horses that dont run at 4 aa is my fav but realitr tiznows classics then curlin always in the race and ghost had great creds barbaro last three yr olds dont deserve top spot give me some longevity[ha ha] at least 4 yrs

1: Tiznow. 2. Barbaro. 3. Ghostzapper. 4. Curlin 5. Lost In The Fog.

rilharreguy - Don't forget Curlin won the Preakness in 1:53.46, rerallying to pass Street Sense.  That was a pretty good race!

Lawyer Ron thought he did well in the 2007 JCGC also.  I agree about 2008, the Dubai curse and his long campaign caught up with him after the Stephen Foster.

Are geldings not considered males? Where the heck is Lava Man!?

Seems to me like there's a decided bias toward Triple Crown runners on this list.

 I think that shows how good Invasor was that he could finish 4th on this list!! He was in the shadow of barbaro,bernadini, lava man and Discreet cat all were getting more press than him even though  he was winning the 6 grade 1 races in a row. The press never got on his bandwagon like these other horses. It was bad timing for Invasor because very few fans and press gave him his due!! But look At 2007 Donn handicap and please tell me if you had 100 exacta riding on that race with him on top do you really think any of these horses would have got there after that horrible ride with so much ease. Remember his jockey isn't riding in america anymore and this horse won 5 grade 1's with that clown on him.

The horse who is missing from this list: THE VERY CLASSY EVENING ATTIRE

Ghostzapper 3rd?? That makes absolutely no sense. That horse had so much talent.

Where is BIG BROWN?  He shuld be here, though he lost HOY to Curlin.  

My vote goes to (drumroll pls).. GHOSTZAPPER.  Bridesmaid is POINT GIVEN.  Third is Curlin.

Where is English Channel, Lava Man, and Einstein on this list. Einstein is easily one of my favorites. I absolutely loved Lost in the Fog as well, but it seems most of the names on this list are there only for their "ability to win the hearts of people" factor more so than their racing. Barbaro was injured, we never really got to see how he turned out and Lost in the Fog with his cancer (I loved them both and may they rest in peace) and the rankings so far to me seem to be going along the lines of who got the most publicity.

Ghostzapper hands down Point Given gets second. Tiznow won back to back Classics but for an overall career was not in this class. Bernardini lost to Invasor in the Breeders Cup Classic. Barbara was a nice horse but he got the pub due to his injury, unfortunately. Smarty Jones was a bad ride short of a Triple Crown, and Afleet Alex was some athlete. Curlin and Street Sense were nice horses but not in the top two, three or even four.

From my moniker, one would assume I'd put Tiznow first, but that isn't the case. I love the hero and think on his best day he'd get the job done, but I also know he was quirky and didn't show up occasionally. So I put him as my 2 only behind the most reliable winner - INVASOR. No American classic horse in the last 10 years made me feel like a race was a forgone conclusion except Invasor. You just knew he would always show up and get it done. Perhaps I'm influenced by all the side bets I won off 'Dini Weenies in the '06 Classic, hehe.

I do wish this list excluded 3yos and gave 'em their own poll. That way, we could insert some really good handicappers. A few have mentioned the likes of Lava Man, Medaglia d'Oro, Saint Liam, Perfect Drift, etc. I want to mention the quality campaigns of Lemon Drop Kid, Roses in May, Pleasantly Perfect, and CONGAREE. Candy Ride would get a mention if his feet weren't so soft.

My top 5: 1A. Invasor, 1B. Tiznow, 3. Curlin, 4. Ghostzapper, and then Medaglia d'Oro barely over Mineshaft, Congaree, and Saint Liam.

Lastly, I echo the sentiment about those shortened 3yo careers. Smarty Jones, Afleet Alex, Point Given, Barbaro, plus guys like Came Home and Empire Maker....wow, incredible group of talent and potential.

