(Reuters) – Orb, ridden by Joel Rosario and prepared by homebred trainer Shug McGaughey, won the 139th Kentucky Derby at a wet and muddy Churchill Downs on Saturday.
After settling near the rear of the field in the sloppy conditions, Orb steadily worked his way into contention, then pinned back his ears and sprinted to the front at the iconic Twin Spires and kicked clear to win the $2 million, 1-1/4 mile classic.
Golden Soul, a long shot who enjoyed a trouble free journey along the rails, finished gamely to grab second while Revolutionary was third in the 19-horse field.
“It’s awesome, to win the Derby, it’s like a dream,” said Rosario, who had never won the Derby before but won this year’s $10 million Dubai World Cup, the world’s richest race, on Animal Kingdom.
“I was so far behind I just let (Orb) be calm and relaxed, then I steered him to the outside because I didn’t want to get blocked. He did the rest.”
Normandy Invasion finished fourth after leading the field into the final stretch while Mylude was fifth under the guidance of Rosie Napravnik, marking the best finish in the revered race by a female jockey.
Orb, who was bred and trained in Kentucky, emerged as the horse to beat in the annual Run for
the Roses after winning his four previous races, including the $1 million Florida Derby, one of the key lead-up events.
He was initially installed as the 7-2 favorite despite drawing gate 16 at Wednesday’s post-position draw but began to drift in the betting as the race approached.
Only a late surge of money saw him retain his place as outright favorite, at odds of 5-1, just a point ahead of Revolutionary, the Louisiana Derby winner.
