Legendary Horses In The History Of Kentucky Derby

Horse racing is a sport renowned for its exciting and thrilling events. Horses run through various race tracks and fields to win and place first against the other contenders. With the help of a jockey on board, horses follow commands in the race to the finish line.

Several people look forward to witnessing these events, as most notably, betting is always part of the occurrence. 2020 Kentucky Derby horse race  is among the well-known activities that a lot of individuals place a wager each year. Wagering is a component of horse racing, and it also makes the event more fun and exciting to the people, especially to the punters.

Individuals can put their bets through bookmaker shops and bookies. But if one cannot witness the event live, they can place their bets through online sites. Also, individuals can watch for sites that offer live streams of races at the comfort of their own home using their gadgets. With the help of technology today, these are all possible.

Horse racing is also abundant in tradition and history. Sipping mint juleps is evident in the Kentucky Derby racing events as it is their official beverage. Moreover, colorful clothing to fashionable hats is also visible in races as part of the tradition in fashion. Many other horse racing events do these things as part of their heritage.

Kentucky Derby is among the favored horse racing event that takes place in Churchill Downs annually. It is also known as the “Run for the Roses” and the first leg of the Triple Crown races. Indeed, as popular as it is, various people from diverse races look forward to witnessing this event.

Furthermore, the Kentucky Derby is not only a place where thousands of people gather annually. It’s also a place where several legendary horses run and contributes to the rich history of the Kentucky Derby.

Aristides

In the first run of the Kentucky Derby, the colt Aristides galloped with all his strength throughout the competition. History was made when this racehorse won the first series of the race in front of a crowd of thousands of people.

Finishing the competition over 2:37 seconds, several people roared for the first-ever winning in the Kentucky Derby races. Moreover, the occurrence made a remarkable mark in the history of horse racing.

Secretariat

One of the most talked-about names of horses for racing in any place of the world is none other than the legendary Secretariat. Wherever you come from, when it comes to horse racing, you can always hear people talking about this horse. Secretariat played an important part in the horse racing industry.

In late 1973, Secretariat set the first of his wins in the Triple Crown races. The race comprised of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes. To qualify for the Triple Crown, the horse should win all these three competitions. Thus, Secretariat made history by winning all three races and making him the first horse to win the Triple Crown.

Even up to today’s standards, Secretariat still holds several world records that are far from being beaten. Indeed, this horse is worth noting for its capacity of skills in winning races.

Seattle Slew

Among the many famous racehorses, Seattle Slew highlighted the event in the year 1977 as he won the Kentucky Derby. Thus, after winning the race, he didn’t stop there and competed throughout the two other races. Seattle Slew eventually went on to win the Triple Crown.

During that period, he was the only horse to win the Triple Crown while being undefeated. Seattle Slew’s unbeaten career remained a mark to the horse racing industry as one of the most remarkable undefeated winning streaks not just in horse racing, but in sports overall.

Affirmed

In the year 1978, the horse Affirmed brought home the award of being the 12th winner of the Triple Crown races. Winning the Kentucky Derby and the other two competitions, Affirmed made a notorious run against Alydar.

Affirmed and Alydar formed an intense rivalry. They both became rivals to each other as they met ten times in their races. Out of all those races, Affirmed pulled off seven wins from their encounters. Moreover, as cited in the Kentucky Derby Museum, Affirmed became the first horse to win $2 million in total winnings.

Nyquist

In what was the Kentucky Derby’s 142nd running, Nyquist fend off against the other racing contenders in winning the competition. Over a distance of a tiring mile and a half, the colt edged out 19 other rivals by crossing the finish line first , with Exaggerator,  a horse that was the better pick, not far behind. Exaggerator was only a body’s length behind Nyquist. Nyquist eventually won the race.

Takeaway

In a nutshell, horse racing is an incredible sporting event where fanatics and supporters are all out in giving their time to watch, as well as experience an exciting occurrence. As the sport is famous all over the world, legendary horses are almost present  in every race. These horses often showcase their skills and finesse when it comes to racing.

Even if there’s a lot of  horses that take part in these racing events, only few became part of the hall of fame in the industry. Horses such as Secretariat, Nyquist, Seattle Slew, Exaggerator, Affirmed, and Alydar are all horses that have acquired legendary status. Knowing about these remarkable horses and their notorious runs, people can remember their contributions to the rich and exciting history of horse racing.

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