Poor Funny Cide, he gets no respect:  "...Funny Cide winning the Preakness by the second-largest margin in the 128-year history of the middle jewel of the Triple Crown...".

Whilst Curlin got lucky that Borel got caught napping on the lead. And then couldn't get the job done the one time that one of that exceptional generation looked him in the eye all the way down the stretch. I placed him at the bottom, where he belongs...

I think Point Given is much the best. I am still not seeing how Curlin is all that in a bag of chips. Yes he has the most earnings, however, he never really faced much.

I don't et the Curlin thing. He had a HOF career but he never ran a true monster race. Afleet  Alex, Smarty Jones and Point Given were the fastest of this bunch.

Funny Cide deserves respect--he is no where near the bottom of my rankings, but Curlin won the Preakness in record time (shared with Tank's Prospect and Louis Quatorze) after stumbling out of the gate and with no 2-year old foundation. Curlin's subsequent earnings have nothing to do with his Preakness victory.

But for a super hard track and sore feet at CD, I think Point Given would have been a TC winner.  Maybe we'll see one this year - I'm keeping my fingers and"toes" crossed.

Fantastic question. We could debate this forever but for me and my dollar; it is the one, the only, the mighty Big Brown. Yes, Big Brown. As good as Curlin' was, Rachel was better. But BB's majestic strides were second to none. And I like Smarty Jones to have rounded out the super.  

Point Given, hands down then Afleet Alex and then Smarty Jones............

Even though he might not be the best horse of the 10, in a race among all 10 the edge has to go to War Emblem because he's the lone speed.

NO CONTEST BIG BROWN!!!!!!!

Curlin had the fastest time since I believe Louie Quatorze. Although conditions differ year to year, he was over 2 seconds faster than Point Given. Can't ignore those 10 lengths...

Afleet Alex, hands down was clearly the best after bouncing off the Maryland sand turning for home!

Would have won the TC if Rose doesn't fall asleep in the Derby. Best horse not to win the TC since Sunday Silence!

There is only one horse on this list who went down to his knees, almost rolled, and still won the race going away. Afleet Alex deserves top honors here.

Super easy...just the facts!

Curlin co-owns the race record (Tanks Prospect, Louis Q and Secretariat), and his time is over a second faster than the second choice...Bernardini, so it would like a blanket finish, except for Curlin, who would be 5 lengths in front!

Curlin: 1:53.46

Bernardini 1:54.65

BB 1:54.86

AA 1:55.04

RA 1:55.08

Point G 1:55.40

LAL 1:55.47

Smarty 1:55.59

Funny 1:55.61

War Emblem 1:56.40

Going by the races each of these ran in the Preakness Smarty Jones wins.  Best figs of any of them in that race and any race at that point in their careers.  I think Bernardini was second best then Point Given and Rachel and Curlin had the most accomplishment.  Who wins would depend on how the race unfolded but on ability alone my moneys on SJ.  

Why do some people think Curlin didn't have any compitiion? The last K Derby n tripple crown in fact, that was exciting and the most competitive was...Curlin Street S n H Spun. these horses ran 1 2 3 in almost every race they faced each other in....And,just my opinion and i will be bashed for it i'm sure. The next Tripple crown winner will be sired by one of these great athletes,,,

"Curlin never ran a monster race" lol

Doesn't he have a share of the Preakness record?  I think that means he ran it faster than all the other horses on the list.  He's two full seconds faster than everyone on this list other BB and Bernardini.

Did you not see his DWC?

Come on UncleStosh.  Curlin should be one or two on everyone's list.

Kincsem...He beat the champion older male as a 3yo in the JCGC.  And he had run three races in five weeks while RTR had a five week rest.

Sorry to turn this into a defense of Curlin, but how a 2x HOY is so disrespected is beyond me.

But for Borel snoozing near the finish, Street Sense would have ranked in this lineup; what a horse he was. True grit.

I think Point Given would have been the TC champ, however and we will never know what happened to Big Brown in the Belmont.It was unfortunate he had Dutrow as a trainer.

It was hard to separate Big Brown and Point Given but I gave the nod to the latter as a result of what he did as opposed to what he could have done.  But if Big Brown didn't have those foot problems he could have won the triple crown.  Curlin doesn't belong in the 2 spot.  Smarty Jones another almost triple crown winner.  Funny Cide belongs at the bottom due to wretched form after the classics.

Big Brown coming down the lane under a hand ride completely unchallenged.  Huge strides eating up the track.

Rachel Alexandra..she owned!

I saw Curlin he was beautiful. With his career winnings its like saying Running Backs broke O.Js rushing record but in 2 more games.

Alot bigger purses in todays times..

