Reply With Quoteyes he is
Was reading a disussion on the harnesslink main page and it got me thinking, Is this wonderful champion really the Greatest Horse of all time in Australasia.
Just seems like a huge claim to be making. I mean wow what a champ and his record and earnings are amazing but " greatest ever"
What is everyones thoughts?
PS please dont disrespect this wonderful old boy I am just wondering everyone elses opinions on the comparisons being made with him and Poppy, Cardigan Bay etc.
yes he is
I agree with Buster.
Cardigan Bay for me, Blackie second. It's no mean feat to go over and beat the Americans in their own backyard.
Blacks A Fake's record would tell you that there is no better performed pacer that Australia has produced. No other pacer has the amazing record that he has. There may have been some like Popular Alm that may have been more brilliant but he didn't win as many big races as what Blacks A Fake did. Blacks A Fake in my view deserves to be rated as the greatest Australian Pacer of all Time.
Cardigan Bay on his outstanding achievements in NZ and then later America deserves to be rated as the greatest Standardbred that NZ has produced. However its impossible to compare 2 Champions of different eras from different Countries and the fact that Blacks A Fake is being mentioned in the same breath as Cardigan Bay is testament to what an amazing horse and Champion he has been.
I suppose the stats speak for them selves, He obviously is the best performed pacer of all time, if you go on stats and prizemoney.
But in my opinion he isn't my favourite pacer of all time which is a another argument all together and maybe this is where the lines are being blurred in these heated discussions.
Well done Blackie on an amazing career and he will live forever as a legend thats for sure.
Which brings me to another question, if Blackie enjoys being in work and racing why is everyone (media and fans) pressuring Nat to retire him. Village Kid was still breaking records at 13.
In my 40 odd years Ive seen some good horses and we all have our favorites and handed down stories of these legends Poppy, Steel, Paleface, Hondo, Cardigan, Village and the list goes on but BAF is the best horse I have seen his record speaks for its self Money/group wins and his amazing speed, stamina and grit over any distance shouldn't have anyone questioning him look how many top million dollar earner he has beaten and thrash for the last several years
he is the greatest ive ever seen. To do what he has done and to do it consistently over a long period of time is simply amazing
Without a doubt the best perfomred standardbred we've ever seen or will ever seen. His record speaks for itself. And a 3rd in Auckland the perfect way to end his career - 6 Grand Finals for 4 wins and 2 placings. Remarkable.
You can argue that other horses had more pure ability, at his peak its hard to see any horse competing with Popular Alm but on results alone BAF is without peer.
As for wanting to retire him now, I think people remember Sokyola running around in Moonee Valley FFA's getting beaten by horses he'd run circles around a few years earlier, and don't want the same thing to happen to Blackie
And Village Kid did break that Time Trial record at age 13, but he also only won 3 of his last 20 starts over his last couple of seasons of racing as an 11 and 12 year old, all at Gloucester Park in average races and it was sad to see the great horse giving away big starts in GP stands and running closer last than first. 90 wins from 140 starts sounds a lot better than 93 from 160. But, like Sokyola and BAF from the sounds of it, Willy loved stable life and lived for raced day. Whats a trainer to do?
Last edited by Village Kid; 04-15-2011 at 03:10 AM. Reason: spelling
I have been fortunate enough to watch all the horses you have mentioned above at one time or another and they are all champions. Last Friday I had the honour to see Blackie in the flesh. I went to Auckland for 2 reasons (by the way its easier getting to Melbourne or Sydney from where I live), the Inter Dominion Final but mostly my last chance to see a horse that for these past years I have watched in awe as he tore up the tracks here, there and everywhere.
I've never compared horses from different eras and each one has a special place but Blackie will live long and on the top of my list. He has the heart, spirit and soul of a champion.
Champions climb the mountain one step at a time. They have no use for helicopters
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