Horse racing’s most prestigious event, the Kentucky Derby, will be run for the 145th time on Saturday, May 4. The Derby is one of the great sporting events in America, drawing 150,000 fans to Churchill Downs Racetrack each year. It is also one of the best things about the state of Kentucky. By the early evening, horse racing fans will know if the winner of the annual Run for the Roses is among the fastest horses ever to cross the finish line.

To identify the 50 fastest horses in Kentucky Derby history, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the list of Kentucky Derby winners since the race began in 1875.

The 3-year-olds will take aim at the Derby speed record set by the legendary Secretariat, who covered the 10 furlongs in 1:59.40 in 1973. Monarchos, the winner of the 2001 Kentucky Derby, is the only other horse to win the race in less than 2 minutes.

Of the 13 Triple Crown winners, only four are among the fastest Derby-winning horses ever: Whirlaway (1941), Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977), and Affirmed (1978). Last year’s Derby winner Justify, who would go on to win the 2018 Triple Crown, won the Derby in 2:04.20, the slowest time in eight years. As Triple Crown winners, these horses all became among the most iconic to ever run in the Derby.

To identify the 50 fastest horses in Kentucky Derby history, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the list of Kentucky Derby winners since its inception in 1875. We ranked the finish times of the winning horses from 1875 to 2018. The horses that appear on this list have completed the course in 2:02.75 or less. The Derby track was shortened in 1896 to 1.25 miles from 1.50 miles because the original distance was considered too long for 3-year-olds.

Rank	Year	Winner	TIME
50	2005	Giacomo	02:02.75
49	2009	Mine That Bird	02:02.66
48	1951	Count Turf	02:02.60
47	1960	Venetian Way	02:02.40
46	1979	Spectacular Bid	02:02.40
45	1982	Gato Del Sol	02:02.00
44	1984	Swale	02:02.00
43	1997	Silver Charm	02:02.40
42	1959	Tomy Lee	02:02.20
41	1968	Forward Pass	02:02.20
40	1977	Seattle Slew	02:02.20
39	1983	Sunny’s Halo	02:02.20
38	1988	Winning Colors	02:02.20
37	1998	Real Quiet	02:02.20
36	2007	Street Sense	02:02.17
35	2011	Animal Kingdom	02:02.04
34	1953	Dark Star	02:02.00
33	1966	Kauai King	02:02.00
32	1975	Foolish Pleasure	02:02.00
31	1980	Genuine Risk	02:02.00
30	1981	Pleasant Colony	02:02.00
29	1990	Unbridled	02:02.00
28	1993	Sea Hero	02:02.00
27	2012	I’ll Have Another	02:01.83
26	2008	Big Brown	02:01.82
25	1931	Twenty Grand	02:01.80
24	1955	Swaps	02:01.80
23	1963	Chateaugay	02:01.80
22	1969	Majestic Prince	02:01.80
21	1972	Riva Ridge	02:01.80
20	1950	Middleground	02:01.60
19	1952	Hill Gail	02:01.60
18	1976	Bold Forbes	02:01.60
17	1941	Whirlaway	02:01.40
16	2006	Barbaro	02:01.36
15	2016	Nyquist	02:01.31
14	1957	Iron Liege	02:01.20
13	1965	Lucky Debonair	02:01.20
12	1978	Affirmed	02:01.20
11	1995	Thunder Gulch	02:01.20
10	2003	Funny Cide	02:01.19
9	2002	War Emblem	02:01.13
8	1996	Grindstone	02:01.00
7	2000	Fusaichi Pegasus	02:01.00
6	1967	Proud Clarion	02:00.60
5	1962	Decidedly	02:00.40
4	1985	Spend a Buck	02:00.20
3	1964	Northern Dancer	02:00.00
2	2001	Monarchos	01:59.97
1	1973	Secretariat	01:59.40