The winning streak

Fortunately the author explained how he came to make the choices for this book in his column here (29 September), because otherwise your reviewer might have wasted words in debating the criteria for inclusion. These are the 100 of the top racehorses that Robin Oakley admires the most and which he thinks are particularly popular.

I will not argue the merits of what he has included, nor suggest horses which he should have made room for, but I must comment on the way the little histories are presented, and the disappointing errors. Clearly this book is written for aficionados, employing racing jargon without much explanation — ‘jamstick’, ‘a nursery stakes’, ‘only the size of a pony’. When referring to small thoroughbreds, Oakley hardly ever says how small they actually are, and the difference between a Group 1 race and a Grade 1 race is not explained.

This is fine for those in the know, but for a non-racing person it’s all pretty unintelligible. Even worse, the ‘highlight’ races won by each horse do not have their distances added, a huge disadvantage when assessing the versatility of the individual.

This compilation is a list of high-achieving horses, but it is a great pity that the author, who knows so much about racing and often has an interesting view of the sport, does not investigate some issues a little further.  For instance, he tells us how pleased Sheikh Mohammad was with his experiment in taking Balanchine to Dubai for the 1993-4 winter before her successful English Classic campaign, and he reminds us that Vincent O’Brien had sent Sir Ivor to Pisa for the winter of 1967-8 for the same reason. But we hear no more about this wintering in the sun: if it worked for these two champions, why don’t all Classic prospects leave these shores for the sun every year?

In the essay on Roberto we read how Lester Piggott’s remorseless use of the whip gave him a Derby winner; but there is no follow-up to consider how public opinion has forced the racing authorities to change the whip rules over the years.