Which was the most prolific horse ever?

The history of horse racing, worldwide, is awash with horses who remained undefeated throughout their careers. Familiar names in that category include Black Caviar, in Australia, Eclipse, Ribot and, most recently, Frankel, in Britain and Peppers Pride, in the United States. However, the Puerto Rican-bred Camero, who retired unbeaten after 56 starts in the 1950s, and the Hungarian-bred Kincsem, who did likewise after 54 starts, including the Goodwood Cup, in the 1870s, lie first and second in the all-time list.

However, even those luminaries of the sport cannot hold a candle to the most prolific horse in history, in terms of outright wins. That horse was another Puerto Rican-bred, Galgo Jr., who shared ancestery with the great Man O’War, but had an otherwise unremarkable pedigree and was campaigned at a lowly level, in his native land, for six seasons between 1931 and 1936. Nevertheless, Galgo Jr. finished his career with a record of 158-137-18-1, including an unbeaten three-year-old campaign during which, unthinkably by modern standards, he won 39 races in a row. Of course, there are always exceptions, but few modern racehorses run in, never mind win, 137 races – in fact, they make less than 30 career starts, on average – so Galgo Jr. holds a record that is unlikely to be beaten.