Your analogy is absurd. Mark Rypien would be a good analogy if I was claiming a horse was great because of a single race he won. If I claimed that Giacomo was better than Commentator because Giacomo won the Ky Derby, that would be like saying Rypien is better than Marino because Rypien won the Super Bowl.

When a horse wins millions of dollars and multiple graded stakes races over his career, that is the exact opposite of a one-hit wonder like Mary Rypien. Mark Rypien would be comparable to a horse that won one big race but never really did anything else.

well that explains a lot.
i have him on ignore, so i missed that gem.

Rypien made the pro bowl twice. Just sayin

Yeah, I liked Rypien.

Dilfer though?

Derek Fisher has five rings himself!

He's better than LBJ.

It depends on what basis you are comparing horses on. If it is based on races won, then the back to back BC Classics should put a name that I have not read yet here, Tiznow, near the top. If it's based on earnings, then it's Curlin. Etc, etc. It's always hard to compare even only a few years apart because unfortunately with the modern, fragile thoroughbred the competition is constantly changing. To most owners, the astronomical value at stud is worth much more than anything they can accomplish on the track and this becomes a priority. A lot of the most promising younger horses that could have turned into the best---Barbaro, Big Brown, Smarty Jones, for example---have retired young and so we don't know what they could have become. This is why we rarely see a true superstar these days and on the surface makes it appear that the handicap division is always on a decline.

For me, however, it has to be Ghostzapper. What he did at Lone Star that day is by far one of the most impressive performances I've seen. The running time. The field he beat. The effortless manner. And it wasn't just a one-off eye-catcher like Borrego. From 6f-10f he was as consistent as they come. Four G1s at four different distances. Wire to wire. Last to first. So versatile. What a horse.

It's unfortunate that the state of North American racing has gotten to the point of Commentator and Lava Man being considered amongst the GOATs. There is a difference between good and great. Right now, Shared Belief is good. If he continues his path and runs as such for the rest of his prime, then he can reach the echelons of greatness.

Why not? I said one of. There are 100's of great horses.....

I almost put dilfer in there too!

Money won would have to involve inflation...then there's bonuses, like what inflated smartys earnings.

Of course, but what I was more trying to get at is that there are many ways to compare, of which none will ever be consistent.

Too true!