Famous Horses in Media

Most Famous Horses in the UK

admin March 28, 2025

Horse racing is one of the oldest professional sports in the United Kingdom, dating back to the reign of Richard I in the twelfth century. Modern, organised horse racing became popular during the reign of the ‘Father of the English Turf’, Charles II, and continued to flourish in the eighteenth century, leading to the establishment of the Jockey Club in 1750.

When it comes to famous horses, ‘the daddy of them all’, quite literally, was Eclipse. Named after the annular eclipse that coincided with his birth on April 1, 1764 – dubbed ‘The Great Eclipse’ – Eclipse dominated British racing for two seasons, in 1769 and 1770, and retired unbeaten in 18 starts. He subsequently stood at Clay Hill Stud, Epsom and later at Cannons Stud, Edgware until his death, during a bout of colic, on February 27, 1789. His name appears in the pedigree of 95% of modern throughbreds and his direct bloodline includes Arkle and Desert Orchid, to name but two.

Foaled at Ballymacoll Stud in Co. Meath, northeastern Ireland on April 19, 1957, Arkle is widely regarded as the greatest steeplechaser of all time. All told, he won 27 of his 35 races, but 22 of his 26 steeplechases between November 1962 and December 1966. He is best remembered for winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup three years running, in 1964, 1965 and 1966, but also won the Irish Grand National (1964), the Hennessy Gold Cup twice (1964, 1965), the Whitbread Gold Cup (1965) and the King George VI Chase (1965).

Although not quite on a par with Arkle, Desert Orchid was nonetheless a hugely popular steeplechaser during the eighties and nineties. Instantly recognisable by his grey, almost white, coat and his bold, front-running style, he won 34 of his 70 starts, including the King George VI Chase four times (1986, 1988, 1989, 1990), the Cheltenham Gold Cup (1989) and the Irish Grand National (1990).

On the Flat, Nijinsky, trained by Vincent O’Brien, remains famous as the last horse to win the Triple Crown – that is, the 2,000 Guineas, Derby and St. Leger – which he did in 1970. So, too, does the ill-fated Shergar, best known on the track for his record 10-length win in the Derby in 1981 and off it for his subsequent kidnap and disappearance two years later.

Most Famous Racehorses in American History

admin March 28, 2025

Horse racing in North America inevitably revolves around the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes, which are staged in May and early June and collectively constitute the Triple Crown, and the Breeders’ Cup, which is staged in late October or early November.

That said, one of the most famous racehorses in American history, Man O’War, did not win the Triple Crown, for the simple reason that he did not even contest the Kentucky Derby. Owned by Samuel D. Riddle and trained by Louis C. Feustel, he did, however, win both the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes during his three-year-old campaign in 1920 and, as a four-year-old, easily beat the first ever Triple Crown winner, Sir Barton, by seven lengths in the Kenilworth Park Gold Cup at Kenilworth Park in Windsor, Ontario. All told, he won 20 of his 21 races.

By any metric, the only horse that can rival Man O’War as the greatest horse in American history is Secretariat, who did win the Triple Crown, in 1973, and still holds the record for the fastest time in each of the constituent races. Owned by Christopher Chenery and his daughter, Penny, under the Meadow Stable banner, and trained by Lucien Laurin, ‘Big Red’, as the horse was popularly known, beat Twice A Prince by an eye-watering 31 lengths in the Belmont Stakes and, in so doing, took more than two seconds off the previous American record for a mile and a half on dirt.

Although not in the same league as Man O’War or Secretariat, the talented, but enigmatic, John Henry was another to capture the attention of racing enthusiasts, not least because of his rags-to-riches story. A $25,000 purchase as a three-year-old, the unfashionably-bred gelding went on to win 39 of his 83 starts, including 17 at Grade 1 level, and just over $6.5 million in prize money. He was Horse of the Year twice, in 1981 and 1984.

Fast forward three decades and the 2010 Horse of the Year, Zenyatta, may have failed, by a head, to retire unbeaten, but won 19 consecutive races between November 2007 and October 2010 and over $4.7 million in prize money. Her most notable victories came in the Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic in 2008 and the Breeders’ Cup in 2009, both at Santa Anita Park in California.

Famous Horses in Mythology

admin March 27, 2025

Horses feature prominently in the mythology and folklore of cultures worldwide, symbolising strength, courage and freedom and, often, being blessed with mystical powers, such as flight, speech or the ability to transcend heaven and hell. Arguably the most famous mythological horse of all was Pegasus, the winged white stallion of Greek mythlogy. He sprang from the blood that spurted from the neck of Medusa, the only mortal Gordon, when she was decapitated by Perseus. Later tamed by Bellepheron, who used him defeat the fire-breathing Chimera – part lion, part goat and part dragon – Pegasus eventually became a servant of Zeus, the chief Greek deity.

Less well-known, perhaps, is Pegasus’ counterpart in Turkic mythology, the Heavenly Horse, or Tulpar. A magnficient black or white horse, he, too, has a a pair of feathered wings and epitomises speed, strength and loyalty. A mainstay of Kazakh oral tradition – indeed the Emblem of Kazakhstan featues two winged horses – the Tulpar is often the companion of epic heroes, such as Alpamis.

