For a few moments, it seemed as though everyone forgot that the race was going on in Louisville and not Plains Township. "We'll give this race the respect it deserves and wait and see how he does when he gets back to the track". "He was aggressive but under control". The Irish-bred colt went off at 16-1 odds and was the only runner in the Derby to have raced overseas.
"We love Patch, but we're not going to waste our money on him", said Faye Kline, of Lake Wallenpaupack. "As you know in this business, sometimes it works out, a lot of times it doesn't, so when you have a vision 4 - 5 months in advance and it all comes together, it's especially rewarding".
Always Dreaming has been a bit of a mystery in training leading up to the Derby. Irish War Cry failed to close, dropping back from third to 10th over the last half-mile. Third-place finisher Battle of Midway is returning to California. He rallied for fourth, but was beaten nearly nine lengths. Irish War Cry, who went off as the second choice, faded to 10th. The Godolphin runner started bucking shortly after the start, almost dislodging jockey Christophe Soumillon and refused to get involved in the race. He was led to the paddock for a veterinary exam, which uncovered no injuries.
Always Dreaming won the Kentucky Derby by 2.75 lengths and will be at Pimlico Race Course in the stall reserved for the victor of the Run for the Roses by Tuesday, Pletcher said. Beyond that, there came a first Derby win with a first Derby horse for the ownership team of Anthony Bonomo and Vinnie Viola, childhood friends from Brooklyn. "My Derby record has been talked about a lot".
Prior to the event, Patch was 14-to-one, and many had hoped he would have won the Derby as more than $2 million had been wagered on his unlikely victory at Churchill Downs. Going into the turn, I seemingly had a lot of horse. "It felt like I really needed that second one".
"It feels awesome", Pletcher said Sunday morning, via the Baltimore Sun.
In the Preakness, Always Dreaming is likely to face only two or three of the horses that he beat in the Kentucky Derby. I think by taking the conservative route that we did with the Tampa maiden, and the (allowance race) instead of the Fountain of Youth, and then the Florida Derby, got us here with a fresh horse.
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That could be bad news for Always Dreaming and his connections, as a Classic Empire with a clear path and good trip might just have what it takes to be successful in Baltimore.
Avoiding dust-ups like the one that knocked jockey Julien Leparoux off course early on Saturday is part of the Kentucky Derby, but the smaller field at the Preakness should give us a better gauge of the horse's capability. This is so special to win this race with Johnny.
Always Dreaming got off to a fast start out of the gate, and never looked back despite an incredibly muddy track.
John Velazquez, his jockey, won the 2011 KY Derby aboard Animal Kingdom.
"We got to the (Kentucky) Derby with a relatively fresh horse", Pletcher said. "He did it himself from there".
Thanks to support from the bettors - based on a stellar showing in the Florida Derby on April 1 and strong workouts since - Always Dreaming was sent off at 9-2 and became the fifth straight betting favorite to win the Kentucky Derby.
Patch, whose left eye was removed past year after an extreme inflammation, became a sentimental favourite, going from 30-1 in the early odds to 12-1 by race time before finishing 14th in the 20-horse field. It was Bonomo's son, Anthony Bonomo Jr., who went over the price limit imposed by his father to secure the colt at the Keeneland September yearling sale, but his enthusiasm has been richly rewarded.
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