American Pharoah vs. Secretariat: Who’s the Faster Horse?

On June 6, 2015 fans cheered as American Pharaoh crossed the finish line and won the Triple Crown, running the sixth fastest Belmont Stakes ever. Racing fans although amazed with the horses speed still give the lead to Secretariat. In a recent video comparing the two horses on their Triple Crown winnings raises the question who would win in a race.

The video breaks the race down into quarter miles where the two horses are shown in a split screen. At 23.6 seconds you can see Secretariat hitting the ¼ mile mark where as American Pharaoh hits the mark at 24.6 seconds. So far they are not too far apart. The video continues to the ½ mile mark where you can clearly see Secretariat picking up speed against his competitors. So far Secretariat is leading but not so far ahead that there is no hope for a win.

As the video continues Secretariat bolts off with an unseen force that pushes him far from the pack. The gap increasingly widens to American Pharaoh trailing at the ¾ mile mark at 1:13.41 seconds as Secretariat leads with 1:09.8 seconds. The one mile mark is quickly approaching and with that so is the finish line. The video shows Secretariat zooming past the competitors where as American Pharaoh stays neck and neck with his. So far this fictional race is not looking good for the current Triple Crown winner. At this point Secretariat is a full three seconds ahead of American Pharoah with 1:34.2 and 1:37.99, respectively.

The question we have all been asking is finally answered as the race draws to a close. Who is the fastest horse: the past winner or present champion? The answer is without a doubt Secretariat. The video is definitely a must watch in showing both amazing horses in their prime and accomplishing one of sports highest achievements.