Always Dreaming Wins The 143rd Kentucky Derby

I was a little anxious down the back side, but I could tell Johnny was riding him confidently. He called the win on Friday in his post race press conference when asked to pick the Derby victor, “You know, you’ve got the victor of the Florida Derby”. Calvin Borel was aboard that day. There were questions in the morning about whether Always Dreaming was going to relax, but Velazquez was happy with how he responded and settled on the outside. They had each won the Derby once before, with Super Saver (2010) and Animal Kingdom (2011) respectively; never, though, had they managed to win in tandem.

Trainer Todd Pletcher and the ownership group consistently put Always Dreaming first, and they were richly rewarded. He was bucking out of the gate.

Pletcher’s stable has won more than $336 million during his Hall of Fame career.

Watched by 158,070 at Churchill Downs, the UAE Derby victor emerged slowly from Gate 2 under Christophe Soumillon only to run about 50 metres before he transformed in to a bucking bronco.

Always Dreaming wins the 143rd Kentucky Derby!

Earlier in the day, Limousine Liberal survived a sudden downpour and a stretch scramble to win the $500,000 Churchill Downs Sprint. Lookin At Lee returned $26.60 and $15.20 with Battle of Midway returning $20.80 to show. That was appropriate, considering Mary Ellen, an Elmont native, was the one who named him Always Dreaming. A 50 cent trifecta paid a whopping $4,148.60.

Irish War Cry, who like Always Dreaming was sent off at odds of 9-2, couldn’t handle the sloppy going and ended 10th. Bonomo’s wife, MaryEllen, offered up Always Dreaming’s name because of her proclivity for thinking big.

UAE Derby victor Thunder Snow bucked out of the starting gate and was immediately pulled up in the opening moments.

Always Dreaming, coming off an impressive win at the Kentucky Derby, will get an early start on preparations for the May 20 Preakness.

Trainer Chad Brown said fifth-place finisher Practical Joke will aim for shorter races in the future.

The victor ran the mile and a quarter on what was labeled a wet, fast track but was muddy for much of the day, in 2 minutes, 3.59 seconds.

A foot problem has wreaked havoc with the training for Girvin.

Classic Empire, the Breeders’ Cup juvenile victor and Eclipse Juvenile champion, qualified second with 132 points (and over $2 million in non-restricted stakes earnings) and was the morning line favorite. “Glad it paid off”, said Pletcher.

A 5-year-old with global experience, Roca Rojo won her first two races in her native Ireland before joining Brown’s USA stable last year. “It will be a quiet environment, give us time to get him settled in and if we have to make any adjustments, we’ll have time to do that”. Third was Gun Runner and fourth, Mohaymen, none of which came as a big surprise – these horses were the top for betting choices. “I took a hold of him as soon as I got to the backstretch and he was really comfortable”.

Kentucky Derby champion Always Dreaming watches all the activity outside his Barn 40 stall at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., Sunday, May 7, 2017. Nothing against all the others, but this was the best horse. See the Derby fashion trends of 2017.

Irish War Cry, the second favourite and the tout of a lot of handicappers, will be skipping the Preakness.