All the 20 horses that compete at the Kentucky Derby are the crème de la crème of the world of horse racing. But there can be favorites even among the best of all. Whenever the Derby is approaching, there is always speculation about which horse will take the title home. Although, a specific race aside, some horses transcend the bond of time and become fan favorites for eternity.

The Kentucky Derby official Twitter handle recently asked all the Derby followers to divulge the name of the horse that changed the meaning of The Race for the Roses for them forever. The replies started rolling in, and you’ll be surprised to know the horse that became an all-time favorite for these people, and the reasons why they did.

The royalty of the Kentucky Derby

When the Kentucky Derby Twitter handle posted the question, “Which horse made you fall in love with the #KyDerby – and why? 🐴❤️” the answers opened a dam of memories. People referred to horses that others might have forgotten about, but to them, they still hold a special place in their hearts.

A fan referred to Riva Ridge as the horse who forever made the race special for her. Riva Ridge won the Kentucky Derby as well as the Belmont Stakes, the two esteemed Triple Crown races, in 1972. Riva Ridge won many races besides these, but the horse is also remembered as a stablemate of secretariat, arguably the most famous horse to grace the Kentucky Derby. The fan wrote, “I first watched the Derby in ’72 when I was 10 years-old. I haven’t missed a Derby since.”

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Another common name that was repeated was Smarty Jones. The horse won the 2004 Kentucky Derby as well as the Preakness Stakes.

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The horse also came in second at the Belmont Stakes. Smarty Jones ended his career with 8 wins and $2,613,155 in total.

Silver Charm also found a mention in the list of all-time favorite horses. The horse won the 1997 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and the 1998 Dubai World Cup. What is interesting to note is that Silver Charm is the oldest surviving winner of all of these races. When the Horse Hansel died, Silver Charm became the oldest surviving winner of the Preakness Stakes.

Snow Chief was also a champion that was mentioned by the Kentucky Derby fans. The horse won the Florida Derby and he also established himself as a promising Kentucky Derby candidate after he won the Santa Anita Derby. While Snow Chief lost in the Kentucky Derby, he made up for it by defeating the runner-up in the Preakness Stakes by four lengths.

Currently, the fan favorite for the upcoming Derby is Forte. However, these horses will always remain in the hearts of their fans as entities who made them fall in love with the Kentucky Derby.

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