PDQ, you make good points here. I think when you can actually see a horse in action, it adds to their "aura" of overall greatness more than when you just hear what old-timers say or look at archival pics or bad b&w video. I truly wish I could've witnessed Niatross' performances so I could gather more of an impression than through video, stories & other second-hand material...

SBSW was a monster... To see him in action & hear the whole grandstand come alive with cheers, that was something contemporary that I can relate to first-hand.

Re Dan Patch: I still have to buy Crazy Good, but I also think he would've been amazing to see at the time... His speed was augmented by some things we now rarely if ever see, like windscreens & also galloping tbred prompters, not to mention that covered indoor track must have made a difference... Yet I still think if Dan Patch, Niatross & other past greats were around now, people would have so many other fast horses to compare them with, it would be hard to say what one's impression of them would be. Their greatness was so obvious at the time because of their superiority within their generation.