The Top 10 First-Place Finishers to Ever Race the Kentucky Derby

For 150 consecutive years, 3-year-old Thoroughbred horses, their owners and trainers, and spectators from near and far have gathered at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, to watch the “greatest two minutes in sports.” Held on the first Saturday in May, the Kentucky Derby is the first race in the Triple Crown series of horse races. Its traditions such as sipping on the derby’s traditional drink, a mint julep, or the playing of the “Call to the Post” to welcome the horses to the track are as well known—perhaps even more so—than the horses who’ve won the 10 furlongs (or 1-1/4 mile or 2,012 meters).

The derby’s first-place winners (and many of its finishers) are some of the fastest horses on the planet, running at speeds often exceeding 37 miles per hour to the winner’s circle. And, in one case, the no. 2 horse ran fast enough to make him one of the fastest ever, but he was still edged out by that year’s winner, Secretariat, who bested him by 400 milliseconds, 4 tenths of a second, or 2/5th of a second. The derby is won and lost by milliseconds, and 1,972 milliseconds separate the 10th fastest winner on this list from the Kentucky Derby’s fastest finisher.

Without further ado, let’s look at the 10 fastest times to ever win the Kentucky Derby.

# 10. Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000. Time: 2:01.12

Though this horse comes in at no. 10 on this list, Fusaichi Pegasus was no slouch in the racing department, and he demonstrated that by being one of the fastest horses to ever race the Kentucky Derby and the first favorite to actually win the race since 1979. In 2000, this horse beat out second-place finisher Aptitude by a leg and a half to be blanketed in roses. Japanese businessman Fusao Sekiguchi purchased this horse as a yearling for $4 million, which became the highest price paid for a Derby-winning horse at the time. Of course, no one knew his exact potential at the time. In time, however, Fusaichi demonstrated he was worth it. After the 2000 season, he was reportedly sold for more than $70 million to breeder Coolmore Stud.

#9 Mandaloun in 2021. Time: 2:01.02 | Medina Spirit. Time: 2:01.02

A controversy overshadows the 147th running of the Kentucky Derby. Medina Spirit crossed the finish line first with a time of 2:01.02, one of the fastest on record. It would have been the seventh win for his trainer Bob Baffert and the fourth for his jockey, John Velasquez; however, post-race drug testing revealed that the horse tested positive for betamethasone, a steroid. Following an investigation, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission disqualified Medina Spirit in February 2022, but he never knew it because he died after a workout at Santa Anita Park three months earlier. Second-place finisher, Mandaloun, was crowned the winner of the 147th Kentucky Derby with a time of 2:01.02, carving out a spot in the top 10 fastest finishes. He was retired from racing in September 2022.

#8. Grindstone in 1996. Time: 2:01.06

Grindstone had several shining moments in his short career as he won three of his six starts under the incredible leadership of trainer Darrell Wayne Lukas. His final, however, was at the 1996 Kentucky Derby. He crossed the finish line with a time of 2:01.06 and was retired before the roses blanketed over him had a chance to wilt. Five days after his win, a bone chip was discovered in his knee, making him the first horse since 1926 to retire almost immediately after edging out a victory over 7-2 favorite Unbridled’s Song. Grindstone’s trainer is one of a handful of trainers who has won the derby in back-to-back years, 1995 and 1996, although those are not his only wins. Grindstone also gave jockey Jerry Bailey his second derby win.

#7. Authentic in 2020. Time: 2:00:61

COVID-19 threatened to put a downer on Churchill Downs, but the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby did happen, albeit a few months later, the first time since 1945 the race was not held in May. On September 5, 2020, a masked crowd watched as Authentic won with a time of 2:00:61. Authentic narrowly squeaked by, beating the second-place finisher by 1-1/4 lengths, and he gave jockey John Velazquez his third Derby win. This win also tied the record for the most derby wins—six—by a trainer with six wins. Trainer Bob Baffert and Authentic went on to the Breeders’ Cup Classic and set a track record for the event with a time of 1:59.60.

#6. Proud Clarion in 1967. Time: 2:00.60

Had 1996’s Authentic and 1967’s Proud Clarion competed together, who knows if anyone or anything could have identified the winner since 1 millisecond separates their race times. However, in 1967, Proud Clarion stepped onto the track with 30:1 odds. In the races before the derby, Proud Clarion hadn’t shown much of his pedigree. His sire Hail to Reason, for example, won seven stakes races in a year and was named the U.S. Champion Two-Year-Old Colt in 1960. Proud Clarion’s moment to shine came at the 93rd running of the Kentucky Derby. His jockey made a move coming to the 1-mile marker where he bolted between two favorites to win before chasing down the front runner to win by a length with, at that time, the third fastest score in the derby’s history, 2:00.60.