CURLIN hands down! Lots of great colts; but CURLIN absolutely the best! I'm saying this even though I was also a great fan of Afleet Alex, Lost in the Fog, Barbaro, Bernardinin, and Smarty Jones.  Great choices given for us to vote for.  But CURLIN forever!!!

Go CURLIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

al bundy says if all those horses lined up at post time point given would favored and would win.

Lost in the fog all the way one heck of a sprinter, a horse who loved to run fast

I agree with Bill Smith - Where is Evening Attire on this list!!

Invasor puts them all to shame.  His race in the Don Handicap was probably the best race I have ever seen.  He made 3 moves, something a thoroughbred is not supposed to be able to do.  

Watched the horses, checked the stats...hands down...TIZNOW # 1..

then Curlin, Invasor, Bernardini

(won 6 of 8 starts and a Slew

grandson) and Ghostzapper.  The rest are good..but had shorter careers.  Where is Einstein???? and

Midnight Lute?

Ghost was a monster, should be first on the list with Curlin, Tiznow, Afleet Alex, Barbaro, Point Given and Smarty Jones. My favorite horse to watch, albeit briefly, was Candy Ride. Also loved St Liam, English Channel, Perfect Drift, Pleasantly Perfect, and Einstein.

Happy Holidays

Colts or racehorse of the decade in order... Tiznow, Invasor, Ghostzapper, Curlin, Smarty Jones..(what a great story), Big Brown...a really much better race horse than his connections deserved..(see Curlin above for same comment), Afleet Alex, Lava Man, Cloudy's Knight, (probably raced all the years in the decade), Funny Cide and Barbaro for all the good they did for the sport.  Horse of the Decade goes to Storm Cat. Anybody looked at a aire list lately? Every other horse on the list is either a son or a grandson of that old boy. I know this is about colts...but you can't REALLY talk about racing without thinking about his influence.

Wow, what a list. How can one possibly choose a number 1? And, there are so many great ones left off too; the first one that comes to my mind is the late, great St. Liam.  At least his greatness is showing in his babies, so he won't be easily forgotten.  But there is not a gelding on the list?  Maybe there should be a list exclusively for them for their staying power, guttiness, and heart and especially for being around longer for we humans to appreciate, enjoy, and love...most notably and recently, Cloudy's Knight.  These old warriors just prove that horses do love to race and don't need to retire at 3.  it's hard to argue the point to casual fans that horses do love to run when they are retired so early...

David W - thanks for reminding me of Lava Man who will be racing this weekend...I am so excited!!! Another gelding that's not on the list, nor Funny Cide.  And, I agreee with you on Storm Cat, but he can't be Horse of the Decade 'cuz he didn't race this decade, but if there was a Sire of the Decade, he'd be Number 1 based on sheer number of runners and winners.

Invasor was the best of the decade, hands down. He was never beaten in America and he faced one of the toughest Classic fields ever: Bernardini, Lava Man, Premium Tap, George Washington. Ghostzapper and Tiznow are next, but Curlin is fourth or fifth. He is definitely the most accomplished of them all: but who did he beat in his 4 yo campaign? Point Given was the best three year old of this decade, and Bernardini one of the most talented racehorses to ever live

Lava Man should be on the list.

Tiznow definitely, and Lava Man really needs to be on the list

Only one of the above horses ran lights-out speed figs on all of the data services from 7F-10F and that is Ghostzapper.  Since racing is about winning, there isn't a horse on this list who could beat him at equal weights, regardless of which post position GZ drew.  Blazing speed, versatility, and Frankel's genious make this an easy bet for me.  Invasor for second, and Curlin/Bernardini vying for third.  

Both Candy Ride and Big Brown were "better" than several on this list. All in all, though, the best of this decade were, as a group, likely inferior to those of each decade of the past 50-60 years. Those of the decade of the 60s were clearly the best, followed next by the 50s.

