Rank the Kentucky Derby Winners Last 20 Years

[Cratos]

Originally Posted by Lemon Drop Husker

Title pretty much took care of it.

Rank the Kentucky Derby winners over the last 20 years.

Yea, you can rank just 1, 2, 3, 10 if you want.

Here is your cheat sheet:

1996: Grindstone
1997: Silver Charm
1998: Real Quiet
1999: Charismatic
2000: Fusaichi Pegasus
2001: Monarchos
2002: War Emblem
2003: Funny Cide
2004: Smarty Jones
2005: Giacomo
2006: Barbaro
2007: Street Sense
2008: Big Brown
2009: Mine That Bird
2010: Super Saver
2011: Animal Kingdom
2012: I'll Have Another
2013: Orb
2014: California Chrome
2015: American Pharoah

I have attended the last 38 Derbies and over that time American Pharoah was the best. Matter of fact on an all time Derby winners' list I rank American Pharoah behind only Secretariat.

[Parson]

1. 2015: American Pharoah He accomplished something some have never seen in a lifetime.
2. 2006: Barbaro IMHO I think he could have been what AP became had he not been put down
3. 2001: Monarchos only sub 2 min derby in this bunch and only one since Big Red
4. 1997: Silver Charm I think both of these should be tied
4. 1998: Real Quiet
5. 1996: Grindstone great ride by Bailey
6. 2002: War Emblem
7. 2000: Fusaichi Pegasus
8. 2008: Big Brown
9. 2003: Funny Cide

The rest I will leave to someone else

[uncbossfan]

Interesting no love for Animal Kingdom given he won a Dubai World Cup and ran a monster 3rd off a long layoff in BC turf mile.

[Grits]

Originally Posted by andtheyreoff

War Emblem had green and white silks (Proud Citizen had blue and white ones), and was owned by the Thoroughbred Corporation, an Arabic group. I doubt that, if the powers-that-be wanted to fix the Derby, they would choose that horse to win it.

The Thoroughbred Corp wasn't a group. It was one man, Prince Ahmed Bin Salman of Saudi Arabia. Remember he died suddenly, very young. A heart attack at 43.

[pele polo]

Top 10

1. 2008: Big Brown - one of the greatest performances of all time (because of the effortlessness- and from the 20 hole to boot)

2. 2006: Barbaro - many may not remember that he stumbled at the start, man 0h man, what could have been

3. 2012: I'll Have Another - he could have went down as one of the true greats, i really believe that, his light frame/meager looks got in the way of his true perception, one with a beautiful, effortless stride


4. 2015: American Pharoah
6. 2002: War Emblem
6. 2004: Smarty Jones
7. 1999: Charismatic
8. 2011: Animal Kingdom
9. 2014: California Chrome
10. 1997: Silver Charm

[ultracapper]

Originally Posted by SecretAgentMan

Wasn't one of the owners of Point Given the owner of War Emblem. I remember reading that Baffert suggested to the owner they buy War Emblem several weeks before the derby & pretty much Baffert told him he would win him the derby since he didn't the year before with PG.

I Stoll think its very shady how we went to war after 9/11 & the horses name that won was War Emblem, & of course Proud Citizen comes in second.

Anyway, those are my thoughts, take them with a grain of salt.

My brother in law noted the same thing about 3 minutes after the race was over. How the names fit the mood at the time.

[ultracapper]

Barbaro
FuPeg
Big Brown
AP
CalChrome

[menifee]

Not a lot of love for Smarty Jones. Before AP, I thought Smarty Jones and Afleet Alex were two of the best 3 yr olds in the triple crown drought.

[ultracapper]

Smarty Jones, along with Real Quiet, was definitely the heart breaker of them all, but that doesn't mean his KD measured up to some of the others on the list. Who knows how we'd view AA if he'd won the derby.

[cj]

American Pharoah wins the Triple Crown and the BC Classic and some don't have him first? Incredible. He was the best of the winners of all the Triple Crown races winners over the last 20 years, not just the Derby.

[PowerUpPaynter]

Originally Posted by cj

American Pharoah wins the Triple Crown and the BC Classic and some don't have him first? Incredible. He was the best of the winners of all the Triple Crown races winners over the last 20 years, not just the Derby.

well said, so true.

[depalma113]

Originally Posted by cj

American Pharoah wins the Triple Crown and the BC Classic and some don't have him first? Incredible. He was the best of the winners of all the Triple Crown races winners over the last 20 years, not just the Derby.

I thought it was based on their Derby wins not what they accomplished after. If it was based on after it is American Pharoah hands down.

[lamboguy]

FUNNY CIDE wound up in between PEACE RULES and EMPIRE MAKER. its tough for me to say that AMERICAN PHAROAH'S Kentucky Derby win was better than that one. if you ask me if PHAROAH'S total 3 year old career was more than awesome, i couldn't argue that one any way better than anything i have seen the last 20 years.

[HorsemenHeist]

Originally Posted by cj

American Pharoah wins the Triple Crown and the BC Classic and some don't have him first? Incredible. He was the best of the winners of all the Triple Crown races winners over the last 20 years, not just the Derby.

It can be argued Pharoah's Derby was his worst race... If we're talking about Derby only, then I think Barbaro is in a league of his own.. That was the best Derby performance I've seen (wasn't around for secretariat).. After stumbling at the start winning with something in the tank was breathtaking.

[cj]

Originally Posted by HorsemenHeist

It can be argued Pharoah's Derby was his worst race... If we're talking about Derby only, then I think Barbaro is in a league of his own.. That was the best Derby performance I've seen (wasn't around for secretariat).. After stumbling at the start winning with something in the tank was breathtaking.

I think his Derby was as good as his Preakness, and certainly better than his Travers.