How much does personality play in winners? Are there "Alphas" in horse racing?

"Big Red" had career winnings of $1,317,000 US. That was in the 1970s when a million US actually meant something. What kind of career winnings does a ten race three year old have in comparison of dollar to dollar with other great thoroughbreds?

He was a handful, too. He wanted to run. He was an athlete. Oddly enough he was never in a hurry to make it to the finish line. That BULK of a body started out of the gate slow, but, once that heart and lungs pushed the legs moving to his maximum stride, there was no catching him.

I never did a study of sincerely great thoroughbreds and how many came from the back of the pack to win. I think great thoroughbreds not only like to run, but, thrive on the competition. Secretariat had many other thoroughbreds to pass in any given race. It isn't as though he went to the front of the pack and fended off contenders. If you ask me I think he was an Alpha.

He made an impression on the USA. There was nothing ordinary about him.

This is from Wiki:

On October 16, 1999, in the winner's circle at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, the U.S. Postal Service honored Secretariat, unveiling a 33-cent postage stamp with his image. ESPN listed him 35th of the 100 greatest North American athletes of the 20th century, the highest of three non-humans on the list (the other two were also racehorses: Man o' War at 84th and Citation at 97th). Secretariat was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1974, the year following his Triple Crown. In 2005, he appeared in ESPN Classic's show "Who's No. 1?". In the list of "Greatest Sports Performances" (by individual athletes), the horse was the only nonhuman on the list, with his run at Belmont ranking second behind Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game. On May 2, 2007, Secretariat was inducted into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame, marking the first time an animal received this honor. A new award created in 2010 titled the Secretariat Vox Populi Award (voice of the people) was presented by Penny Chenery to the first honoree, Zenyatta. This annual award will acknowledge the horse that brings the most excitement and attraction to the sport.

Secretariat, a Disney live-action film written by Mike Rich and directed by Randall Wallace, was released on October 8, 2010

I finished my coffee, "Outta here."