How Fast Can Horses Run? Amazing Horse Racing Records

Considering they were regarded as a revolutionary mode of transportation at some point, it is no surprise that horses are quite fast. The average horse sprints at 88 kilometres per hour, but that hardly scratches the surface when it comes to the speed these majestic creatures can hit.

On the tracks, many horses have hit some really impressive speeds, most of them are way higher than 88 kilometres per hour. In fact, world records have been broken over and over again and it is noteworthy. So, how fast can horses run? Amazing horse racing records are as interesting as it gets.

1. Winning Brew

The ‘Winning’ in this bay filly’s name is not just for show, she is a winner in every sense in the world and currently holds a very interesting Guinness World Record. The title is ‘racehorse over two furlongs’ and she earned it by hitting a whopping 70.76 kilometres per hour, where she finished the quarter mile in under 20.57 seconds at the Penn National Race Course in Pennsylvania.

This was quite the achievement on her part since she was two years old when she bagged the title. She may not yet hold a torch to horses like Secretariat, but if you stumble on the latest offers on a legitimate betting site (in the Winning Brew category) jump on them.

2. Stone of Folca

This famous steed also bagged a Guinness World record for being the fastest racehorse after running 5 furlongs under 53.69 seconds. Obviously, Winning Brew is faster but this is still quite the feat considering the fact that Stone of Folca hit the fastest time recorded in Britain since the introduction of electronic timing. Before this record breaker bagged this achievement, Spark Chief broke it and was behind by a mere 0.01 secs.

3. Man o’ War

There is no doubt that every horse race enthusiast knows the name ‘Secretariat,’ but perhaps his only worthy contender was Man o’ War. This horse was so fast that he won 20 out of the 21 races he participated in his thriving career. Sure, he didn’t bag the Triple Crown, but that was only because he never participated in the Kentucky Derby. He was so good that he even produced another great athlete, Seabiscuit who went down as one of the greats.

4. Citation

You cannot talk about fast horses without taking this famous creature into consideration. At his most notable race, he dominated his first start by an impressive half-length. This was in a 4 and a half furlong race at the prestigious Havre de Grace track. Altogether, he raced nine times and won eight times.

5. Secretariat

This list would be grossly incomplete if it did not feature the great Secretariat. There is no doubt that this horse was a legend on the track. He happens to be one of the few winners of the Triple Crown and still has the honor of holding the fastest finishing time of 2:24.00. During this race, he attained the impressive speed of 49 miles per hour.