Barbaro, Afleet Alex and Street Sense,  yet no Big Brown.  hmmmm

My hat is off to those who mentioned Perfect Drift and Evening Attire. They sure gave us a lot of exciting and gallant efforts. Perfect Drift with 5 Classic tries and Evening Attire with his stamina were great old horses. How about a list of the best old durable geldings? Even if they never won HOY or the BC Classic, they made up for it with their tenacity and longevity.

My gut feeling Smarty Jones was the best here. He almost won the belmont despite Stewert's shaky mount and a trainer with no triple crown experience, questionable if some of the competition were out to make Smarty lose rather than for themselves win.

I love Barbaro but the career stopping short of the Preakness makes it hard to rate. If Street Sense ended after his Ky Derby run he would be lengendary.

If not Smarty then Ghostzapper or Tiznow.  

Where is Funny Cide?  If one includes Street Sense, Funny should certainly be there too!  He raced longer than most of these horses.

Two - not one - Two Breeder's Cup Classic Wins. Over the reputed greatest horses to ever come out of the European theatre at the time, Giant's Causeway and Sakhee. Fast, tough, determined and NOT retired at age three, TIZNOW should be the horse of the decade. If Curlin is considered the best colt, what does that make the filly that beat him in the Belmont, not to mention the Euro's in the Classic? TIZNOW IS THE TIME FOR TIZNOW!!

I'm not saying he deserves to be top 3 or 4 but if you want to talk about dominating performances.. Street Sense's BC Juvenile.  Smarty Jones only belongs on the list for bringing spectators to the sport he was in a sub-par class.  Curlin has the benefit of a longer racing career but folded on the polytrack.  Tiznows 2 BC's give him the top spot.  

Curlin at #1 is a joke. Find someone who didn't struggle against Wanderin' Boy.

Tiznow beat some great, great horses -- the best out of these horses. Invasor was simply the beast -- talk about grinding horses into the ground.  

Ghostzapper was unreal, but lightly raced to be #1. Smarty Jones shuld have been a record setting Triple Crown winner.

Bernardini may have been the most brilliant of the all. Some how Sheikh Mo can get the least out of a great horse.  

It would be Curlin except he lost to Rags to Riches and ended his career on a sour note

did he beat anyone in his Breeders Cup win

This should have separated into two lists 3 yo and older horses. smarty and alex were a length away from winning the most coveted prize in racing. Barbaro could have been close too. Then the older horses, curlin was very close to winning 2 of the 3 TC races, but he went on to win BCC and world cup. Tiznow won BCC twice. Mineshaft was not able to show his brilliance, Zapper won the BCC but like mineshaft hereally couldn't show how much he had. I cannot decide but if i had to Ghostzapper, curlin, alex, tiznow, smarty, mineshaft, barbaro, invasor, Bernardini, point given, street sense, lost in the fog (I loved this horse)

I may be biased towards horses who run at 4, but my top 6 were Ghostzapper, Tiznow, Invasor, Curlin, Point Given, Mineshaft, Lost in the Fog.  I had Bernardini at the top of the 3yo's.  He is the only one to beat older to the best of my knowledge, so I had to put him first.  I put Barbaro at the bottom.

Barbaro and Smarty Jones at #5 and #6 is  joke.

You can't tell me that Barbaro doesn't deserve first. I remember his Derby, it was incredible. The way he just flew to the front. Ghostzapper, Bernardini and Curlin also great horses. Ghostzapper's BC Classic incredible. Bernardini's Jim Dandy was outstanding. Curlin's Preakness was a nice race.

But Barbaro you were the best!

if the above list lined up in perfect condition,on a fast dirt surface in an incident free race Invasor would get the money.

I think this blog is called COLTS of the decade, not GELDINGS! Maybe there will be another one for them!Someone should have put Big Brown & Saint Liam on here instead of Barbaro!

Where is Big Brown on the list?  He certainly ranks up there.

