The stars of the Flat racing scene carve their names into racing folklore with mesmerising displays on some of the most fabled pieces of turf in the sport.
The true greats will be recalled forever in the annals of the sport of king and we've compiled our Top 10 Flat Horses of All-Time below.
10. Mill Reef
Mill Reef was the star of the early 1970s, trained by Ian Balding. He won the Coventry Stakes, the Gimcrack and the Dewhurst as a two-year-old and added the Epsom Derby, the Eclipse, the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes and a Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in 1971.
All in all, he won 12 of his 14 career starts and took the runner-up spots in the other two.
9. Montjeu
Out of the great sire Sadler's Wells, Montjeu was an early star for Michael Tabor as he won the French and Irish Derby's in 1999 and went on to add the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe that same season.
A Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh in 2000 preceded his high summer success in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot and, after retiring, he went on to enjoy a stellar career as a sire.
8. Battaash
There was nothing quite like seeing the speedball that was Battaash in full flight as the Charles Hills-trained sprinter shone brightly for owner Hamdan Al Maktoum in a decorated career.
He won the King's Stand at Royal Ascot, two Nunthorpe's at York and made Glorious Goodwood his very own playground with four wins in the King George Qatar Stakes. He really was ‘blink and you'll miss it’ stuff.
7. Zenyatta
Great horses on the Flat don't always hang around long, owing to breeding desires, but the mare Zenyatta raced for four full seasons at the top.
She would win 19 of her 20 career starts for trainer John Shirreffs and it was at the Breeders' Cup where she made world headlines, winning the Classic in 2009 as she flew home late in her customary style.
Her only defeat came on her final start and was a luckless effort in the 2010 Breeders' Cup Classic as she came storming home from a hopeless spot to be denied in a head-bobber.
6. Nijinsky
No horse since Nijinsky in 1970 has managed to complete Britain's Triple Crown – the Guineas at Newmarket, the Derby/Oaks at Epsom and the St Leger at Doncaster.
Trained in Ireland by the great Vincent O'Brien, Nijinsky was Europe's top 2YO in 1969 and became a legend in his Classic season.
5. American Pharaoh
American Pharaoh was a superstar for trainer Bob Baffert, becoming the 12th US Triple Crown winner in history in 2012 following his wins in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes.
He would add the Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland later the same season to cement his status and is one of just two Triple Crown winners since 1978.
4. Yeats
A true staying great, Yeats won the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot four years in succession for trainer Aidan O'Brien from 2006 onwards and he remains as the only horse in history to achieve that feat.
The Ballydoyle supremo later suggested there were various stages in his career when retirement was a possibility but that his Coolmore owners simply loved to see him doing what he did best.
3. Brigadier Gerard
The champion juvenile of 1970, Brigadier Gerard defeated the brilliant Mill Reef and My Swallow in the 1970 Guineas at Newmarket that is still recalled as one of the greatest renewals of the Rowley Mile Classic.
The Dick Hern-trained star would add wins in iconic races like the St James's Palace Stakes, the Sussex Stakes, QEII Stakes and the Champion Stakes in 1971 and the Prince Of Wales's Stakes, Eclipse and the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes a year later. He retired the winner of 17 races in 18 starts.
2. Sea The Stars
For many, he was the complete racehorse and Sea The Stars' place on this list is undisputed.
The John Oxx-trained runner enjoyed a breathtaking 3YO season as he won the Guineas at Newmarket, the Derby at Epsom, Sandown's Eclipse, the Juddmonte International at York and the Irish Champion Stakes – before rounding off with an Arc win in Paris as he became the first to win that race following those two English Classics.
1. Frankel
The master. Sir Henry Cecil's outstanding performer enjoyed three full seasons and won every one of his 14 career starts.
He excelled as a miler, winning Newmarket's Guineas before Royal Ascot and Glorious Goodwood wins in 2011 and a QEII on Champions Day.
The following year he added five more Group 1 wins, including a second Royal Ascot win and he even stepped up in trip to win the Juddmonte International at York and the Champion Stakes at Ascot – the latter despite fears over the rain-softened ground.
Frankel didn't typically just beat the opposition, he loved to thrash them and he is the greatest Flat horse of them all. His progeny are now thriving as he continues his career at stud.
