Always Dreaming won the 143rd running of the Kentucky Derby in dominating fashion on Saturday evening, holding offLookin At Lee and Battle of Midway.You can see the full race below:"His first step, I wasnt too happy," jockeyJohn Velazquez said after the race, per Dan WolkenofUSA Today. "The second I had to ask him to straighten up and once I got under the wire for the first time, I was happy where I was. I took a hold of him as soon as I got to the backstretch and he was really comfortable."Indeed, Always Dreaming never appeared to be in danger of giving up his lead, though Lookin At Lee came closest.You can see the full results below:According to Beth Harris of the Associated Press (via the Denver Post): "The owners of Fast and Accurate paid the $200,000 supplemental fee to make the colt eligible for the Derby and as a result, the other two Triple Crown races."That raised the winner's share to $1,635,800 and made it the second-richest purse in the history of the race.As for the folks who betted on Always Dreaming, those payouts were as follows:It was the second Kentucky Derby win for both trainer Todd Pletcher andVelazquez, though the pair hadn't won the Derby together coming into Saturday. After the race, Pletcher was brought to tears by the moment."Its very special,"Velazquez said of winning with Pletcher, per Wolken. "With all the success weve had in the past, winning important races, missing this one is definitely a big one. Weve been 24 years together, something like that, and for him to still trust in me and give me an opportunity, it doesnt happen often in this business."Certainly, Always Dreaming will be the prohibitive favorite at the Preakness. While it's hard to imagine the horse running much better at Pimlico, the way in which he dominated the Derby bodes well going forward.Starting from the No. 5 post, Always Dreaming got off to an excellent start, escaping the crowd and eventually settling into second place. From there, he slid into first at the start of the turn and pulled away down the final straightaway, holding off the charging LookinAt Lee in the race's final moments.It was essentially a perfect race by Always Dreaming and Velazquez. Frankly, the colt lived up to his name, as Gil Brandt of NFL.com noted:Given his obvious ability to maintain a high pace and hold off chargers in the final straightaway, he appears well-equipped to handle the shorter Preakness.Wolken certainly believes as much:For now, however, his connections will be celebrating Saturday's victory."This is the greatest feeling," Vincent Viola, theFlorida Panthers owner and Always Dreaming co-owner alongside Anthony Bonomo, said after the race, according to Wolken. "We represent everybody who went to the racetrack for the first time with their dads and were astonished by the brilliance of these equine athletes and never fell out of love with the sport."
Click here to read full news..
