It Takes a Complete Racehorse

I was handicapping the NFL this week. Tonight's game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos is highly anticipated for both fans and handicappers alike. On one side of the ball, the 9-0 Chiefs have a solid running game, a quarterback that kind of dinks and dunks and a stifling defense. On the other side of the ball you have well, a passing game. The 8-1 Broncos, at home, with that passing game, are 8 point favorites.

It's a fun match up to handicap.

Overall, and to build a dynasty, the passing teams, who rely on one player, never tend build that dynasty. Conversely, the teams that exhibit some class on both sides of the ball are usually the teams that win in the playoffs and are remembered. Brad Johnson and Trent Dilfer have two more Super Bowl rings than Dan Fouts and Dan Marino. It's not an alternate universe, it's the way it's done.

I think it's the same for racehorses. You need brilliance - you need to be a Fouts or Marino - but you need a lot more than that. You probably don't retire to stud at three. You probably have to face tremendous adversity at some point to show how tough you are. You have to race and win through lameness or sickness. If you are defeated because of those things, you better have the constitution to bounce back in a hurry. You have to beat horses who beat other great horses. You need a passing game, but you better have a whole lot more than that.

Today in HRU, the top horses from 2000-2013 were surmised. 

They all have one thing in common: They have more than just a passing game.  They might be so good that others who race against them do not look like they're in the same species. When you compare most of them to others who have raced the last twenty years, they did something to stand out. They show no bottom. They go a quarter another horse can not go. They go a trip others can't. They are simply better than 99.9% of the other horses in their division each year.

I hope you enjoy that list. Remembering some of the excellent horses we have been fortunate enough to see this century is always something I enjoy doing. I hope you do, too.

Oh, I like the Chiefs and the points.

Have a great Sunday everyone.