Always Dreaming victorious in mud
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — It was an up-and-down year for the 3-year-olds who were being steered toward the Kentucky Derby: There were injuries and upsets and even an overarching sense of malaise as a clear favorite failed to emerge.
But hope springs eternal at Churchill Downs, and for many, there is no better place to be than the Bluegrass State on the first Saturday in May.
And so the owners and
the trainers of the 20 horses running in the $2 million Kentucky Derby, two years after American Pharoah became the first Triple Crown champion since 1978, were hoping to begin another history-making run.
In the end it was Always Dreaming, ridden by John Velazquez, who proved to be the best on a soggy Saturday, capturing the $1.64 million first-place paycheck. He completed the mile and a quarter in 2 minutes, 3.59 seconds over a sloppy track and returned $11.40 on a $2 bet to win. Lookin at Lee finished second, 2 ¾ lengths back, and Battle of Midway was third.
The victory was the second at the Derby for trainer Todd Pletcher, who won in 2010 when Super Saver savored the slop, and for Velazquez, who won aboard Animal Kingdom in 2011.
‘‘I thought we had a big shot when we turned for home,” said the usually stoic Pletcher, who acknowledged that he had some tears forming behind his sunglasses. ‘‘I think it’s even more special than the first one.”
Always Dreaming was sent off at 9-2 odds, making this the fifth straight year that a favorite won the Derby, the longest such stretch since the 1970s.
Always Dreaming is partly owned by billionaire Wall Street trader Vincent Viola, a New York City native and President Donald Trump’s first choice to be the secretary of the Army. Viola, who withdrew from consideration after concluding it would be difficult to untangle himself from his business ties, is also the owner of the Florida Panthers. Perhaps appropriately, the Stanley Cup paid a visit to Always Dreaming at Barn 40 on Saturday morning.
‘‘There’s no feeling like this,” Viola said after the race. He said that a trip to Aqueduct in 1965 had stoked his interest in horse racing. ‘‘From that moment, I’ve been passionately attached to this sport.”
Classic Empire, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner and 2-year-old champion, who overcame injuries to win the Arkansas Derby in April, was the 4-1 morning-line favorite. Ridden by Julien Leparoux, Classic Empire had won twice at Churchill Downs, including a debut victory last year during Derby week, but he had been sidelined with foot and back problems. He finished fourth.
The Wood Memorial winner, Irish War Cry, drew the dreaded No. 17 hole, from which no horse has ever won. The bad luck continued Saturday as he finished 10th.
Always Dreaming will travel to Baltimore and try to conquer the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes, on May 20. Perhaps most important, he will try to prove that he was the best of this 3-year-old bunch all along.