Divisional best by decade since 1900

[The Indomitable DrugS]

There are a great many variables that go into handicapping a race. Handicapping completed careers is far easier - you're simply comparing an entire racing career with another, in division, from a relatively similar time period in history.

Horses are rated divisionally - by decade - based on accomplishment and ability. Hence horses who had superior ability at peak (like Formal Gold and Candy Ride types of recent) will be rated behind the slightly less monsterous who campaigned hard and achieved a lot more. I've put even a little less emphasis on peak ability than in the past - because it is so much harder to uncover it in charts and pp's with old, old-time horses.

1900's:

2yo: Colin
3yo's: Sysonby, Fitz Herbert, Hermis, Colin
Older horse: Hermis, Ballot, Roseben, King James

1910's:

2yo: Man O' War
3yo: Roamer, Sir Barton, Friar Rock, The Finn
Older horse: Whisk Broom, Old Rosebud, Roamer, Cudgel

1920's:

2yo: Morvich
3yo: Man O' War, Reigh Count, Grey Lag, Crusader
Older horse: Exterminator, Sarazen, Sun Beau, Chance Play

1930's:

2yo: Top Flight (f)
3yo: War Admiral, Gallant Fox, Twenty Grand, Omaha
Older horse: Discovery, Equipoise, Seabiscuit, War Admiral

1940's:

2yo: Count Fleet
3yo: Citation, Whirlaway, Count Fleet, Assault
Older horse: Whirlaway, Armed, Coaltown, Challedon

1950's:

2yo: Native Dancer
3yo: Native Dancer, Bold Ruler, Swaps, Sword Dancer
Older horse: Round Table, Tom Fool, Swaps, Nashua

1960's:

2yo: Buckpasser
3yo: Damascus, Buckpasser, Arts and Letters, Kelso
Older horse: Kelso, Dr. Fager, Gun Bow, Native Diver

1970's:

2yo: Ruffian (f)
3yo: Secretariat, Spectacular Bid, Affirmed, Alydar
Older horse: Forego, Affirmed, Ack Ack, Seattle Slew

1980's:

2yo: Easy Goer
3yo: Sunday Silence, Easy Goer, Spend A Buck, Conquistador Cielo
Older horse: Spectacular Bid, Alysheba, John Henry, Ferdinand

1990's:

2yo: Favorite Trick
3yo: Holy Bull, Silver Charm, Skip Away, Unbridled
Older horse: Skip Away, Cigar, Criminal Type, Gentlemen

2000-to-2009:

2yo: War Pass
3yo: Smarty Jones, Tiznow, Point Given, Bernardini
Older horse: Ghostzapper, Mineshaft, Medaglia D' Oro, Invasor


Best since 1900:

2yo: Native Dancer
3yo: Citation, Secretariat, Spectacular Bid, Damascus
Older horse: Kelso, Forego, Discovery, Spectacular Bid

If you're more partial to old, old-time horses than I am - Colin is your 2yo and rate Discovery ahead of Forego and Equipoise ahead of Spectacular Bid.

While the 1900's through the 1920's was tricky - so few horses actually raced that it wasn't a tough process to identify who the seven or so best were and to - in some cases - try and split hairs. The best 3yo from '00 to '09 is brutal though. Smarty Jones could almost as easily been rated 9th best as best.