In tomorrow’s paper our four sports reporters will reveal who they have ranked in their top five.
Nailing down five athletes was no easy task. Who deserved to go in and who deserved to be left out were debated at length as each reporter reshuffled and edited their list again and again.
In racing, like sport, there are so many factors to consider.
Perhaps the most difficult thing to compare is horses from different sides of the world.
If only horses had their own Olympic-style races where the best of the best were guaranteed to turn up.
Instead of comparing horses across the world, let’s look at Kiwi horses. I will include only horses that were predominantly raced and trained in New Zealand, or at least established their racing careers here before going on to conquer the world. So, here goes ...
THOROUGHBRED
Sunline
This horse needs no introduction to the modern racing fan — she was simply a strong-willed and tough speed machine.
Scored 13 group 1 victories from New Zealand to Australia and Hong Kong.
Winning twice in two of Australia’s most iconic races — The Cox Plate and The Doncaster — is unlikely to be matched by another New Zealand-trained horse.
Gloaming
The Kiwi-owned and trained galloper of the 1920s was an absolute star of the turf on both sides of the Tasman.
He crossed the Tasman, by ship, an incredible 15 times to score feature wins from age 3 to age 9. Retired with an incredible race record of 67 starts for 57 wins and 9 seconds, and 19 of those wins came consecutively.
Bonecrusher
Racing into equine immortality with his 1986 Cox Plate win over Waverly Star meant his place in New Zealand racing history was assured. Bonecrusher won a further nine group 1 races and became the first New Zealand horse to crack the $1million stakes mark.
Rough Habit
Roughie is responsible for one of the most incredible wins ever seen. He and Jimmy Cassidy wove through the field in the 1992 Stradbroke to score an almost unbelievable victory.
Rough Habit won 11 times at group 1 level, second only to Sunline.
Balmerino
Balmerino makes the list as both a true-blue Kiwi horse and a globe-trotting superstar.
Nothing sums that up better than his performance in 1977, when he had 39 starts for 21 wins and 9 seconds. Remarkably, those races were contested in six countries: New Zealand, Australia, the USA, England, Italy and France.
HARNESS
Cardigan Bay
The Southland-bred horse epitomises Kiwi success, a tough southern-bred that shirked no challenge. From humble beginnings the horse would go on to be a New Zealand superstar before conquering Australia and then North America, where he was the first standardbred in the world to win $1million.
Lyell Creek
This is the best horse I have seen up close. When he was in his prime, the result of any race Creek The Freak contested was never in doubt. He could smash his opposition with stamina or reel off the fastest of trotting sectionals New Zealand had heard of in the early 2000s. Competed with merit in North America and Europe, but his Australasian dominance is what makes him a legend.
Christian Cullen
Few would argue he was the most brilliant pacer New Zealand has seen. His showy looks and pacing action, his bold front-running style endeared him. Injury robbed him of an even better record, but what we saw of Christian Cullen was brilliant.
Lord Module
While galloping has Rough Habit’s 1992 Stradbroke win, harness racing has Lord Module’s 1981 Matson Free For All. His New Zealand Cup win wasn’t too shabby either.
As with Christian Cullen, injury restricted Lord Module’s career. Though Lord Module’s famous hoof problems, which affected his temperament, added to his legend.
Chokin
Chokin was an absolute freak who compiled a brilliant racing record despite having his ups and downs.Brilliantly won a New Zealand Cup and two Miracle Miles, but also galloped wildly out of a Miracle Mile and stopped to a walk in another New Zealand Cup. He was also scratched out of two Interdominion grand finals due to illness.
Despite that, Chokin won 12 times at group 1 level.It was no easy task to compile those top fives and I had to leave out a number of champion horses to do so. Feel free to send me your top five for either code.
Happy trails.
