The best winning streaks in horse racing history

This weekend sees the return of the superstar mare Winx to competitive racing.

The Chris Waller trained mare is chasing a 14th straight win in the Group Two Apollo Stakes. If she was not considered one of the greatest horses in the history of Australian racing, extending the winning streak throughout 2017 will go a long way to solidifying its legacy as one of the best we have ever seen.

Winning streaks are nothing new in competitive racing however.

Throughout the years we have seen a number of stellar gallopers sweep aside their rivals to cement their place in the annals of racing history.

We took a look at some of the best winning streaks in thoroughbred history from Australia, England and America to get you in the mood for what should be a successful return to the track for the superstar that is Winx.

The Australian darling of thoroughbred racing – Black Caviar

No list would be complete without the Peter Moody-trained mare Black Caviar.

Regarded as one of the best sprinters of all-time, Black Caviar won an incredible 25 races across its glittering career – never tasting defeat on a professional racecourse.

For a horse that won 15 group one races it is almost unfair to pick out a win that stands out above the rest but the 2012 Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Ascot in England is the highlight for us.

Battling sickness and a peculiarly bad ride from regular hoop Luke Nolen, Black Caviar conquered the best horses in the world after finding the post first in a photo finish when it had every excuse in the book to yield under the pressure.

The Cav is truly one of a kind.

Winning streak: 25

The English sledgehammer that was Frankel

Frankel may not be a name that is in the Australian horse racing vernacular as much as Black Caviar, but the stallion’s record is just as imposing.

Across its 14 race career, Frankel remained undefeated – which included a world record nine straight group one victories.

To pick out a standout performance for Frankel would be unfair on the great one, but the performance in the 2000 Guineas has been described by UK pundits as “one of the greatest displays on a British racecourse”.

For a horse that is rated as having a worth in excess of $100 million, who are we to argue?

Winning streak: 14

American fast-finishing machine Zenyatta

If Frankel and Black Caviar are the dynamic duo of thoroughbred racing, then surely American machine Zenyatta rounds out the holy trinity.

The winner of 19-consecutive races in its 20 race career, Zenyatta has a multitude of accolades throughout its sparkling career, including being named the American horse of the year in 2010, as well as a 2016 induction into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.

Known for its blistering speed in the latter stages of a race, Zenyatta lost just once in its career, the very last start and it only went down by a short head.

Picking out a career-best performance is like asking a child to pick out their favourite piece of candy from a store but when the great one came to the outside to swallow its rivals from dead last in the 2009 Breeders Classic, we still get a tingling down the spine.

When it comes to the very best horses, few can match the American maestro.

Winning streak: 19