Kentucky Derby Results: Union Rags Shouldn't Bother Showing Up to Preakness

I'll Have Another won the 2012 Kentucky Derby with an impressive come-from-behind push at the end, resulting in an exciting finish over Bodemeister and Dullahan. Union Rags was nowhere to be found, and I'd say he won't fare any better at the Preakness Stakes later this month.

Well, he did manage to scrape together a seventh-place finish, but for most of the race, Union Rags was way at the back of the pack (and I mean way back). You couldn't even see him in the final 200 yards as the cameras zoomed in on the leaders.

For a horse who was considered to be one of the heavy favorites—he had 5/1 odds at the start of the race—Union Rags looked nothing like a champion.

Instead, we saw a performance worthy of a 50/1 long shot who somehow managed to scrape together a modicum of respectability at the end, moving from the back of the pack to the middle.

Union Rags' jockey Julien Leparoux spoke to the media before the race, via Philly.com: "There is going to be more pace. I don't want to rush him into going with them too early. I think [the pace] is good for us. We've got to answer the question on Saturday."

They answered the question all right, but in the end it wasn't the answer they were looking for.

People wanted to try and compare Union Rags to his predecessor, Barbaro. Trainer Michael Matz spoke about the two horses before the race via the Boston Herald:

"

I’ve had one great horse in Barbaro and I think I might have a second one. It’s a great opportunity. It’s a great feeling. It’s been six years since I came back where I think I have a chance, and that’s what we work for.

"

I hate to say it, but Union Rags isn't anywhere near the kind of champion Barbaro was, and the sooner Matz comes to grips with this reality, the better off they'll both be.

Check out the unofficial results below—with the final odds as found on the official Kentucky Derby website. 

Finish	Horse	Jockey	Post	Odds
1	I'll Have Another	Mario Gutierrez	19	15-1
2	Bodemeister	Mike Smith	6	4-1
3	Dullahan	Kent Desormeaux	5	12-1
4	Went The Day Well	John Velazquez	13	30-1
5	Creative Cause	Joel Rosario	8	11-1
6	Liason	Martin Garcia	20	56-1
7	Union Rags	Julien Leparoux	4	5-1
8	Rousing Sermon	Jose Lezcano	7	40-1
9	Hansen	Ramon Dominguez	14	13-1
10	Daddy Long Legs	Colm O'Donoghue	1	26-1
11	Optimizer	Jon Court	2	42-1
12	Alpha	Rajiv Maragh	11	19-1
13	El Padrino	Rafael Bejarano	16	29-1
14	Done Talking	Sheldon Russell	17	39-1
15	Sabercat	Corey Nakatani	18	37-1
16	Gemologist	Javier Castellano	15	18-1
17	Trinniberg	Willie Martinez	19	44-1
18	Prospective	Luis Contreras	12	57-1
19	Take Charge Indy	Calvin Borel	3	11-1
20	Daddy Nose Best	Garrett Gomez	10	14-1

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