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LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE 4.17 101 Gallant Fox (1930) is colt was the second horse to win the Triple Crown, a term that didn't exist until a New York Times writer used it to coin Gallant Fox's accomplishment. e horse further stands out among racing's 12 Triple Crown winners because he became the only Triple Crown winner to sire a Triple Crown winner: Omaha, who swept the trio of races in 1935. Whirlaway (1941) Racing's fifth Triple Crown winner, Whirlaway (great name, by the way) holds the record for margin of victory in the Kentucky Derby, obliterating the field by eight lengths. He was also nicknamed "Mr. Longtail," which is pretty cool in its own right. Count Fleet (1943) ey don't make ponies like they used to, and this old war horse represents a bygone era, bouncing back to win the 1943 Triple Crown just weeks after injuring a hind leg in the Wood Memorial. e colt was shipped to Churchill by train with legendary jockey Johnny Longden holding icepacks to the afflicted limb. Count Fleet won the Derby by three lengths, the Preakness by eight and the Belmont by 25 — the second-largest margin of victory behind Secretariat's 31. Unlike Big Red, however, Count Fleet won the Withers Stakes before the Belmont and also sired a Derby winner, 1951 hero Count Turf. Northern Dancer (1964) Certainly one of the best-looking Der- by horses of all time, Northern Dancer proved more than just a bay-colored Adonis. e powerful colt won 14 of 18 starts and never finished off the board, while winning the Derby in then-record time and taking the Preakness two weeks later. He would go on to become arguably the best and most influential stallion in the sport's history, siring, grand-siring and broodmare-siring the best horses in the United States and Europe for decades. Barbaro (2006) Perhaps a sentimental choice to be includ- ed this high on the list, but the horse who captured hearts around the world after his catastrophic injury in the Preakness was also a serious runner who won the Derby by six-and-a-half lengths without any urging. Barbaro finished his career undefeated in six starts and is the ultimate "what could have been?" Derby winner. e Barbaro statue outside the main gate at Churchill Downs is a fitting tribute. American Pharoah (2015) Just when people were beginning to doubt whether there would be another Triple Crown winner, along came the brilliant horse with the misspelled name. e Der- by, Preakness, Belmont Stakes and Breed- ers' Cup Classic winner deserved better, but his legacy is firmly cemented — the Jockey Club has reserved both American Pharoah and the correctly spelled "Pha- raoh" so that no future horse can bear the same name. Seattle Slew (1977) One of the most popular names and the best rags-to-riches story in racing history, Slew, a $17,500 purchase as a yearling, became the 10th Triple Crown winner and the only horse to accomplish the feat while undefeated. Seattle Slew is also the only Triple Crown winner to defeat another Tri- ple Crown winner, which he did in 1978 by beating Affirmed in Belmont Park's Marlboro Cup. Citation (1948) ere's a valid argument that the eighth Triple Crown winner was the best of all time, and the numbers don't lie. "e Big Cy" raced an astounding 29 times as a three-year-old and won 27. He is one of just three oroughbreds to win at least 16 consecutive races at the graded-stakes level and was the first horse to eclipse $1 million in career earnings. Spectacular Bid (1979) is steel-gray colt, affectionately called "the Bid," was destined to be the fourth Triple Crown winner of the 1970s, but a poorly timed ride in the Belmont coupled with the fact the colt stepped on a safety pin the morning of the race prevented a normal effort. Still, Spectacular Bid won 26 of 30 career starts and was a champion at two, three and four years of age. Secretariat (1973) No surprise here. e horse that tran- scended racing and inspired a Disney movie was the fastest horse in Kentucky Derby history, completing the mile and a quarter in 1:59.40. Big Red also owns the fastest times in the Preakness and Belmont Stakes — the latter a 31-length score that smashed the track record and seems sure to stand as long as the race is held. e book titled e Horse God Built pretty much sums it up. All 142 Kentucky Derby winners are special. But not all are equal. Here's my take on the 10 best of all time, plus eight not-so-great horses who won the roses and the five best who never made the Derby starting gate but should have.