Uploaded December 2014 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
GoPro helmet cam attached to galloping race horse at her fastest. In the horse racing business, this stage of training called "working" or "a workout". This horse is training on a 5/8th mile sand and dirt mix race track. The GoPro is excellent at capturing this jockey's point of view while riding fast on the back of this thoroughbred race horse while the Jockey Cam is mounted on side of the helmet. The Kentucky Derby is the 3 YO champion test!
The training science of horse racing:
Thoroughbred race horses train at sub maximal speeds, aerobic levels, 5 to 7 days a week and speed training at anaerobic levels is practiced typically 1-2x a week depending on the trainer, age and ability of the horse. Thoroughbred race horse trainers, who understand equine training physiology, train at the anaerobic threshold a few times a week along with a sub maximum workout speed rather than go all out at maximum galloping speed only once a week with light galloping or jogging in between. This thoroughbred training program is typical for younger horses, like Kentucky Derby contenders, while older horses who are actively racing are trained differently according to their racing schedule.
The science of speed in horses, Watch 5 Keys To Race Horse Speed! youtu.be/0zEhtzgP4ko
How fast is a thoroughbred race horse? Race horses can reach speeds close to 50 mph, but only in short burst. The winner of the Kentucky Derby isn't necessarily the fastest. Let me explain. A winning horse in a classic distance race will never reach it's fastest pace potential as the race horse needs to run an even, but fast enough pace to save galloping energy throughout the race to make it to the finish wire. That said, the fastest horse in the world doesn't always win the horse race. When you ask people "Who is the fastest horse there ever was", they may say Secretariat (Kentucky Derby winner) or Seabiscuit and maybe Runhappy who won the 2015 Breeder's Cup Sprint with a track record. Those horses may have been the fastest to make the distance that they were running, but could have sprinted much faster. They were beating a lot of horses, but there were probably horses that could reach faster top speeds in brief sprints. Those horse couldn't hold those ultra fast gallop speeds for long periods because when the heart rate is above 180-190 beats per minute and up to 240 bpm maximum, lactic acid builds in the blood and muscles as a waste product of stored energy. The thoroughbred horse's body can't resynthesize the lactic acid fast enough at these super fast galloping speeds.There are also so many variables like genetics, which determines, muscle fiber types, conformation that determines efficiency of locomotion, track conditions, weather or even altitude which determine a horse's fastest speed.
You will notice the thoroughbred race horse slowing down on this GoPro Hero camera after running only a half mile. The jockey riding the horse, did check the horse in the turn a little to get a good strong finish in down the final stretch of the training track. Now you can experience horse racing first hand and how fast a thoroughbred race horse can run, like in the Kentucky Derby, through a GoPro helmet camera. Watch, Jockey Cam Horse FAST Galloping 44mph. youtu.be/45hdjzNgLfc
GoPro helmet cam attached to galloping race horse at her fastest. In the horse racing business, this stage of training called "working" or "a workout". This horse is training on a 5/8th mile sand and dirt mix race track. The GoPro is excellent at capturing this jockey's point of view while riding fast on the back of this thoroughbred race horse while the Jockey Cam is mounted on side of the helmet. The Kentucky Derby is the 3 YO champion test!
The training science of horse racing:
Thoroughbred race horses train at sub maximal speeds, aerobic levels, 5 to 7 days a week and speed training at anaerobic levels is practiced typically 1-2x a week depending on the trainer, age and ability of the horse. Thoroughbred race horse trainers, who understand equine training physiology, train at the anaerobic threshold a few times a week along with a sub maximum workout speed rather than go all out at maximum galloping speed only once a week with light galloping or jogging in between. This thoroughbred training program is typical for younger horses, like Kentucky Derby contenders, while older horses who are actively racing are trained differently according to their racing schedule.
The science of speed in horses, Watch 5 Keys To Race Horse Speed! youtu.be/0zEhtzgP4ko
How fast is a thoroughbred race horse? Race horses can reach speeds close to 50 mph, but only in short burst. The winner of the Kentucky Derby isn't necessarily the fastest. Let me explain. A winning horse in a classic distance race will never reach it's fastest pace potential as the race horse needs to run an even, but fast enough pace to save galloping energy throughout the race to make it to the finish wire. That said, the fastest horse in the world doesn't always win the horse race. When you ask people "Who is the fastest horse there ever was", they may say Secretariat (Kentucky Derby winner) or Seabiscuit and maybe Runhappy who won the 2015 Breeder's Cup Sprint with a track record. Those horses may have been the fastest to make the distance that they were running, but could have sprinted much faster. They were beating a lot of horses, but there were probably horses that could reach faster top speeds in brief sprints. Those horse couldn't hold those ultra fast gallop speeds for long periods because when the heart rate is above 180-190 beats per minute and up to 240 bpm maximum, lactic acid builds in the blood and muscles as a waste product of stored energy. The thoroughbred horse's body can't resynthesize the lactic acid fast enough at these super fast galloping speeds.There are also so many variables like genetics, which determines, muscle fiber types, conformation that determines efficiency of locomotion, track conditions, weather or even altitude which determine a horse's fastest speed.
You will notice the thoroughbred race horse slowing down on this GoPro Hero camera after running only a half mile. The jockey riding the horse, did check the horse in the turn a little to get a good strong finish in down the final stretch of the training track. Now you can experience horse racing first hand and how fast a thoroughbred race horse can run, like in the Kentucky Derby, through a GoPro helmet camera. Watch, Jockey Cam Horse FAST Galloping 44mph. youtu.be/45hdjzNgLfc
