You’ve only got to consider some of the fantastic racehorses who aren’t nominated here to realise what a superb decade this has been.
There’s no place, for instance, for the dual Arc winner Treve, the peerless Zenyatta (who won five G1s in her final year on the racetrack - 2010) or the magnificent French mare Goldikova, who won her third Breeders’ Cup Mile that same year.
Japanese Triple Crown winner and dual Arc runner-up Orfevre doesn’t make it either. Nor do the breathtaking sprinters Lord Kanaloa (Japan) and Chautauqua (Australia), the outstanding U.S. middle-distance champions California Chrome and Arrogate or the Triple Crown winner Justify.
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How to vote: see the panel at the foot of this article
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There were cases to be made, too, for long-serving warriors like Wise Dan (U.S.) and Cirrus Des Aigles (France), the three-time Melbourne Cup runner-up Red Cadeaux, and Stradivarius, the horse who has redefined what a stayer is capable of.
Yet, once we decided to limit the field to five, the contenders pretty well picked themselves. These are five giants, five runners we have been truly privileged to watch as they each made indelible marks on the history of the sport. Which was your favourite?
THE CONTENDERS
In alphabetical order
American Pharoah
Born 2012, bred by Zayat Stables in USA (Pioneerof The Nile - Littleprincessemma)
Owner: Zayat Stables
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Victor Espinoza
Career earnings: £5,531,104
11 runs, 9 wins (8 G1s)
Highlights: first horse to win U.S. Triple Crown for 37 years; won Breeders’ Cup Classic to complete ‘Grand Slam’. Longines World’s Best Racehorse 2015.
Black Caviar
Born 2006, bred by R Jamieson in Australia (Bel Esprit - Helsinge)
Owner: G J Wilkie, Mrs K J Wilkie Et Al
Trainer: Peter Moody
Jockey: Luke Nolen
Career earnings: £4,652,092
25 runs, 25 wins (15 G1s)
Highlights: world champion sprinter every year from 2010 to 2013; Longines World’s Best Racehorse 2013 (joint with Treve).
Enable
Born 2014, bred by Juddmonte Farms in GB (Nathaniel - Concentric)
Owner: Prince Khalid Abdullah/Juddmonte Farms
Trainer: John Gosden
Jockey: Frankie Dettori
Career earnings: £10,411,973
15 runs, 13 wins (10 G1s)
Highlights: two Prix de l’Arc de Triomphes (2017, 2018); first horse to win at Breeders’ Cup (Longines Turf in 2018) after winning Arc in same year. Currently joint highest-rated horse in the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings of 2019 (with Crystal Ocean and Waldgeist).
Frankel
Born 2008, bred by Juddmonte Farms in GB (Galileo - Kind)
Owner: Prince Khalid Abdullah/Juddmonte Farms
Trainer: Sir Henry Cecil
Jockey: Tom Queally
Career earnings: £2,998,302
14 runs, 14 runs (10 G1s)
Highlights: Longines World’s Best Racehorse 2011, 2012. Highest-rated horse in the history of those classifications
Winx
Born 2011, bred by Fairway Thoroughbreds in Australia (Street Cry - Vegas Showgirl)
Owner: Magic Bloodstock
Trainer: Chris Waller
Jockey: Hugh Bowman
Career earnings: £14,564,743 (current all-time world leader)
43 runs, 37 wins (25 G1s)
Highlights: unbeaten in her last 33 races; won the Cox Plate four years running; Longines World’s Best Racehorse 2018 (joint with Cracksman).