ClassicHorseRaces

Horse racing has had many both exciting and historical moments. Usually a horse racing is considered a classic because it falls within one of several categories.

The Match Race:

This is a two horse race between two competitors that face each other head to head. Sometimes it will feature two prominent horses that are tied to each other in some way, possibly through a competitive rivalry that has been established, or whose matchup is a novelty, or sometimes it is simply two supremely talented horses that have not raced against each other and the public wants to see who is really the best.

Currently there is no other matchup in all of horse racing that the racing public would rather see than a race with Zenyatta, winner of the Breeders Cup Classic, and Rachel Alexandra, the 2009 Horse of the Year. The fact that the two best horses in racing today are females adds to the novelty.

Perhaps the most famous of all match races include Seabiscuit vs. Triple Crown winner War Admiral which was called the “Match of the Century”. It became a remarkable in that the rags to riches underdog Seasbiscuit upset the 1-4 favorite War Admiral, and probably all the major turf writers and handicappers as well who selected War Admiral as the probable victor. An eighth of a mile from the wire, Seabiscuit pulled away from his rival winning by 4 lengths.

A Horse Exceeds Expectations in a Big Race:

Sometimes a horse will put forth such a huge effort that smashes expectations in a high profile race, and will do so by such a huge margin that it leaves an indelible trace on the minds of the racing fan. Such was the case when Secretariat put forth possibly the most impressive effort by a horse ever in the 1973 Belmont Stakes in which he went to the lead, and drew away by an almost impossible to fathom 31 lengths by the time he hit the wire. Everyone expected that Secretariat would win, but just not in such dramatic fashion.

The Thrilling Finish:

 Some of the most classic moments in horse racing have occurred when two or more famous race horses face each other in an important race and battle each other right down to the wire in a thrilling stretch drive. Who can forget Sunday Silence and Easy Goer in the 1989 Preakness Stakes in which neither one gave an inch until the wire at which Sunday Silence stuck his nose in front.

The novice to horse racing will find no shortage of thrilling and defining moments in horse racings history. From great upsets, to great match races, to the improbable Cinderella stories, you can learn more about all these moments here.