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Who is the greatest Kentucky Derby winning horse of all time?

By YPB Team

The Run for the Roses has crowned some of history's most legendary racehorses. From Triple Crown winners to shocking longshots, which Kentucky Derby champion stands above the rest?

  1. Secretariat — ranked #11
    Secretariat
    The 1973 Triple Crown winner who set a still-standing Derby record time of 1:59.4, winning by 31 lengths.
  2. Seattle Slew — ranked #22
    Seattle Slew
    The 1977 Triple Crown winner who remains the only horse to win the Triple Crown while undefeated going in.
  3. Affirmed — ranked #33
    Affirmed
    The 1978 Triple Crown winner who fought one of racing's greatest rivalries against Alydar in all three classics.
  4. American Pharoah — ranked #44
    American Pharoah
    The 2015 Triple Crown winner who ended a 37-year drought to become racing's most beloved modern champion.
  5. Justify — ranked #55
    Justify
    The 2018 Triple Crown winner who became the first undefeated Triple Crown winner since Seattle Slew.
  6. Northern Dancer — ranked #66
    Northern Dancer
    The 1964 Derby winner who set a near-record time and became the most influential sire in thoroughbred history.
  7. Sir Barton — ranked #77
    Sir Barton
    The 1919 winner who became the very first Triple Crown champion, establishing the three-race tradition.
  8. Whirlaway — ranked #88
    Whirlaway
    The 1941 Triple Crown winner who won the Derby in record time, famous for his sweeping turns wide.
  9. Gallant Fox — ranked #99
    Gallant Fox
    The 1930 winner who became the second Triple Crown champion under legendary trainer Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons.
  10. Spectacular Bid — ranked #1010
    Spectacular Bid
    The 1979 Derby winner who won 26 of 30 career starts and is considered one of the greatest racehorses who narrowly missed the Triple Crown.
  11. Genuine Risk — ranked #1111
    Genuine Risk
    The 1980 winner who was only the second filly in Derby history to win, triumphing at 13-1 odds.
  12. Rich Strike — ranked #1212
    Rich Strike
    The 2022 longshot winner who pulled off the second-biggest upset in Derby history at 80-1 odds.
  13. Sunday Silence — ranked #1313
    Sunday Silence
    The 1989 Derby winner who won the first two legs of the Triple Crown in a legendary rivalry with Easy Goer.
  14. Mystik Dan — ranked #1414
    Mystik Dan
    The 2024 Derby winner who won by a nose in one of the closest finishes in race history at 18-1 odds.

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Comments

Fourteen Derby winners on one ballot, and the two fastest runnings of the race came nine years apart: https://youpick.best/articles/secretariat-ranked-many-ways

YP
ypb-team
·Aug 25·
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