From this list, Tiznow, Invasor and Ghostzapper were easily the most accomplished (in that order in my opinion).  It is very difficult to know if any of the 3yr olds that were retired (or deceased) would have done more, but any opinion about that is just pure speculation.

We never got a chance to see what all Barbaro could have accomplished. We know that he was undefeated on grass and dirt. I think he would have had an excellent chance to become a Triple Crown winner. If he had raced as a 4 year old, he might have gotten even better. In my mind, he is the #1 colt.

Liz,

I agree with you about Invasor. I was there that day for the Donn and I bet heavily against him since that was his first race back since the BC. I couldn't believe he still won while being boxed down on the inside and speed held very well that year. But Ghostzapper has to be #1. He ran in arguably the most competitive BC Classic of this decade. But I wouldn't hold anyone who lobbied for Tiznow in that category.

I think the 3 year old on this list are overrated. They just created so much buzz b/c the TC was on the line, but they didn't do much after that. The best of the 3 year olds would be Point Given. Besides the Derby, this horse was automatic.

Curlin got the top spot here b/c he's got recentcy of all the runners in here. I think he's a bit overrated as well.

Three horses that need to be on the list:

Evening Attire

Lava Man

Funny Cide

You people are unbelievable.  Bernardini is the best male horse to have run in north america in the last decade, with out a shadow of a doubt.  I can't believe that he currently sits 10th on this list.  The only reason he lost to invasor was due to rider error.  There is no three year old this decade that comes even close to him except point given.  And to be frank the only male horse i have seen this decade to be better than him is Sea the Stars, and he isn't on the list for obvious reasons.

This list is a joke.

Point Given ran 5th in the Derby - Big Brown broke from the 20 hole and still won it - easily. Both BB and Ghostzapper had mad talent but were a bit fragile, same like Barbaro. Invasor beat Bernadini, Curlin was super horse on dirt but couldn't run on synthetic. Great debate...and now the 2 super fillies didn't race each other this year...how maddening is this!!!

If you're talking raw talent it has to be Ghostzapper hands down.  And Smarty Jones of the 3 year olds with Bernardini a close second.  Others accomplished more, but those three were the most brilliant.  Even with his accomplishments, Curlin does not belong on top in my opinion.

INVASOR!INVASOR!

Sentimental favorite is Lost in the Fog. Such a couragous champion.

How about Wanderin' Boy? He deserves to be on the list.

Jim P,

    I don't call having a couple crosses thrown and no whip in the stretch struggling. Also, Wanderin Boy finished second to the likes of Invasor and Bernardini, not a bad horse if you ask me, considering you remove those two and Curlin from the field and he wins.

thank you dave

bernardini, check the pp's

116 beyers as a 3yr old under wraps

Where's Brown?? He's #1 on my list.

I kinda think Hard Spun deserved to be on this list. For toughness, consistency, courage and just plain showing up, he earned a place here. It was his misfortune to be born in the same year as Curlin - who he did beat. I'd rank him higher than Mineshaft and Afleet Alex - and not just because I loved him either. Because I think he earned it.

CURLIN IS #1. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO GOES AFTER THAT.

I am so sick of hearing people whine about so and so didn't have any competition. I'd have to go with Ghostzapper.

He wouldn't be on top, but where is BIG BROWN??????????!!!!!!!!

I'm glad there are some folks here who don't put BARBARO on a pedestal.  He was an OK horse, even a good horse, but unfortunately, suffered a catastrophic injury. He belongs somewhere in the second 10, but not in the top ten. Sorry he died, but he wasn't that accomplished.

dave, I agree that bernardini should be much higher and I think that if he beat invasor and and won the donn hanicap, and Dubia like invasor did after classic in the 2nd fastest time ever that you would see him first or sencond on this poll. But he didn't beat invasor by the way carry 4 less pounds and thats why invasor should be number 1 on this list. Invasor was very disrespected horse by the media but he just won he not as fast ghostzapper.  But if you put these 12 horses in at Churchill downs at 1 1/4 I would bet at least a month  of paychecks on him against this field.  Ghostzapper wouldn't have a chance with the speed in this race smarty,mineshaft, lost in the fog.

ghostzapper fans all they want talk is how fast he ran but he lost more times than invasor last time i checked. He is the fastest horse on paper but races are not run on paper. bernardini was faster than invasor on paper but didn't win.

