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Kentucky Derby 2012 Results: What We Learned from a Thrilling Run for the Roses
May 7, 2012
The 2012 Kentucky Derby came and went in a flash and left us with a plethora of intriguing storylines to breakdown. I'll Have Another, a 15-1 odds horse at post time, kicked it into high gear on the final furlong, blowing by winded favorite Bodemeister (4-1 odds) to claim victory at the 138th Run for the Roses.
In case you missed the race and all the drama that surrounded it, here are some of the dominant storylines from this past weekend's action:
No More Post No. 19 Curse
Before Saturday's roaring comeback win by I'll Have Another, who held 15-1 odds at the start of the 1.25-mile race, no horse had ever won from post No. 19 in the event's 138-year history. Horses starting from that post were 0-of-137 all time at the Kentucky Derby, leading many to believe that it would never happen.
History shows that those horses starting closest to the rail at Churchill Downs have the most success at the Derby, but I'll Have Another destroyed that notion by defying the odds on Saturday. After Saturday's Derby, post No. 17 remains the only one of the 20 in which a horse has never won from dating back to 1875.
Calvin Borel Has His Bad Days
Champion jockey Calvin Borel had won three of the previous five Runs for the Roses coming into this past weekend's race, but failed to capitalize on what many thought was a strong racehorse in Take Charge Indy, who went off at 11-1 odds Saturday afternoon.
Borel and Take Charge Indy took off from post No. 3 and rode towards the front for the first minute or so of the race, riding in the top five, but fell off considerably as the action got tighter in the final minute. In the end it was a frustrating 19th-place finish for the legendary horseman and his Florida Derby champion thoroughbred.
Disappointments Are Inevitable
There were a solid share of disappointing thoroughbreds at this year's event. Most notably Union Rags, who finished seventh and never truly challenged for the lead despite boasting 5-1 odds on Saturday. As already mentioned, Take Charge Indy was a total flop, finishing 19th in the field of 20 racehorses.
In addition to those two, Hansen and Daddy Nose Best, who had 13-1 and 14-1 odds respectively coming into the event, disappointed as they finished towards the middle of the pack, ninth and 10th respectively. Additional favorites Bodemeister (4-1), Dullahan (12-1) and Creative Cause (11-1) all finished in the top five Saturday.
Unofficial results below - (via 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 | Liaison | 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 Nose Best |
Garett Gomez | 10 | 14-1 |
| 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 Long Legs | Colm O'Donoghue | 1 | 26-1 |
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