Winner fulfills Derby dream

going to have to go really fast to catch him.”

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen thought 33-1 long shot Lookin At Lee was poised to give him his first Derby victory when jockey Corey Lanerie made a late move on Always Dreaming. But Asmussen tipped his hat to Pletcher’s horse, who would not allow the distance to close.

“When Corey cut the corner, I thought we were the winner,” he said. “We didn’t win because that horse ran well to the wire. No other reason.” Always Dreaming simply never faded. “He was impressive,” said trainer Graham Motion, whose Maryland-based Irish War Cry went off as the 5-1 second choice but faded to finish 10th. “He ran fast and he finished fast.”

Always Dreaming, owned by a group that includes Florida Panthers owner Vinnie Viola and his childhood friend Anthony Bonomo, had become a bettors’ favorite based on his stellar performance in the April 1 Florida Derby and his strong workouts in the wake of that victory. But he also faced doubts because he was overly eager during training at Churchill Downs.

Pletcher’s quest all week was to keep the horse calm.

“He was so ready that I worried when he galloped, if he built up a head of steam, he might just go,” he said. He changed exercise riders and used “draw” reins in hopes of keeping the horse in check. His tactics paid off as Always Dreaming seemed unaffected by the crowd of 158,070 at Churchill Downs.

He went off as a 9-2 favorite despite coming in with just four career races and finished the 11⁄4 miles in 2 minutes, 3.59 seconds.

He paid $11.40 on a $2 bet to win, $7.20 on a $2 bet to place and $5.80 on a $2 bet to show. Lookin At Lee returned $26.60 and $15.20. Third-place finisher Battle of Midway returned $20.80.

Always Dreaming’s owners, Viola and Bonomo, recalled growing up together in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, N.Y., both with fathers who adored the racing game. Viola was the disciplined one who’d go on to West Point, Bonomo the big dreamer.

“Someone asked me if this is the greatest feeling I’ve ever had,” Viola said. “The answer is yes, aside from the births of my children and meeting my wife.”

Added Bonomo; “I think we just knew, when we got together, something special was going to happen.”

The 2017 Derby could not hold on to a favorite.

Classic Empire was the original choice coming off a win in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, but he delivered a clunker in his first race of the year and then missed five weeks of training because he was injured, refused to train or both. Then Irish War Cry staggered to an inexplicable seventh-place finish in the Fountain of Youth Stakes. Next up was Bob Baffert-trained Mastery, who won the San Felipe Stakes in brilliant fashion, then fractured his leg before he could even make it off the track. After that, the booby prize fell to McCraken, who couldn’t get past 31-1 shot Irap in the Blue Grass Stakes.

Finally, the whole narrative swung back to the beginning, with Classic Empire — his mental and physical woes seemingly behind him — starting as the morning-line favorite. Even then, bettors rejected the choice, pushing Always Dreaming and Irish War Cry above him in the pre-race odds.

Baffert, who left town after he won the Kentucky Oaks on Friday, dubbed it the “I don’t know Derby.”

The rain, which began falling Thursday and continued most of the time through early Saturday afternoon, added another element of uncertainty. Though the race started under sunny skies, the track surface did not have time to recover and was rated wet-fast.

Despite the muck, Irish War Cry’s effort to bring Derby glory back to Maryland looked good with ½ mile to go.

“[Jockey] Rajiv [Maragh] said he was cruising at the top of the stretch. He was looking around and I felt pretty confident,” Motion said. “He felt like he had a lot of horse. But then he went from having a lot of horse to not having enough horse within a few strides. Could it be the mile and a quarter? Maybe. I think it’s too early to tell. He just didn’t finish.”

When asked if he would run Irish War Cry in the home-state Preakness, Motion said, “I have to think about it. I’m not 100-percent sure I will.”

He said he’d like to have the colt fresh for the July 30 Haskell Invitational, a New Jersey race named after owner Isabelle de Tomaso’s father.

Pletcher, meanwhile, has often skipped the Preakness over the years with an eye on running fresh horses in the Belmont Stakes. But after Always Dreaming galloped out energetically at the end of the Derby, Pletcher said Baltimore is likely his next destination.