Are ya`ll forgetting that Barbaro`s undefeated? I hope he gets horse of the decade, he deserves it.

this is a very tough group to put in order thats for sure.  for me, and i challenge you to argue this, ghostzapper is a runaway number 1.  after that is were it gets tough.  i dont like curlin as number 1 but he's close, the two big problems i have are mineshaft at number 11 and smarty jones at number 6.  apparently people forgot mineshaft even existed.  for those who forgot he was the 2003 horse of the year.  he won 4 big grade 1's including the suburban and jcgc.  he was the second coming of his sire a.p. indy and i feel confident that had he not injured his ankle he wouldve taken the bc classic.  as for smarty even number 6 is way too high.  yes he was undefeated till the belmont but who did he really beat?  rock hard ten turned into a very good horse but at that point of his career he was still very green.  plus smarty never faced older horses.  yeah i know that applies to barbaro too and maybe he could be a spot or two lower but barbaro was a freak, if not for the accident we were lookin at a super horse.  bottom line, ghostzapper a clear number 1.  mineshaft criminally too low, and smarty jones, as much as i loved watching him race, too high.

Where is Big Brown?

Curlin #1 all the way!!!

why is barbaro ahead of smarty jones, point given and afleet alex.they won 2 sections ofthe triple crown.i would put curlin and tiznow on top for a tie.they were both the two biggest monsters.

Tiznow is the man amongst boys here.  He won on both Coasts and he did it on the biggest stage for two consecutive years.  Invasor (an awesome competitor), Ghostzapper (simply brilliant) and Point Given (the most talented 3 year-old of all) will battle it out for 2nd.  The next flight would include Smarty Jones (no telling how good), Barbaro (ditto as for SJ) Bernardini (his loss to Invasor was the first chink in the armor) and Mineshaft (who did he really beat?  Ducking the Breeders Cup to not lose HOY goes against him in my book).  Curlin (his BC loss in 2008 showed he may have been overrated) and Street Sense (useful sort who was a freak at Churchill) would revisit their Preakness battle, but this time for 9th place.  Afleet Alex (I may have placed him too low, but who do I move down?) would be close behind them, and after 7 furlongs, Lost in the Fog (a very solid sprinter) would be lost in the dust against this field.

There's not an unworthy horse on the list, but as far as I'm concerned, Afleet Alex is the colt of the decade. His amazing Preakness pretty much seals the deal for me. That horse was all heart on the track.

Curlin, sorry folks but he was only a decent three year old, maybe a very decent one and apart from the Dubai World Cup a less than decent four year old. He got beat by Red Rocks and wasn't up to beating top three year olds in the Breeders Cup Classic. As for the latter being on synthetics; a weak excuse.  Hyped, Hyped, Hyped.  

jockey error cost point given triple crown.won the belmont by 15 lengths.

It is a total travesty that Pleasantly Perfect is not on this list. He is in the top 5 in this decade. That being said, I think the community has the first 4 right. And if we're talking pure achievements, Street Sense should be MUCH higher, BC winner, Derby, Travers winner, in no way Barbaro and Lost in The Fog or Afleet Alex (who I love) should be higher than Street Sense based on acheivements.

What's the point if you leave out the turf and foreign horses (e.g., Rock of Gibralter)?  I am surprised, though, that if you want to restrict the debate to U.S. based dirt horses, why Pleasantly Perfect was not considered.  Winning the Breeders Cup Classic and the Dubai World Cup is not too shabby.