Horses are also prevalent in Old Norse mythology. Sleipnir, the magical eight-legged horse ridden by Odin, the supreme god and creator, was purportedly born of the union between the stallion Svaðilfari and the shape-shifting Loki, the god of mischief, in the form of a mare. Described
“the best horse among gods and men”, Sleipnir is blessed with the ability to gallop through the air and over the sea. Elsewhere in Norse mythology, the Sun was created by sparks from Muspelheim, the realm of fire and heat, but required the sun deity, Sól, to drive it across the sky each day in a chariot. The chariot was pulled by two horses, Árvakr and Alsviðr, fitted with bellows beneath their shoulders to protect them from the heat.

Speaking of chariot horses, in the Ulster, or Red Branch, Cycle of Irish mythology, Liath Macha and Dub Sainglend are two such horses belonging to hero and demigod Cú Chulainn. A divine gift, from Macha, goddess of war, or her sister, the Morrigan, goddess of death, they supposedly sprang from Linn Laith in Sliabh Fuait, a mountain range in Co. Armagh, and were subsequently tamed by Cúchulainn.

Famous Horses in Literary Fiction

admin March 27, 2025

Horses have been a cornerstone of literary fiction for centuries. Symbolising freedom, courage and beauty, they often become sounding boards for the emotions of the non-equine protagonists in the stories in which they appear.

Indeed, the classic novel ‘Don Quixote’ (1605) by Miguel de Cervantes, widely considered to be the first of its kind, features Rocinante, an old, worn out, malnourished horse chosen as the noble steed of the titular hero for his fantastical adventures. He mirrors Quixote’s own flaws and limitations, yet the two remain faithful to each other throughout.

‘Black Beauty’ (1877) was the only novel written by Anna Sewell, but became an immediate best-seller and has remained in print. Narrated by the anthropomorphic title character, a handsome, well-bred horse, the story highlights the emotional, almost spiritual connection, between horses and human beings and is structured in such a way as to blur the equine human divide.

Into the twentieth century, ‘National Velvet’ (1935) by Enid Bagnold recounts the unlikely story of Velvet Brown, a shy, nervous Sussex teenager, who trains and rides her horse, The Piebald, or The Pie for short, whom she wins in a raffle, to victory in the Grand National. Nine decades after its publication, the novel remains an inventive fairytale. As Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho once put it, “We often don’t realise that the extraordinary is to be found in the lives of ordinary people.”

The fifth installment of ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’, ‘The Horse and His Boy’ (1954) by C.S. Lewis, Hwin, is a nervous, gentle mare, who spends most of her life in human captivity. However, with his mistress, Aravis, a young noblewoman, threatening suicide, she is forced to reveal her ability to talk and together they flee to the freedom of Narnia.

Continuing the high fantasy theme, Shadowfax, “the lord of all the horses”, renowned for his exceptional speed, intelligence and courage is chosen and tamed by Gandalf the White, a wise wizard, in ‘Lord of the Rings’ (1954-55) by J.R.R. Tolkien. Symbolically, he represents untamed power and freedom, which stands in stark contrast to the oppression of Sauron, the Dark Lord.

Famous Horses in Films and Television

admin March 26, 2025

Human fascination with horses is ancient and has only increased since they were first domesticated, five or six millenia ago, not least because of their ability to form deep connections with people. The advent of moving pictures, in the late nineteenth century, provided another outlet for the portrayal of horses and horsemanship.

Take Silver, the white American Saddlebred stallion that became the trusty steed of the eponymous, masked, former Texas Ranger in ‘The Lone Ranger’ television series, which aired on the The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) television network for eight years between 1949 and 1957. Wounded by a buffalo, and close to death, he is nursed back to health by the Masked Man and, rather than return to the wild, becomes the horse forever immortalised by the phrase “Hi-Yo, Silver! Away!” Similarly, albeit on a more whimsical note, the eponymous talking palomino, who starred in 143 episodes of ‘Mister Ed’ between 1961 and 1966, was an unforgettable figure in television history.

The fictional Triple Crown-winner, Khartoum, plays just a supporting role in ‘The Godfather’ (1972), but is nonetheless responsible, at least in part, for one of the most memorable scenes in cinematic history. Having initially refused a request from Don Vito Corleone, conveyed by his consigliere, Tom Hagen, to cast singer Johnny Fontaine in a movie, Hollywood producer Jack Woltz receives “on offer he can’t refuse”. The following morning, Woltz wakes to find his bedclothes soaked in blood and, on further inspection, the grisly severed head of his $600,000 prized possession at his feet. Suffice to say, Fontaine is cast in the part after all.

Memorable, too, for slightly less gruesome reasons is Joey, the titular character in ‘War Horse’ (2011). A bay, half-Thoroughbred colt, Joey is sold, unbeknown to his owner, a Devon teenager, to a young British cavalry officer (later killed by German machine gun fire) at the outbreak of World War I. After surviving capture by the Germans, Joey is finally reunited with his original owner, temporarily blinded by a gas attack at the Second Battle of the Somme, providing unashamedly dewy-eyed ending to what is, effectively, a powerful critique of war.