Defining a "GREAT" horse

Originally Posted by Bold Brooklynite

I've posted this before ... but it's always worth doing it again ...

A great horse is one who is a champion every year he/she races ... or who narrowly loses a championship to another great horse ... AND ...

... whose performances are reasonably comparable to those of past great horses.

It's pretty easy to tell when a horse is great. If you have any doubts ... then the horse isn't great.

Why do we have to measure a horse from today to horses of the past. We all agree that today's racing is vastly different from racing of the past. Why does the horse need to win championships in every year the horse races? That would mean that they need to win the 2 year old and 3 year old award. That is hard to do even for the greatest of the great. Since Smarty didnt win the award as a 2 year old, he doesnt deserve to be great?