Horses of the decade: The top five on the Flat in Europe

First published Sunday, December 22

147 Frankel

Frankel was not just the best Flat horse of this decade - he was the best of any decade. Frankel retired with a flawless record of 14 wins from as many starts, with an average winning distance of more than five lengths. He pulverised high-class rivals throughout his career but was at his most imperious in the 2012 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot, where he achieved the highest Flat rating in Timeform’s history. He beat Excelebration – a top-class horse in his own right - by 11 lengths, his response when unleashed by Tom Queally even more sensational than he’d produced before. A true phenomenon of the sport.

Actual goosebumps... 😲

Relive Frankel's Queen Anne Stakes victory at #RoyalAscot in 2012 🙌#ThrowbackThursday pic.twitter.com/NadltXLIIM

— Ascot Racecourse (@Ascot) September 19, 2019

140 Harbinger

The 2010 King George looked like a high-class contest on paper, featuring the Derby winner (Workforce), the Irish Derby winner (Cape Blanco), and a three-time Arc runner-up (Youmzain). However, they were all eclipsed, and in spectacular style, by Harbinger, a relentlessly-progressive, lightly-raced four-year-old trained by Sir Michael Stoute. Harbinger travelled supremely well behind a true pace and cruised into the lead on the bridle before drawing clear inside the final furlong to win by 11 lengths, posting the widest winning margin distance in the race’s history. Injury robbed Harbinger of the chance to back up that effort, but there’s no doubt his performance at Ascot was one of outstanding merit.

136 Battaash

Battaash may be less consistent than most top-class horses but he is still a horse of rare ability, one who possesses the ability to produce scintillating displays of speed when he brings his A-game. He had already proved his credentials at the highest level in 2017, when bolting up in the Prix de l’Abbaye, but he produced his career-defining moment in the latest season’s Nunthorpe. Questions had been asked of Battaash’s effectiveness at York following two disappointments in the Nunthorpe, but he silenced the doubters, and attracted plenty of new fans, with a magnificent display, shattering the clock and Dayjur’s long-standing record.

Wow! 🏇💨@Timeform's highest-rated horse in Europe BATTAASH absolutely blows them away in the @coolmorestud Nunthorpe Stakes at @yorkracecourse under @JimCrowley1978, setting a new course record in the process!

📽️ @itvracing pic.twitter.com/rXuuCVtUg9

— Timeform Live (@TimeformLive) August 23, 2019

136 Cracksman

Just as his father, Frankel, had done towards the start of the decade, Cracksman lit up Champions Day with a couple of outstanding performances. His victory in the 2017 Champion Stakes represented a breakthrough at Group 1 level, and he could hardly have been more impressive, staying on powerfully on soft ground to win by seven lengths. His campaign the following season did not run smoothly, but four months on from a disappointing defeat at Royal Ascot he posted a second wide-margin win in the Champion Stakes, once again proving relentlessly strong inside the final furlong.

Like father, like son!

Watch Frankel and Cracksman strut their stuff to win the QIPCO Champion Stakes.

Save up to 45% on Champions Day early bird tickets before the deadline at midnight on Monday 1 July. pic.twitter.com/7UJB3Un2Qj

— Ascot Racecourse (@Ascot) June 30, 2019

135 Cirrus des Aigles

Cirrus des Aigles racked up 22 victories during a long and distinguished career, including seven at the highest level, but his best performance came in defeat, when chasing home Frankel in the 2012 Champion Stakes. Heavy ground and a stiff ten furlongs at Ascot was perfect for Cirrus des Aigles and he ran the race of his life, getting closer to Frankel than any other horse that season. Cirrus des Aigles was an ever-present in top-level contests for the first half of the decade and even won a Group 1 at the age of nine in 2015.