BrianBradley

Nice selection, just one moment. Those are two bonafide full sibs. They do make the grade.

Ruffian won 10 straight races. She won from 5 1/2 furlongs to a 1 mile and a half. She tied, or broke 9 track or stakes records. SHE NEVER TRAILED A RACE AFTER A 1/8 MILE OUT OF THE GATE. THAT IS GREATNESS. You can talk about how Zenyatta came from far back, but, Ruffian never looked back after a 1/8 mile. She was poetry in motion. SHE WAS AWESOME!!!! You'll never know how sad it was, when she broke down in that match race. She was elegance in motion.

Did he not state that Big Brown used steroids? If you blame his vets, then he knowingly accepted what they were doing. I also thought that his timing of stating this fact only hampered the connections with negotiations involving the breeding rights of BB, which was ongoing at that time. Never understood his timing.

1) Ruffian 2)Lady's Secret 3) Personal Ensign 4) Rachel Alexandra 5)Zenyatta 6)Bold N Determined 7) Regret 8) Genuine Risk 9) Go For Wand 10) Inside Information

Genuine Risk(#51) avoid this filly at all costs. GR ran in the Derby, 'cause BND was the eventual winner of the Oaks. Only time they met, BND beat GR. Remember the ones that didn't get their just due.

In 1986, Lady's Secret ran 15 times, 13 times in Grade 1 events, once in a Grade 2, and once in a Grade 3. From those efforts, she had 10 wins,2 seconds, and 3 thirds. Would be hard to find another filly that accomplished 8 Grade 1 wins in one year.

Only competitor to beat Citation(racing's first millionaire, and he did it the hard way) four times!!!!

Zenyatta ran 20 races, with 17 being in California on synthetic surface. Of the 3 races outside her state, two were in Arkansas. Hence, Arkansas can lay claim to most races by Zenyatta outside of California. I realize she was great, but,,,,,,running exclusively in California, and, at Santa Anita, on a "carpet" that was laid prior to the first of two successive BC's, and then taken up shortly after the second consecutive BC, tarnishes her accomplishments. Rachel Alexandra, on the other hand, had raced at seven different tracks in five different states; beaten the boys in 3 different Grade 1 races; ran in the slop; won by 20+ links on 3 occasions, all in one year. Also, Ruffian had run in 11 races, with the last race being her ill-fated race. She won from distances of 5 1/2 furlongs to 1 1/2 miles; never trailed a race after a 1/8 mile out of the gate; and, tied, or broke, 9 stakes or track records. For all the accolades that are being showered on Zenyatta now, I would rate her a distant third to Ruffian and Rachel Alexandra.