Curlins Preakness was huge..

All time beautiful horses I have seen was Big Brown that horse looked like a sculpture.

Beautiful horse who beat no one in the Preakness.

How about Afleet Alex getting tripped turning for home?

Bernardini first hought is poor Barbaro.

R.A. if Smith does not get pinched Minethatbird catches her..

Good Luck to everyone Saturday

When I visited Afleet Alex in 2009 at Gainesway I whispered to him:

"You're the fastest racehorse I've ever seen!" He humbly nodded his head as though saying "Thank You."

And it still stands today. I have never seen a kick to the finish line like Afleet Alex and what he and Jeremy Rose did in the Preakness was unbelievable. They will always be my favorite racehorse and jockey because I saw little sick children in the stands yelling and screaming "We Love You, Alex and Jeremy!" Rank the Preakness in this decade there is no better than the great Afleet Alex.  

Rachel NH---Thanks for listing those times! That Curlin holds the record says it all. I made my May 14 comment brief because I was too irritated by some of the previous comments to say more. Again, thanks.

Thanks james b, at least i'm not the only one to think so lol...And even thow Babaro didn't finish the Preakness, he should have been on the list, because I KNOW in my gut he would have been the tripple crown winner...want to sout out to Archarcharch..new when he came out of gate he got hurt..what a shame, he is a very nice horse. My prayers go out to all in his stable and i hope he has a great recovery...Also can't wait for the return of P Pegasus...

Any of those colts could have won the race but only BARBARO could win my heart.

Afleet Alex all the way.  Times mean nothing when you go to your knees and have to recover.  Point Given to place, Smarty Jones to show, Curlin to round out the superfecta.

forgive my ignorance, but where is Jeremy Rose currently riding?  What a ride on Afleet Alex.  The tumble, the recovery and the amazing victory.  Awesome & inspirational.  One of the best Preakness races I ever watched

Curlin had the toughest competition easily.

Afleet Alex was incredible with his recovery, but after all, he defeated the immortal Scrappy T. He was the best of a thoroughly mediocre crop.

Funny Cide gets dissed because of his post Triple Crown record, but most of these other exceedingly fragile hothouse flowers were exhausted by the TC campaign and didn't even compete as older horses.

Ok, I know it was the owner's decision, but sorry, if you precipitously retire your horse, you do not get to claim anything much about their standing with the immortals, since they never raced against older horses. Period. You had the chance to prove something, and you wussed out for the money. You forfeited. Deal with it and own it.

At least Bernardini faced Invasor in the '06 Classic, Afleet Alex and Smarty Jones should have also been in that race.

Where does this canard about Point Given being the rightful winner of the TC come from?

How many times do we hear that he "should have" won it? He was CRUSHED in the Derby, by ten lengths going away. Deal with it. It wasn't like he just missed, he wasn't even involved in the race.

Maybe Monarchos wasn't the same horse after running the second fastest Derby ever and he "should have" won the Triple Crown. That's the same logic.

I'm amazed at the lack of respect Bernardini is getting. The horse was a monster and ran into an older monster in Invasor when beaten in the BCC. He was a brilliant animal and probably one of the most raw talented in this line up.

Curlin, however would be my number one. He is one of the record holders for the Preakness and face a heck of a crop in 2007 and still came out on top more often than not.

Point Given was a brilliant horse, who like Bernardini, may not have appreciated Churchill Downs.

Bernardini: Of the ten he was the least experience entering the Preakness with only 3 races to his credit. In terms of graded victories he had only a Glll. The remaining nine on the list had either Gl or Gll. victories going in. He was the longest priced winner of the 10 as he left the gates at 12-1. His time of 1:54.65 ranks is second fastest but it could have been faster if there was any competition. His rider just pushed him out in the last 16th.

Rachel Alexandra; She was tag teamed by the boys in vicious internal fractions and still held on for a rare victory by a filly.

Curlin: In his fifth start he exhibited an amazing turn of foot to catch Street Sense in an extremely close finish. Like Bernardini recorded his first G1 victory in a TC race.

Big Brown: He disappeared from the opposition. Correction! He had no opposition.

Afleet Alex: Displayed great athleticism for an emphatic victory. He was short priced in the derby and his Preakness victory was not a surprise.

The remaining 5 can be bundled.

Curlin stumbled at the start, went 4 wide at the top of the stretch, was headed 1 1/2 to maybe 2 lengths by Street Sense with maybe a couple hundred yards left to run and he fought back in one of the all time best stretch run, photo finishes in the history of racing to EQUAL the race record in only his FIFTH lifetime start...check the fractions of that race...

What more do you want from one horse in one race? LOL ♥