Fastest Preakness Stakes Times: 10 Quickest Horses in Preakness History

Key Takeaways:

• The famous Secretariat holds the fastest Preakness Stakes time in history, officially recorded as 1:53.00; although it was originally thought to have been 1:54 2/5, the time was revisited in 2012.
• On average, winning horses run the Preakness between 1:54 and 1:56, with the race run at 1 3/16 miles since 1925.
• Recent winners have generally posted times slower than historical records, with 2023’s National Treasure finishing in 1:55.12.

Now well set on the horse racing calendar as the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes was first run in 1873, almost half a century before Sir Barton won the first-ever Triple Crown in 1919.

Whether a horse is among the fastest winners of the Preakness or the slowest, they earn a place in horse racing history just by virtue of winning the race. However, speed is the name of the game in horse racing. On the day, at least, these are the 10 fastest horses to ever line up in the run for the black-eyed Susans.

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Preakness Stakes Distances

Even though it feels like a static part of the Triple Crown today, the Preakness has been run at seven different distances during its history. The current 1 3/16-mile distance is by far its most common, as that has been the distance for the last century. However, it was originally run at 1 ½ miles, and has been run at distances as short as a flat mile.

These are the distances at which the Preakness has been run, the years for each of those distances, the fastest Preakness Stakes winner at each distance, and that horse’s winning time.

The race was not run in 1891, 1892, or 1893.

Fastest Preakness Stakes Winners

When discussing Preakness Stakes times, historians usually focus on the 1 3/16-mile distance of the race. It makes sense, and not only because that distance happens to be the current one: 2024 marked the 100th time that the race has been run at the trip, which is twice as many as the runnings at other distances combined.

Some of the fastest Preakness winners of all time may surprise you. Some of them are Hall of Fame inductees, though only one of the Triple Crown winners ran the Preakness fast enough to make this list. Others are not talked about as much now as they may have been during their Triple Crown bid. This makes sense, as race times not only require a talented horse, but can also be affected by how a track is playing any given day, or by the pace scenario.

These are the ten horses who have won the Preakness in the fastest times over its current 1 3/16-mile distance.

Secretariat (1973): 1:53

It is no surprise that Secretariat holds the record for the fastest Preakness Stakes ever. Not only was he a Triple Crown winner, but he holds the stakes record for each of the three Triple Crown races at their traditional distances: he did the 1 ¼ miles of the Kentucky Derby in 1:59 2/5, and the 1 ½ miles of the Belmont Stakes in 1:53.

The win was visually impressive, as the Lucien Laurin trainee made an early move into the backstretch under jockey Ron Turcotte to take command of the race for good. As for his time, though, the historical record was cloudy around his Preakness for several decades. The final electronic time of the race given on race day was 1:55, and Pimlico’s hand clocker timed the race in 1:54 2/5, but a pair of Daily Racing Form people who timed the race had him in 1:53 2/5. The official time was recorded as 1:54 2/5 for many years, but was revisited in earnest in 2012.

A review of the digitized film of Secretariat’s race, alongside film from Curlin and Louis Quatorze, revealed that Secretariat’s time was faster—not only faster than both of those horses, but faster than even the DRF clockers caught him in. After that review, the Maryland Racing Commission certified that Secretariat had run the 1 3/16 miles in 1:53. That officially recognized time, after review, cemented him as the fastest Preakness winner in history. All of the fractions except for the opening quarter lined up with the later fractions from the electronic timing equipment on race day, suggesting that the start beam may have been tripped early.

Swiss Skydiver (2020): 1:53.28

The 2020 Preakness Stakes happened in early October due to the COVID pandemic, making it even more impressive for Secretariat to hold the record still, as every horse in this field had another four and a half months to mature compared to the usual age of a horse running in the Preakness. Still, this delayed Preakness came back faster than any other edition at the 1 3/16-mile distance not won by Secretariat.

