Always Dreaming splashed through the slop for a 2 3/4-length victory on Saturday, giving Todd Pletcher and rider John Velazquez their second victories in the race but their first together.
Always Dreaming won the 143rd Kentucky Derby, pulling away in the final straight on a sloppy track at Churchill Downs in Louisville to claim the first jewel in United States flat racing's Triple Crown.
Pletcher saddled 2010 Kentucky Derby victor Super Saver, while Velazquez was aboard 2011 victor Animal Kingdom. On their own, they were a combined 2 for 63 coming into America's greatest horse race.
Always Dreaming (Bodemeister) wins the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on 5.6.2017.
Always Dreaming became the fifth consecutive favorite to win the Derby. He was followed by Lookin at Lee, Battle of Midway and Classic Empire. Having arrived at the Florida Derby on April 1 with no points, he had hogged 100 there with a captivating run, winning by five lengths with the best time (1:47.47) since Alydar in 1978.
Velazquez rode Animal Kingdom to the Kentucky Derby title in 2011, though that was with trainer H. Graham Motion. But Always Dreaming made his move with heading into the final turn. After his second, in his 17th Derby as a trainer, he pointed out that he also has two seconds and three thirds.
After three straight days of rain, forcing spectators to use their colourful hats for function rather than fashion, the sun came out at Churchill Downs in Louisville just in time for the running.
UAE Derby victor Thunder Snow bucked out of the starting gate and was immediately pulled up in the opening moments.
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The morning began very cold with track conditions rated sloppy as horses slogged through the mud.
Irish War Cry, the second favourite and the tout of a lot of handicappers, will be skipping the Preakness.
Giddy up! Always Dreaming deserves all the carrots and cuddles in the world after blowing away the competition at the 2017 Kentucky Derby on May 6. But as Classic Empire and everyone tried to make that late run, the co-favorite entering the race had another gear. He made his 3-year-old debut with a third-place finish in the Holy Bull Stakes in February. Battle of Midway was jockeyed by Derby rookie Flavien Prat.
"When he cut the corner you could tell he was finishing".
But after dominating Saturday's field at the Derby, Always Dreaming will head to the Preakness Stakes on May 20 as a clear favorite, seemingly with potential to become the second Triple Crown victor in three years.
"I felt like I really needed that second one", Pletcher said.
The strong wagering figures on the Derby were due in part to a wide-open, 20-horse field that led bettors to stretch their bankrolls in the hopes of catching a large payout in the exotic pools. "And I thought why not name the horse Always Dreaming", she said. Always Dreaming's only stakes victory before the Derby was his relatively easy win in the Florida Derby, causing some critics to question if he'd really been tested. If they can get him figured out, he could steal it.
Dr. Keith Latson, AAEP On Call Veterinarian on Thunder Snow (DNF) - "Thunder Snow galloped back to the paddock comfortably under his own power". Nine of the 20 starters in Saturday's Kentucky Derby raced at Gulfstream's Championship Meet.
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