Flashback: The 5 greatest Santa Anita Derby winners

Did you know 19 horses have used the Santa Anita Derby (G1) as a springboard to victory in the Kentucky Derby? The 1 1/8-mile race has long ranked among the most prestigious and productive qualifiers for the Run for the Roses, with a roster of winners that reads like a who’s who of champions and Hall of Fame inductees.

Ranking the greatest Santa Anita Derby winners of all time is a difficult task. Narrow it down to the top five, and runners as talented as Point Given (2001), Winning Colors (1988), Majestic Prince (1969), A.P. Indy (1992) and Sham (1973) arguably fail to make the cut.

Here’s my take on the top five –all are Kentucky Derby winners, and all seem destined to wind up in the Hall of Fame, if they haven’t already been inducted. See if you agree or disagree with my rankings.

5. California Chrome (2014)

California Chrome’s first Grade 1 win came by 5 1/4 lengths in the Santa Anita Derby, when he reached the finish line in a snappy 1:47.52 – just 0.52 off the stakes record. By the time California Chrome retired, he’d added half a dozen more Grade 1 wins to his decorated resume, including victories in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Dubai World Cup (G1). A two-time Horse of the Year, California Chrome retired with earnings of $14,752,650, easily establishing him as the richest California-bred racehorse of all time.

4. Justify (2018)

During a career spanning Feb. 18 through June 9, Justify started six times and never tasted defeat. A front-running, three-length score in the Santa Anita Derby served as a prelude to a sweep of the Triple Crown, during which Justify became the first horse since Apollo in 1882 to win the Kentucky Derby without racing as a 2-year-old. Only the fact that Justify retired after his Belmont triumph keeps him from ranking higher on the list of all-time Santa Anita Derby greats.

3. Sunday Silence (1989)

Sunday Silence might have fallen short in his bid to sweep the 1989 Triple Crown, but by the end of his sophomore season he’d rattled off Grade 1 triumphs in the Santa Anita Derby (by 11 lengths), the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, the Super Derby and the Breeders’ Cup Classic to rank as Horse of the Year. Later a breed-shaping sire in Japan, Sunday Silence deserves bonus points for defeating fellow Hall of Fame inductee Easy Goer in three of their four meetings – neither California Chrome nor Justify engaged in an ongoing rivalry with a horse of such elite talent.

2. Swaps (1955)

With the benefit of hindsight, it’s hard to believe Swaps had to be put to a drive to win the Santa Anita Derby by half a length. By the time the brilliant chestnut retired, he had won 19 of his 25 starts, set or equaled 10 track records, dominated a large percentage of California’s most important races and beaten fellow Hall of Fame inductee Nashua in the Kentucky Derby. One mile in 1:33.2, 1 1/16 miles in 1:39, 1 1/8 miles in 1:46.8, 1 1/4 miles in 1:58.6, 1 5/8 miles in 2:38.2. Those are just a few of the records Swaps set during his decorated career, and the lattermost clocking still stands as the North American standard for dirt.

1. Affirmed (1978)

A winner in 22 of his 29 starts. A 14-time Grade 1 winner. An earner of $2,393,818, becoming the first Thoroughbred to ever crack the multimillion-dollar mark. A champion at age 2, 3 and 4, boasting two Horse of the Year titles. A Triple Crown winner thanks to three heart-pounding classic victories over arch rival and fellow Hall of Famer Alydar. Few horses have ever achieved as much as Affirmed, who is not only the greatest Santa Anita Derby winner in history, but also one of the greatest overall Thoroughbreds to ever set foot on a racetrack.

J. Keeler Johnson is a writer, videographer, handicapper and all-around horse racing enthusiast. A great fan of racing history, he considers Dr. Fager to be the greatest racehorse ever produced in America, but counts Zenyatta as his all-time favorite. You can follow him on Twitter at @J_Keelerman.