Swiss Skydiver had already faced males once before the Preakness, as she was second to Art Collector in the Blue Grass (G1) that summer. Even though she had been defeated in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) by Shedaresthedevil, trainer Kenny McPeek still routed her to Baltimore to face males again.

The gambit worked beautifully. She tracked the pace early under jockey Robby Albarado while Kentucky Derby winner Authentic and his stablemate Thousand Words set the pace. She took the lead with about a half mile to go. Though Authentic kept fighting on, Swiss Skydiver kept finding more while saving ground, and she dug in to win by a neck over the favorite. Her time came closer than anyone else’s to Secretariat’s record, and she became the sixth filly to win the Preakness Stakes.

Louis Quatorze (1996): 1:53.43

Louis Quatorze, trained by Nick Zito, hadn’t won a stakes race yet when he lined up for the 1996 Preakness Stakes. It wasn’t for lack of trying: he was second in both the Hopeful (G1) and the Futurity (G1) as a juvenile, and also ran a troubled second behind Skip Away in the Blue Grass (G2) as his final prep before the Kentucky Derby. Despite Louis Quatorze running a flat 16th in the Run for the Roses, Zito kept him pointed toward the second leg of the Triple Crown.

The visit to Pimlico went far better than the one to Churchill Downs did. Quick to the lead, Louis Quatorze cleared off under jockey Pat Day and led the field on a merry chase. Skip Away, who had also beaten Louis Quatorze by six lengths in the Blue Grass two starts previous, tried to contend with the pacesetter coming into the lane.

But on the day, Louis Quatorze was the king. He held Skip Away at bay, running on to win by 3 ¼ lengths and stop the clock in the third-fastest winning time at the 1 3/16-mile Preakness Stakes distance.

Curlin (2007): 1:53.46

Despite his relative inexperience, Curlin was well fancied going into the Kentucky Derby. It was just his fourth career start, yet after star-making wins in the Rebel (G3) and the Arkansas Derby (G2) the Steve Asmussen trainee was a narrow second favorite behind Street Sense. He finished third behind the favorite that day, but the second jewel of the Triple Crown was another story.

Curlin didn’t get away perfectly, stumbling slightly at the start. He was happy to bide his time as Xchanger and Flying First Class set a crackling early pace. He made a sweeping run around the far turn and sustained that bid into the lane.

However, he had a challenger: his old friend Street Sense. The Kentucky Derby winner kicked past Curlin at the quarter pole and cleared into midstretch. Yet, jockey Robby Albarado found Curlin’s next gear just in time to nail Street Sense by a head and win with the fourth-fastest winning 1 3/16-mile time in Preakness Stakes history.

Tank’s Prospect (1985): 1:53 ⅖

D. Wayne Lukas has never been shy to run a horse: that remains the case now, and it was the case in 1985 with Tank’s Prospect. Winner of the Arkansas Derby (G1), he was flying high into Kentucky but finished only seventh behind Spend a Buck in the Run for the Roses.

The Preakness started off poorly for Tank’s Prospect. He bumped with I Am the Game in the opening jumps of the race, causing jockey Pat Day to lose his left iron. Despite that beginning, though, Day stayed cool. He was able to regain that iron, drop inside, and settle off the pace being set by the uncontested Eternal Prince.

On the far turn, Tank’s Prospect swung outside and began to pass horses, getting into contention. He threaded back inside into the lane to get past I Am the Game, shifted out once more, and caught even-money favorite Chief’s Crown to win by a head.

Since it happened over 25 years before the Maryland Racing Commission review of Secretariat’s time, the race was officially considered the fastest Preakness in history up to that point. Even though Secretariat’s time has since been verified as faster and three other more recent horses have surpassed Tank’s Prospect’s time, it still clocks in as the fifth-fastest 1 3/16-mile winning time in Preakness history.

