Sports

The Horses Behind the Wildest Kentucky Derby Wins of All Time

Winners of the “greatest two minutes in sports” have left legacies that last much, much longer

Jockey Calvin Borel atop Mine That Bird crosses the finish line to win the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby in 2009.
Photographer: Jamie Squire/Getty Images North America

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By David Papadopoulos

May 1, 2023 at 12:00 PM UTC

It’s been 50 years since Secretariat rocketed past his overmatched rivals on the far turn at Churchill Downs and captivated a nation. The big red colt stopped the clock in record time that day: one minute, 59 and two-fifths seconds.

On a sheer brilliance scale, no other Kentucky Derby winner, before or since, stacks up.