Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century

In 1999, The Blood-Horse magazine assembled a seven-person panel of distinguished horse racing people: Keeneland racing secretary, Howard Battle; Maryland Jockey Club vice president, Lenny Hale; Daily Racing Form columnist, Jay Hovdey; Sports Illustrated senior writer, William Nack; California senior steward, Pete Pederson; Louisville Courier-Journal racing writer, Jennie Rees; and Gulfstream Park steward Tommy Trotter. Each of the experts compiled a list of what they considered to be the top 100 thoroughbred racehorses of the 20th century, which was then combined into a master list. The list was then expanded into a book with complete biographies.

The small body of voters meant that any individual ballot had the potential to disproportionately influence the final tally, which ended up coming to pass. At the time of the list's unveiling, Blood-Horse managing editor Evan Hammonds spoke to the Associated Press. Hammonds revealed that Secretariat and Man o'War had received three of the seven first-place votes. (Citation had received the other first-place vote.) Man o'War was listed at first, second, or third on all seven ballots; six of the voters gave the same placement to Secretariat. However, Hammonds noted, a single voter kept Secretariat out of the top ten "because he got beat a few times."

Though Blood-Horse promotes its top two selections as a ranking that "will generate debate for years to come", the magazine likely did not expect that debate to begin with one of its own experts. After the results became available, William Nack criticized the voting process as "skewered" because one of its own experts had ranked Secretariat fourteenth, thus costing him the top slot. "That's an outrage," Nack told the New York Daily News. "You mean this one person thought Secretariat would place last in a fourteen-horse race?"

The electoral friction was ultimately reflected in the introduction to the Blood-Horse's "Top 100 Racehorses" book, which conceded, "For all the work and dreaming that went into it...one approaches the list...with a nagging sense of its folly as a rational exercise and of the maddening arbitrariness of its outcome."

A total of 192 horses were recommended by at least one voter.

Also in 1999, the Associated Press asked the same question of six voters: four chose Man o'War, one named Secretariat, and the sixth picked Tom Fool, who placed eleventh on the Blood-Horse list. Additionally in 1992, Sports Illustrated conducted a poll of a panel of seven experts (Joe Hirsch, executive columnist, Daily Racing Form; Woody Stephens, thoroughbred trainer for more than 50 years; Jim McKay, broadcaster, ABC Sports; Jim Bolus, secretary-treasurer, National Turf Writers Association; Frank E. Kilroe, retired California racing official; Tommy Trotter, Arlington International Race Course Steward; and William F. Reed, turf writer for 28 years) with Man o'War also voted number one greatest horse, and Secretariat second in racing history.

Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century

1. Man O' War
2. Secretariat
3. Citation
4. Kelso
5. Count Fleet
6. Dr. Fager
7. Native Dancer
8. Forego
9. Seattle Slew
10. Spectacular Bid
11. Tom Fool
12. Affirmed
13. War Admiral
14. Buckpasser
15. Colin
16. Damascus
17. Round Table
18. Cigar
19. Bold Ruler
20. Swaps
21. Equipoise
22. Phar Lap
23. John Henry
24. Nashua
25. Seabiscuit
26. Whirlaway
27. Alydar
28. Gallant Fox
29. Exterminator
30. Sysonby
31. Stymie
32. Assault
33. Alydar
34. Sysonby
35. Sunday Silence
36. Easy Goer
38. Riva Ridge
39. Skip Away
40. Zenyatta
41. Gallant Man
42. Omaha
43. Discovery
44. Challedon
45. Armed
46. Busher
47. Alysheba
48. Landaluce
49. Ack Ack
50. Gallorette
51. Majestic Prince
52. Coaltown
53. Personal Ensign
54. Lady's Secret
55. Sir Barton
56. Dahlia
57. Silver Charm
58. Susan's Girl
59. Twenty Grand
60. Sword Dancer
61. Grey Lag
62. Devil Diver
63. Zev
64. Slew o' Gold
65. Twilight Tear
66. Native Diver
67. Cicada
68. Holy Bull
69. Alsab
70. Top Flight
71. Arts and Letters
72. All Along
73. Genuine Risk
74. Noor
75. Shuvee
76. Regret
77. Go for Wand
78. Johnstown
79. Bald Eagle
80. Hill Prince
81. Princequillo
82. Foolish Pleasure
83. Two Lea
84. Eight Thirty
85. Gallant Bloom
86. Ta Wee
87. Affectionately
88. Black Gold
89. Old Rosebud
90. Miesque
91. Carry Back
92. Bimelech
93. Lure
94. Fort Marcy
95. Gamely
96. Bewitch
97. Davona Dale
98. Sarazen
99. Sun Beau
100. Artful
101. Bayakoa
102. Exceller
103. Beldame
104. Roamer
105. Blue Larkspur