The GOAT (Greatest of all time)!

September 28th 1996 is the day that Frankie Dettori wrote himself into the record books and into horse racing history. He achieved something that no other jockey in England had ever done before. He “went through the card’ winning all seven races at Ascot. This achievement went down in racing folklore as the “Magnificent Seven” and catapulted Dettori from a household name into racing’s global superstar! The horses that made that such a momentous day were: Race 1:. Wall Street 2/1 Race 2:. Diffident 12/1 Race 3:. Mark of Esteem 100/30 Race 4:. Decorated Hero 7/1 Race 5:. Fatefully 7/4 Race 6:. Lochangel 5/4 Race 7:. Fujiyama Crest 2/1 (The finishes to all of the races can be seen in the video that accompanies this article.) Those results at combined odds of 25,095/1 cost the betting industry in excess of £40 million. They made one punter an overnight millionaire and sent one bookmaker into bankruptcy. Dettori's feat is unmatched to this day and topped the previous best on six-race cards set by Sir Gordon Richards at Chepstow in 1933 and Alec Russell at Bogside in 1957. For this reason, it is undisputable that this was the greatest of them all – ever!

"You need a telescope to see the rest!" were the immortal words of Radio 2 commentator Peter Bromley, and how right he was. Shergar was trained by Michael Stoute and owned by the Aga Khan. Ridden by 19 year old Walter Swinburn, who went off as the odds on 10/11 favourite. He stormed to victory by 10 lengths going away and was easing down at the post. It was the biggest winning margin ever in Derby history, a record that still survives to this day. I remember watching the race on TV as a teenager and being astounded by how effortlessly he took the lead as they came round Tattenham Corner and just kept on going further and further away. It was a remarkable race won by a remarkable horse, ridden by a remarkable jockey. For me, the best winner of the Derby- ever!

They say they never come back... Oh yes, they do! Sprinter Sacre delivered one of the most remarkable comebacks that Cheltenham has ever seen in the 2016 Queen Mother Champion Chase. Trained by Nicky Henderson and ridden by Nico de Boinville, he returned from three years in the wilderness in dramatic style. He defeated the 4/6 odds on favourite Un De Sceaux, by three-and-a-half lengths. Despite a poor jump at the third last and stumbling as he came around the home turn, he swept to the lead at the second last fence and came home up the hill to the greatest reception from the Cheltenham crowd I have ever witnessed. It genuinely, made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. It was a privilege to be there that day and watch a true champion regain his crown. One of the greatest Cheltenham wins - ever!

I am old enough to have watched the most extraordinary Grand National of them all: When Red Rum got up by a nose to defeat Crisp in the 1973 running of this epic race. After the first circuit, Crisp was at least 20 lengths in front and travelling strongly. All he had to do to win was stay on his feet. He was so far ahead, that nothing could catch him. Or so I thought... Even as he approached the second last fence, with Red Rum in hot pursuit, the race was won. Then he "hit the wall". Crisp had given his all, and stride, by stride Red Rum was wearing him down. He jumped the last and started up the elbow. His jockey, Richard Pitman, gave him a reminder, but Crisp could give no more and shied away. As the winning post loomed, Red Rum finally collared him two strides from home, and went past him to get up and win the race carrying 24Ibs less than Crisp. Both horses smashing the track record. It's heart breaking for me to watch the race, even today. Crisp ran the perfect race, all of the way until the last 494 yards, and went down in history for all of the wrong reasons. The irony is that if he had held on for the win, He'd more than likely be remembered far less than he is now. For me this, was the greatest Grand National - ever!

“Here comes Lammtarra from the gods”… six words that made Mr Shrewdy a very happy man and The Doctor seriously displeased. Lammtarra was the first horse by a Derby winner (Nijinsky) and out of an Oaks winner (Snow Bride) to win the Epsom Derby. And boy, did he do it in some style! Ridden by Walter Swinburn, he flew home from absolutely nowhere, to get up and beat Tamure ridden by Frankie Dettori by a length. He also did it, creating a new course record of 2m 32.31s beating the previous record that had been in place for 58 years and in a field that contained five unbeaten runners. That new record time stood for another 16 years. It was also the manner of his win that made it absolutely sensational. At the top of the straight, Lammtarra was some 7 lengths behind the leader. Less than a furlong from home, he was in 5th place, and in the last 100 yards, he came from the gods… Lammtarra was also the first horse ever to win the Derby on his seasonal debut, which at the time was unheard of. He had only one previous run as a 2yo, winning the Washington Singer Stakes at Newbury in the August of 1994. He proved his greatness by going on to win the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes at Ascot and then the Prix de L’arc de Triomphe in Paris in the same year. Lammtarra retired unbeaten in all of his four starts and went to stud at the end of the season. On Derby day, Lammtarra went off at 14/1 and Tamure at 9/1. Mr Shrewdy had backed Lammtarra, and The Doctor had made more than a sizable investment on Tamure and was counting the money a furlong out. But that's why he's called Mr Shrewdy...… Add it all up, and it is one of the greatest Epsom Derby wins – ever!

Do you have a GOAT (Greatest Of All Time)? If so, then drop us a line and let us know, and tell us why you think so. We might just publish it here on the UK's leading racecourse review website: Racecourse Advisor.