Rombauer (2021): 1:53.62

Rombauer took an unorthodox route to the Preakness. Though he was Grade 1-placed on dirt as a juvenile, he earned his bid to Pimlico in a race that wasn’t even on dirt: the El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields. Trainer Michael McCarthy then raced Rombauer in the Blue Grass (G1) at Keeneland, to make sure his horse could still run with the best on dirt.

A third-place run behind champion Essential Quality answered that question in the affirmative, so on to Pimlico he went. Rombauer, ignored at 11-1 on the tote, nonetheless rewarded the care and faith of his connections. Settled midfield behind a pace set by Medina Spirit and Midnight Bourbon, he took good advantage of their quick pace, rolling clear in the final furlong to win by 3 ½ lengths and clocking the sixth-fastest Preakness of all time.

Gate Dancer (1984): 1:53 ⅗

Gate Dancer had a reputation for not being able to run straight all the time, and was even erratic enough to be disqualified from fourth to fifth in the 1984 Kentucky Derby for veering in on another horse. But on his best day, the Jack Van Berg trainee sure could run fast, and he sure could stay.

Under jockey Angel Cordero, Jr. in the 1984 Preakness Stakes, Gate Dancer settled midfield, improved around the far turn, and took over in the lane. Even though his famous tendency to lug kicked in again, he was clear, and Cordero kept him rolling. Gate Dancer crossed the wire clear 1 ½ lengths of Play On and clocking the seventh-fastest Preakness time in history.

Summer Squall (1990): 1:53 ⅗

There aren’t many Preakness Stakes winners bred better than Summer Squall. By the prepotent sire Northern Dancer, he was out of the Secretariat mare Weekend Surprise. Weekend Surprise won a couple of Grade 3 races as a juvenile—then went on to be a superior broodmare, producing A.P. Indy, Summer Squall, Weekend Storm, Honor Grades, and more.

Coming into the lane, Kentucky Derby winner Unbridled looked well set to win the Preakness. But, Summer Squall had been biding his time inside. Jockey Pat Day squeezed Summer Squall through a hole between Unbridled and the rail, however, and the pair locked up. In the final furlong, Summer Squall was going best, and opened up to win by 2 ¼ lengths, in the eighth-fastest time in Preakness history.

Sunday Silence (1989): 1:53 ⅘

The 1989 Triple Crown series was a classic battle of east versus west, of blue blood versus new blood—Easy Goer versus Sunday Silence. Though Sunday Silence upset Easy Goer in the Kentucky Derby, the public counted that as a fluke, betting Easy Goer down to odds-on favoritism in the Preakness despite Sunday Silence winning the Kentucky Derby.

Their battle in the Preakness was the kind of fight that could make anyone a horse racing fan. Sunday Silence settled a little closer to the pace than Easy Goer through the early stages after Easy Goer broke poorly, but both were in range. Easy Goer moved first on the turn, causing Sunday Silence some trouble. Sunday Silence nonetheless confronted him in the lane, and the pair had a battle for the ages.

In the end, Sunday Silence’s nose hit the wire first, cementing the ninth fastest Preakness of all time. Easy Goer would turn the tables in the Belmont Stakes … but Sunday Silence would win the final renewal of their rivalry in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at the end of the year.

Canonero II (1971): 1:54

A star in Venezuela, few people thought Canonero II had the class to win the 1971 Kentucky Derby. However, he did, rallying from the clouds to win by 3 ¾ lengths. Coming into the Preakness, the naysayers were at it again, deeming his Kentucky Derby win a fluke and proclaiming he couldn’t beat top American horses again.

Once again, he proved his detractors wrong. This time, instead of coming from the clouds, he stalked the pace set by frontrunning Eastern Fleet. Canonero II took over midstretch and ran on to win by 1 ½ lengths over Eastern Fleet. Not only did he win—his time of 1:54 flat was the fastest 1 3/16-mile Preakness yet, and still holds as the tenth fastest in history. Unfortunately, a foot issue hindered him in the Belmont Stakes, where he finished fourth, but he had become a fan favorite in both North and South America for defeating the odds.

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