“I think if he’s doing well, we’re going to Baltimore,” the newest two-time Derby winner said. “I don’t think I’m going to have to twist anybody’s arm.” 143RD KENTUCKY DERBY CHART Saturday’s 12th race at Churchill Downs; 11⁄4 mile; 3-year-olds; Grade 1; dirt, clear Horse Wgt PP 1M Strch Always Dreaming 126 5 1- 1-3 Lookin At Lee 126 1 7-1⁄2 2- Battle of Midway 126 11 2-hd 3-2 Classic Empire 126 14 8-21⁄2 6-1 Practical Joke 126 19 5-hd 4-1 Tapwrit 126 16 10-2 8- Gunnevera 126 10 9-hd 10-4 McCraken 126 15 6- 9-2 Gormley 126 18 4-1 7- Irish War Cry 126 17 3-2 5-2 Hence 126 8 18- 12- Untrapped 126 4 16-hd 13-hd Girvin 126 7 13- 11-1 Patch 126 20 15- 16- J Boys Echo 126 13 17-hd 15-1 Sonneteer 126 12 12-hd 14- Fast and Accurate 126 3 19 18-hd Irap 126 9 11-hd 17-1 State of Honor 126 6 14-hd 19 Thunder Snow 126 2 _ _ Scratched: Royal Mo, Master Plan. $0.2 Pick 6 Jackpot (2/6-8-6-9-2-5/21/22) 6 Correct Paid $85,733.54 , 5 Correct Paid $181.58. $0.5 Pick 5 (8-6-9-2-5/21/22) 5 Correct Paid $50,063.35. $1 Pick 4 (6-9-2-5/21/22) 4 Correct Paid $6,882.80. Pick 3 (Oaks/Wdfrd/Derby P3 13-2-5) 3 Correct Paid $175.50, $1 Pick 3 (9-2-5) 3 Correct Paid $415.00. Consolation Pick 3 (Oaks/Wdfrd/Derby 13-7-5) 3 Correct Paid $35.10. Future Wager (Pool 1 - 24) paid $4.40; Future Wager (POOL 2 - 24) paid $7.00; Future Wager (Pool 3 - 1) paid $86.40; Future Wager (Pool 4 - 1) paid $14.20; $1 Superfecta (5-1-11-14) paid $75,974.50; $1 Super High Five (5-1-11-14-19) paid $493,348.70; Trifecta (5-1-11) paid $16,594.40; $1 Daily Double (2-5) paid $25.50; Daily Double (Oaks/Derby dbl 13-5) paid $146.00; Exacta (5-1) paid $336.20; Future Wager (Exacta Pool 1 - 24-11) paid $161.80; Future Wager (Exacta Pool 2 - 24-11) paid $180.80; Future Wager (Exacta Pool 3 - 1-24) paid $835.00; Future Wager (Exacta Pool 4 - 1-24) paid $19.40; Trainer: Todd Pletcher Winner: DK B/ C, 3, by Bodemeister-Above Perfection 2-1⁄2 17-hd 3-1⁄2 13-1 8-1 15-1 14-1 12-1 7- 4-1 18-3 10-2 11- 9-hd 16-2 19 5-1 6-1 1-1 _ 2-11⁄2 16-1 3-1⁄2 13-2 7-hd 14-hd 15- 11- 6- 4-hd 19 10-1 12-1 9- 17- 18- 5-2 8-3 1-1 _ 1-hd 16-11⁄2 4-31⁄2 12-11⁄2 8-1 15- 14-hd 10-hd 5- 3-hd 19 11- 13-1 9-1 17-1 18-hd 6-1 7- 2-hd _ Fin 1-2 2-5 3-1 4-1 5-1 6-3 7-hd 8-1 9-2 10-2 11-1 12-hd 13-1 14-2 15-3 16-2 17-12 18-5 19 _ Jockey J. Velazquez C. Lanerie F. Prat J. Leparoux J. Rosario J. Ortiz J. Castellano B. Hernandez, Jr. V. Espinoza R. Maragh F. Geroux R. Santana, Jr. M. Smith T. Gaffalione L. Saez K. Desormeaux C. Hill M. Gutierrez J. Lezcano C. Soumillon Win 11.40 26.60 20.80

6.80 27.80 27.10 10.00

6.90 22.30

4.80 15.00 58.00 22.10 14.10 47.30 39.70 41.80 41.40 54.00 16.40 Pl. 7.20 15.20 40.00 Sh. 5.80 33.20 Odds 4.70