The 143rd running of the Kentucky Derby will take place this Saturday with horses sprinting out of the gate around 6:34 PM ET. Some of the early favorites include Classic Empire (4-1), McCracken (5-1), and Always Dreaming (5-1).
RELATED: 7 Times Sports Fans Took Things Way, Way Too Far
Along with cheering for the pony you've picked to win, make sure to pay attention to the time in which the winner finishes. If it finishes under the two-minute mark, you've just witnessed history.
That's because unlike most sporting events involving humans, record times are not broken on a consistent basis like in the Olympics, for example. To give a comparison, the women's 100 meter record in 1973 was 10.9 seconds by East Germany's Renate Stecher. The current record is held by Florence Griffith-Joyner of the United States at 10.49 seconds – an eternity in the 100 meter dash.
Although horses are better fed, trained, and handled with kid's gloves now more than ever, it hasn't translated into record-shattering times throughout the years.
So by now you might be wondering.: What horse has the fastest Kentucky Derby time in history?
Let's take a look.
[divider]
1962: Decidedly, 2:00.40
The gray colt would end his career with an impressive 11 wins, 9 second-place, and 4 third-place finishes.
[divider]
1985: Spend a Buck, 2:00 1/5
Winning the race wire to wire, Spend a Buck was named 1985's Horse of the Year and Champion Three-Year-Old Colt.
[divider]
1964: Northern Dancer, 2:00
The only horse to ever finish the Kentucky Derby in two minutes flat, Northern Dancer would go on to live a long and prosperious 29 years.
[divider]
2001: Monarchos, 1:59.97
Monarchos is one of only two horses to ever finish under the two-minute mark in the Kentucky Derby.
[divider]
1973: Secretariat, 1:59 2/5
The fastest time in Kentucky Derby history belongs to Secretariat who won the triple crown in 1973 – the first in the sport at that time in 25 years..