Too many of these horses were retired too soon by injury or for breeding purposes to competently judge their greatness and rate them against horses of their own caliber who had longer careers. This is little more than a far too subjective guessing game. How does one gauge the true greatness of Afleet Alex, Barbaro, Bernardini, Street Sense, Point Given, and  Smarty Jones from their all too short time on the track and the same can be said of Curlin who was retired prematurely along with Mineshaft who did not even race as a two year old and was late developing at three, missing the Triple Crown.  Ghostzapper was forced into premature retirement by injury after one race as a five year old and only four races as a four year old following an abbreviated 3 year old season. This is a crapshoot and an exercise in futility.

I see there is an older male pole

also on this site.  As much as I

truly admire and love Einstein, for

2009...I'd have to say...Gio Ponti

wins hands down.  Einstein had a rough year...but he never gave up in any race.  

I'm not getting the whole Barbaro is God thing.  Great horse, no question but to rank him up there in the top five?  Why?  Because of what "could have been?"  He had guts, he was an undefeated Derby winner... So was Smarty... but Smarty went on to win again.  I hate to say it but Barbaro has turned into some strange martyr for this sport.  RIP Barbaro, LitF and every other thoroughbred who gave their life on the track.  You had a ton of heart but Barbaro still had more to prove on the track.

Flame away... I know, it's sacrilege.

Curlin is really good, Ghostzapper and Tiznow are the best colt in this decade (on my opinion). But popularity, I bet Curlin will lead all the way!!!

It is hard to believe that someone could say that Barbaro didn't accomplish much. Oh no, he was only UNDEFEATED coming into his Preakness and he could win on both dirt and turf, and he only won the Kentucky Derby by the largest margin in years and years. What a foolish, cruel statement to make!

Invasor on top,very hard grinding horse,curlin, Bernadini,smarty jones,PG,street sense all short career,very good horse.that is my top six,im a new age racing fan. these are my favourite horses.i also love hard spun,very good horse,we will see that hard hitting thumping in his first crop to come.

Ouch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Some great options, but I won't participate because Left Bank is not included?

Quoting from a 2002 BH article:

Left Bank equaled Tri Jet's 28-year-old Saratoga record for 1 1/8 miles of 1:47 while beating Street Cry and Lido Palace in the Whitney.

In the seven-furlong Tom Fool on July 4, Left Bank, owned by Michael Tabor, set the Belmont Park track of 1:20.

Left Bank has won 14 of 24 career starts.

Pletcher noted that Left Bank has won races at six distances -- from six to nine furlongs and has been a winner in each of his four racing seasons. He won grade I's at three different distances.

Really strange how people can knock a champion for no real reason.

CURLIN is one of the best horses in recent years and people are putting him down?

Besides winning the BC Classic in VERY GOOD time on a sloppy track he won the Dubai World Cup and Jockey Club Gold Cup(twice!!!)the Stephan Foster at a 128 pounds and the Woodward.

Sure wish I owned a dud horse like that!!!

Not just because of his racing career and statistics but because of the huge inspiration and emotional surge he gave to the entire sport of racing, I have to go with Smarty Jones first.  He was more than a set of statistics, he brought a huge number of fans to the sport and even though Curlin was magnificent, and Tiznow and Ghostzapper were amazing, I believe the horse of the decade has to be more.  Smarty was more!  I have never felt an outpouring of energy, love and support as I felt at the Preakness in 2004.

GZ was a truely great horse, whom the late Bobby Frankel called the best horse of the last 20 years.  That's good enough for me.  The idea that GZ was just a sprinter is silly.  He won the BC Classic Gate to wire with a 1:59+ time.  Mineshaft was a demon and deserves better.  Invasor was devastating. Barbaro is way too high because of sentiment (he ran only 6 races).  

GZ, Tiz, Invasor, PG, Curlin, Smarty, Mineshaft, AA, Lost, Barbaro and the rest.

