Top 100 Horses to Watch in 2018

As the year comes to a close, it’s time to focus on 2018. The start of a new year always means that the Kentucky Derby trail is ready to heat up, but several solid horses are also set to return in the older male and female divisions, too.

The Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Gun Runner is set to return in 2018, though only for one race: the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup, the first major event of the racing season. After the Pegasus, Gun Runner will retire to stud, but a host of other horses will just be getting started. The Bob Baffert barn will feature two horses in the race: West Coast and Collected. West Coast will be the 3-Year Old Horse of the Year for 2017 and should get even better at the age of 4. Collected is most likely to be runner-up for Horse of the Year after finishing second in the Breeders’ Cup Classic to Gun Runner.

Another horse of note coming back for 2018 is Forever Unbridled. An undefeated three-for-three in 2017, her final win came in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. The mare was rumored to be making a start in the Pegasus World Cup against the boys, but her connections ultimately opted out of it. Instead, the Grade 1 Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park could be her first target for 2018.

With all of that being said, when January rolls around, the 3-year-olds will take center stage leading up to the first Saturday in May, and the crop looks very strong. The headliners going into 2018 are Good Magic, Bolt d’Oro, and Solomini. Good Magic won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile over the other two mentioned, but Bolt d’Oro was stellar in 2017 with a pair of Grade 1 victories. Solomini ran second in two Grade 1 races before “winning” the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Futurity to end the year (he was ultimately disqualified and placed third for a questionable interference call). There are also several lightly-raced prospects waiting their turns to prove that they can take down the already-established horses. When some of these horses start to clash, it will be MUST-WATCH racing!

Hype is what the game is built on and what makes it great. You better believe that we are ready for 2018! Below, we are hyping the top 100 horses for 2018. Whether you use this list for your fantasy horse racing drafts or are just excited and want to get a head start on the new year, here’s a ranking of the top 100 horses that we believe will make a big impact in 2018.

1. West Coast

2. Good Magic

3. Bolt d’Oro

4. Forever Unbridled

5. Unique Bella

6. Collected

7. Solomini

8. McKinzie

9. Paradise Woods

10. Gun Runner (NOTE: he would be #1, but he’s expected to only run once in 2018)

11. Principe Guilherme

12. World Approval

13. Catholic Boy

14. Instilled Regard

15. Abel Tasman

16. Rushing Fall

17. Mo Town

18. Greyvitos

19. Separationofpowers

20. Copper Bullet

21. Dak Attack

22. Montauk

23. Elate

24. Road to Victory

25. Sharp Azteca

26. Diversify

27. Monomoy Girl

28. Untamed Domain

29. Oscar Performance

30. Caledonia Road

31. Alluring Star

32. Dream Tree

33. Sporting Chance

34. Seeking the Soul

35. Vale Dori

36. Restoring Hope

37. It Tiz Well

38. Free Drop Billy

39. Roy H

40. Mask

41. Mind Your Biscuits

42. Beach Patrol

43. Imperial Hint

44. Moonshine Memories

45. Noble Indy

46. Navistar

47. Engage

48. Wonder Gadot

49. Mendelssohn

50. Zulfikhar

51. Tiz Mischief

52. Marconi

53. Blonde Bomber

54. Enticed

55. Avery Island

56. Vision

57. Hollywood Star

58. Good Samaritan

59. City of Light

60. Bowies Hero

61. Salty

62. Stallwalkin’ Dude

63. Mourinho

64. Combatant

65. Fly So High

66. Curlin’s Honor

67. Vino Rosso

68. Nero

69. Miss Mo Mentum

70. Cambodia

71. Sharp Samurai

72. Daddys Lil Darling

73. Patrona Margarita

74. Cool Bobby

75. Giant Expectations

76. Big Score

77. Accelerate

78. Mis Mischief

79. Transgress

80. Favorable Outcome

81. Mubtaahij

82. Lewis Bay

83. Money’soncharlotte

84. Miss Sky Warrior

85. Takaful

86. Valadorna

87. Mopotism

88. Pavel

89. Rubilinda

90. Cosmic Burst

91. Curlin’s Approval

92. Kroy

93. Beasley

94. Om

95. Edwards Going Left

96. Analyze It

97. On Leave

98. Faithfully

99. X Y Jet

100. New York Hero