Five Fastest Horses In the Kentucky Derby History

The Kentucky Derby horse racing event has been around for quite some time, and we’ve had some exciting moments over the years. Like how it is possible to bet on Kentucky Derby odds for many years, we’ve been enjoying the incredible competition in the events. There are many exciting parts of its history we can choose from as it stands.

In this case, we are looking at the fastest horses in Kentucky Derby history. We’ve heard stories and rumors about the best horses in the tournament’s history. But which horses have produced top speeds during the races that we can check out. In that case, here are the five fastest horses we’ve seen at Churchill Downs.

Secretariat – 1973

The Secretariat is one of the greatest horses to enter the Kentucky Derby tournament. The horse successfully smashed the Derby record in 1973, and its 1:59.40 time record still stands today, showing its incredible prowess and how fast it was. Undoubtedly, it beat even experts’ imagination at the 1973 races.

At first, they thought the horse was unable to win the Derby, given that it finished third in the Wood Memorial Stakes. However, it shattered all expectations at Churchill Downs, and it remains one of the fastest horses ever to enter the Kentucky Derby competition. 

Monarchos – 2001

It was a great feat to have a horse named Monarchos produce a regal performance to win the 2001 Kentucky Derby racing event. It broke the 2-minute mark to take home the championship. Its victory didn’t come as a shock since it incredibly won the Florida Derby two months earlier.

The horse showed true grit in the 2001 Kentucky Derby, where it went from 13th to go up to first position smoothly in an impressive time of 1:59.97. There is no doubt that this horse will make it into the hall of fame and will continue to remain one of the fastest horses of all time.

Northern Dancer -1964

The 1964 Kentucky Derby winner is one of the most prestigious horses ever to enter the tournament. The Canadian sire comes from an excellent bloodline, and it made waves when it won in a clean 2:00.00 fashion in 1964. The horse was tagged the fastest until its record was broken in 1973 by the great Secretariat.

However, the Northern Dancer remains one of the best horses to grace the competition, and it is one top sire of the 20th century. It is also the father of the incredible Nijinsky, who won the English Triple crown in 1970. 

Spend a Buck – 1985

Spend a Buck gave an astonishing performance at Churchill Downs on a beautiful day, where it led from start to finish. The Cam Gambolati-trained horse took a distance of five lengths from the competing horse, with the gap increasing as it got close to the winning post.

The horse almost broke the 2-minute mark, and even though it didn’t break any of the old records, the horse gave a show that everyone at the race said was magnificent. It is one of the greatest winning performances that we’ve not seen plenty of times at Churchill Downs.  

Decidedly – 1962

The horse sired by one of the top racers in the Kentucky Dery competition is another one on our list. Decidedly is a lovely gray horse that took the Run for the Roses when J. F. Kennedy was POTUS. It was sired by Determine, winner of the 1954 Kentucky Derby tournament. And in 1962, Decidedly won the race in a grand fashion.

The horse won in record time, only broken by the Northern Dancer in 1964. However, Decidedly remains one of the fastest horses in the competition’s history.

Bottom Line

We’ve had many horses grace the Kentucky Derby, and we believe that there is more to come. However, as we wait for another horse to break the Secretariat’s record, we can enjoy incredible winning moments at Churchill Downs. With this year’s event getting closer, we expect to see some good moments, and if it’s possible, maybe we’ll have a new fastest record.