Wow, the fact that Point Given is 7th in the rankings and not 1st is absolutely crazy.  The only other horses you could make a real argument for would be Curlin or Tiznow.   Smarty Jones and Barbaro being ranked ahead of Point Given is laughable.

looks like somebody forgot to put Big Brown on the list. I have Barbaro 1st Lost in the fog 2nd but thats probably sympathy picks so I guess my number 1 is my third pick which is Bernardini. I saw him win the jockey gold cup and he looked great.

Tiznow is by far (IMO) the best of this group! I agree with Kingmambo, Tiznow was ferocious!

Invasor was a great horse.  I don't

think enough people realized just how good he really was....See my comments on Steve Haskin's blog.

Tiznow is another.  My brother made

money on him both years...Can you say Cal-bred?

Um, about Ghostzapper.  Too fast, to quick, great Beyers and zoom he's gone like a comet.  Not around long enough to Brand impress, and, unlike Hailey's, he's not commin' back. His progeny are racing now.  As Trevor says, "Let's see."

Invasor seems to be an unpopular choice for number one, but that's who I put on my list for number one.  He won 5 Grade 1 races in America, 1 in Dubai, and 3 in Uruguay.  He is the Uruguayan Triple Crown winner, he posted the second-fastest time in Dubai World Cup history, and was Horse of the Year and Champion Older horse of 2006 - and 2006 was a good, good year.  Only losing ONCE in his career, is is BY FAR the most consistent and accomplished, and I based my list on accomplishments.

Rounding out my top six - or top half, if you will - in order are:  Tiznow, Curlin, Ghostzapper, Point Given, and Mineshaft.  Remember, my list was based on accomplishments, so don't jump on me because Ghostzapper wasn't first!

Colt of the Decade! Couldn't that be intrepreted as most popular as well as most accomplished? So, when one of the most accomplished horses on this list is the most popular, it stands to reason to me that CURLIN stands on top of the list! In my opinion, he WAS the best; but opinions are many. Apparently, most agree with CURLIN deserving the top spot!

GO CURLIN!!!!!!!!

Sir Percy, as a 4 year-old Curlin led the Timeform World rankings all year. He had a great 4 year-old season...just a lousy BC Classic.

Jackson seems to do a good job of over hyping his horses.  I agree with Showing up, Invasor did every thing and more than Curlin but Curlin still gets the most votes? why is that do you think?

Lost In The Fog! One of the best of all time

Everyone certainly has their own criteria, and depending on what it is, a case could be made for a handful of the choices.  Let's face it- if not for a half-lenght in the Belmont, Smarty Jones goes from 6th to 1st, as an undefeated TC winner.  Ghostzapper was insane, and the best in my book, but he did lack the TC campaign, many others had, and many would say the three year old campaign is the top priority, but his inane talent and versatility to distance was unreal.  You could make a case for Point Given, if a three year old campaign on its own was enough However certainly Bernardini didn't do anything PG hadn't already done, and didn't have the Classic.  If charecter is paramount, Lost in the Fog or Smarty Jones faced major confounds and prevailed.  Tiznow had 2 classics, and sentiment and short career or not, Barbaro was the only undefeated choice, and of six impressive wins, three were on turf, and three dirt.  I guess I could go with at least six of the choices.  Not to bandwagon, I just don't see Curlin as #1.  Inflated Dubai purses, and 2 losses in the "prime" of his career.  Bottom half.

Please clarify:  Should we rank them chemically induced or au naturel?  Some of the candidates ran on the juice while others did not.  You are asking us to compare apples and oranges.

Maybe we should have a best colts you left off the list vote along with the previously suggested best geldings(Evening Attire, Better Talk Now, Perfect Drift, Funny Cide, Lava Man).

Hard Spun, Big Brown, FuPeg, Einstein, War Emblem, Monarchos, Medaglia D'oro, St Liam, Vindication who like Barbaro, we never got to see the best of. All these colts deserve to be on the list.