#5. Decidedly in 1962. Time: 2:00.40

Decidedly was a decidedly fast horse. His time at the 88th Kentucky Derby in 1962, 2:00.40, set a course record (broken two years later). Trainer Horatio Luro and jockey Bill Hartack helped guide this horse to victory at Churchill Downs, and Decidedly returned the favor by giving Luro his first Kentucky Derby win and Hartack his third of five wins. While he failed to place in either the Preakness or Belmont stakes, the second and third races in the Triple Crown, Decidedly had a career that would be the envy of his stable mates. He competed in 43 races, finishing first 11 times, second nine times, and third four times. In the 150 years of the running of the Kentucky Derby, there have only eight gray horses to ever win the big event. Decidedly was one of them.

#4. Spend a Buck in 1985. Time: 2:00.20

Spend a Buck and earn, um, $4.2 million over the course of a 2-year career. The 1985 winner of the 111th running of the Kentucky Derby, Spend a Buck, beat second-place finisher by 5-3/4 lengths with a time of 2:00.20. This was trainer Cam Gambolati’s first attempt at a derby win. Before the start of the 1985 racing season, the owner of the Garden State Park Racetrack in New Jersey offered a bonus to the horse that won two April preparatory races at the track (Cherry Hill Miles Stakes and the Garden State Stakes), which Spend a Buck had won; the Kentucky Derby, which Spend a Buck had just won; and the Jersey Derby, a race that would take place three weeks later on May 27. So, with three of the four races in the bag, Spend a Buck’s owner chose to skip the Preakness and Belmont stakes in hopes of winning a larger (financial) prize. At the Jersey Derby, Spend a Buck beat eventual Belmont winner Creme Fraiche by a neck to earn the $2.6 million purse. Spend a Buck raced 15 times and retired with a record of 10-3-2 (first, second, third place).

#3. Northern Dancer in 1964. Time: 2:00.00

They say lightning never strikes twice. Well, it did for trainer Horatio Luro and jockey Bill Hartack. The duo behind Decidedly’s 1962 Kentucky Derby win and course record won again in 1964, setting a new course record, too. The first Canadian-born Thoroughbred to win the Kentucky Derby, Northern Dancer, won by a neck with a time of 2:00.00. He then raced to victory at the Preakness Stakes but placed third at the Belmont Stakes. Don’t feel bad for this colt, though. In 18 starts, he placed first 14 times and second and third twice each, and once retired, he went on to have one of the most successful breeding careers.

#2. Monarchos in 2001. Time: 1:59.97

Born and bred in Kentucky, Monarchos won the 127th running of the Kentucky Derby in spectacular fashion. The gray colt fell to 13th place, despite a solid start, but he fought his way back. At the top of the final stretch, his jockey Jorge Chavez signaled that it was time to make their move. They did, winning by 4-3/4 lengths in front of second-place finisher Invisible Ink. This race was incredibly fast. The opening half mile was the fastest in derby history at 00:44.86 by the early leader, Songandaprayer. Monarchos’ time was the second-fastest winning time and the third-fastest time ever, behind no. 1’s second-place finisher, Sham.

#1 Secretariat in 1973. Time: 1:59.40

The list of accomplishments for the 1973 winner of the Kentucky Derby is long and distinguished. After a 25-year drought, Secretariat became the ninth winner of the Triple Crown, not only winning all three races but also setting course records that still stand today. In fact, his race at the Belmont Stakes is considered the greatest horse race ever run; Secretariat won by 31 lengths. In Churchill Downs’ history, only three horses have bested the 2-minute mark, and two of those were done during the 1973 derby. Second-place finisher Sham finished is 1:59-4/5; his time converted to hundredths is estimated to be between 1:59.74 and 1:59.93. Secretariat came from the middle of the pack during the last stretch to overtake Sham by 2-1/2 lengths and win with a time of 1:59.40 or 1:59-2/5. Secretariat’s trainer Lucien Laurin is one of a few trainers to have one of his horses win back-to-back derbies, 1972 and 1973. Physically, Secretariat was noted for having near-perfect conformation and biomechanics. His large chest required a custom-made girth, and his large, powerful hindquarters propelled him to victory 16 times in 21 starts.

Summary of the Kentucky Derby’s 10 Fastest First-Place Finishes