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Every Kentucky Derby winner, ranked by greatness of name

By Zoe West

LOUISVILLE, KY - MAY 05: Mario Gutierrez (L) atop I'll Have Another is led to the starters gate before the 138th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 5, 2012 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KY - MAY 05: Mario Gutierrez (L) atop I'll Have Another is led to the starters gate before the 138th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 5, 2012 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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LOUISVILLE, : Jockey Victor Espinoza rides War Emblem to the finish line in winning the 128th running of the Kentucky Derby 04 May 2002 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY. War Emblem led from the start and pulled away at the finish to win the 128th Kentucky Derby, becoming the first wire-to-wire winner of America’s greatest horse race since 1988. AFP PHOTO/Robert SULLIVAN (Photo credit should read ROBERT SULLIVAN/AFP/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, : Jockey Victor Espinoza rides War Emblem to the finish line in winning the 128th running of the Kentucky Derby 04 May 2002 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY. War Emblem led from the start and pulled away at the finish to win the 128th Kentucky Derby, becoming the first wire-to-wire winner of America’s greatest horse race since 1988. AFP PHOTO/Robert SULLIVAN (Photo credit should read ROBERT SULLIVAN/AFP/Getty Images) /

21. American Pharoah (2016): Most recent triple crown winner.

20. Nyquist (2017): Cool name, don’t know what it means.

19. War Emblem (2002): Throwback.

18. Leonatus (1883): I know nothing about this horse, but I like his name.

17. War Admiral (1937): Triple Crown winner, son of Man O’ War.

16. Spectacular Bid (1979): Good looking grey horse

15. Northern Dancer (1964): Very, very influential.

14. Winning Colors (1988): Filly, lived up to her name.

13. Vagrant (1876): Meaning = bad. Word = interesting/unusual sounding.

12. Affirmed (1978): Triple Crown winner.

11. Charismatic (1999): Just a fantastic name.

The Top 10

10. Fusaichi Pegasus (2000): Owners were Japanese (hence the name I assume).

9. Whirlaway (1941): Triple Crown winner.

8. Giacomo (2005): Long shot with an awesome name.

7. Black Gold (1924): Unfortunately named after oil, but still cool name.

6. Secretariat (1973): Triple Crown winner, record holder, commonly accepted as second best race horse ever. Also, was named for the League of Nations, which is super cool.

5. Monarchos (2001): Just a really cool name.

4. Regret (1915): First filly to win.

3. Citation (1948): Triple Crown winner with an awesome name.

2. Genuine Risk (1980): First filly to win in 75 years and second overall. Also a fitting name for her career arc (playing with the boys etc.).

1. Aristides (1875): First and best, hard to beat.

Next: 20 short stories about the 2018 Kentucky Derby horses

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