People who say Barbaro does not belong have forgotten what he had done before he was injured. He won the Laurel Futurity, the Tropical Park Derby, The Holy Bull, The Florida Derby and The Kentucky Derby in an amazingly brilliant move that left everyone else behind. Including the other nice Leal colt, Showing Up.

These horses on the list are all good horse's but some of them were great horses. I tried to leave my emotions at the door when putting them in order and it was hard.

Tiznow in front because of his tenacity. Two Breeders Cup Classic victories, that battle with Giants Causeway...it's a no brainer.

Ghostzapper, wicked fast and versatile.

Curlin....trust me, I truly did leave out my emotions or he would be much lower.

Invasor..to bad he was injured.

Barbaro & Lost in the Fog.. What a pair of wonderful, gutsy, talented horse's..They fought with everything they had right to the end.

Bernardini whose accomplishments were overshadowed by the tragedy of the Barbaro situation.

and the rest,

Point Given, Mineshaft, Street Sense, Smarty Jones and Afleet Alex.

In my opnion, Point Given was the best horse of the decade. Followed in order by Invasor, Tiznow and Ghostzapper.

What a decade!

Why shouldn't Alex be over Smarty? You must have missed his Preakness Stakes...talk about athleticism and guts...what could have been a very sad day for racing ended up being an incredible performance when that colt picked himself up after getting clipped hard and ran on to win.

To be fair Curlin's losses were on turf and synthetic...we all know he is a dirt horse. Forgive him his imperfections, he was an amazing racehorse.

Ghostzapper,Tiznow,Curlin. I have to say some of the ratings here I don't believe but everyone is entitled to there opinion. I guess turf horses don't count in the U.S.

Invasor is my top choice.  His 2007 Donn Handicap win was amazing.

Also can't ignore that he was a G1 winner in North America, South America and Asia (Dubai World Cup).  Rated #1 in the World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings in 2006.  

If Smarty Jones hadn't had that long workout before the Belmont, he would have won. He has the best record except for a trainer and probably owner mistake.

Barbaro is no 1 with me period.

an award should be given for courage and guts.  which would be Lost in the Fog.  what an inspiration

How is Big Brown not on the list? He had one of the best Kentucky Derby performances ever, I don't think Barbaro should be in the top 10.

Who made this list? Where is Big Brown? In terms of Grade 1 victories and career earnings, Big Brown is well up there in the top 10 of the decade. I swear, there is so much biased towards Big Brown because of his loud mouth trainer or maybe his clunker in the Belmont. Still, he was one of the best 3yos of the decade if not the best 3yo and should be included in the top 10.

Dissapointed to see Curlin at#1,probably because he is very current. Tisnow and Ghostzapper for me and YES Big Brown should have been there.

What a shame Invasor got hurt before the Sububurban as a 4yo.  He had a real shot to win back to back Classiscs.  Bernadini was brilliant that fall and Invasor cleaned his clock while giving him weight.

The sad thing about this list is how few races these great horses ran.  Compare the number of races to a top 10 list from the 70's or 80's.  Half of these horses didnt even race as 4 yo's .

Barbaro. His Derby was the best since Secretariat.

Curlin = most overrated horse of the decade.

Barbaro deserves it.  He was a champion both on and off the track.  His brave fight inspired us all and brought attention to issues such as horse slaughter and safer tracks.  What other horse has  done that??  

Barbaro was by far the best-we never got to see how truly great he was he coukd've won the Triple Crown

Point Given was one of the most talented and physically gifted horses i have ever seen. Point Given for me gets the edge over Ghostzapper then Smarty Jones and Afleet Alex.

I voted Ghostzapper first, not because I was a racing fan when he raced and was a huge fan of him, but because I thought that was what most people would say (awful, I know) I was surprised and delighted to see Curlin in first! He's always been my favorite, with Tiznow and Point Given up there close. It's too hard to choose! All these horses are incredibly gifted and bring a smile to my face!