Kentucky Derby Results: What We Learned from a Thrilling Run for the Roses

Orb is the 2013 Kentucky Derby champion after a thrilling Run for the Roses.

The Shug McGaughey-trained horse took the lead down the home stretch and never looked back—holding on to beat Golden Soul and a fast-finishing Revolutionary. The win become just the fifth-time that a favorite has won the Derby in the last 25 years, but this one was completely deserved for Orb.

In case you missed it, here are some of the big storylines and talking points to emerge from the 139th Kentucky Derby and Orb's thrilling victory on the night.

The Rain Played Havoc for Many Horses

As expected, the rain at Churchill Downs this week meant that the chances of several horses were going to change. For some—like Golden Soul—that was a positive thing, but for the vast majority of the field, the rain severely dented their chances at success.

Pre-race contenders such as Goldencents, Overanalyze, Verrazano and Itsmyluckyday were all found wanting in the sluggish conditions—as the more renown wet-track horses came to the fore—finishing up to 49 lengths behind the first-place finisher in Orb.

It simply wasn't their day in the rain. 

As Did the Blistering Pace

Yet as much as the rain played havoc to the race, the blistering pace here also severely dented the chances of several horses, with Palace Malice setting a brutal pace early on in the race.

He registered an incredible 45.1 for the half-mile and forced horses to go much quicker than they had expected. The likes of Verrazano were caught out by the quick pace, and despite Palace Malice fading quickly, the damage had already been done.

Those trailing the leaders—such as Orb—were able to make strong runs once they hit the final stretch and utilize the long home straight at Churchill Downs to their advantage.

Calvin Borel Learned From Last Year's Mistakes

Last year, Calvin Borel chalked up a very disappointing in the Derby on board Take Charge Indy, who slipped down the field throughout the race to finish in 19th position.

And whilst his horse this year in Revolutionary was arguably stronger than that of Take Charge Indy, it was also clear that Borel has learned from his mistakes—guiding Revolutionary home along the inside to just nab third ahead of Normandy Invasion.

It was a stellar ride from Borel, and one that will no doubt please connections; perhaps more importantly, it was one that showed he's still a champion Derby jockey and a serious threat in 2014.

Orb is a Deserved Champion

Yet perhaps the biggest storyline to emerge from the weekend is that of Orb, who is a deserved champion in 2013. He was brilliantly ridden by Joel Rosario throughout the race, and despite taking some time to end up with favorite status, he still ended up winning the first-place prize.

Orb handled the wet conditions and quick pace perfectly—biding his time and coming from the back with a strong run. He took the lead down the home straight, and whilst he did look unsettled for a moment, he quickly got back in stride to pull away from the chasing field.

He has been the best horse in 2013 so far and showed that here with a comprehensive victory—one that was completely and utterly deserved for the colt.

2013 Kentucky Derby: Complete Standings for Entire Field

Place	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Post
1	Orb	Joel Rosario	Claude R. McGaughey III	16
2	Golden Soul	Robby Albarado	Dallas Stewart	4
3	Revolutionary	Calvin Borel	Todd Pletcher	3
4	Normandy Invasion	Javier Castellano	Chad Brown	5
5	Mylute	Rosie Napravnik	Tom Amoss	6
6	Oxbow	Gary Stevens	D. Wayne Lukas	2
7	Lines of Battle	Ryan Moore	Aidan O'Brien	11
8	Will Take Charge	Jon Court	D. Wayne Lukas	17
9	Charming Kitten	Edgar Prado	Todd Pletcher	15
10	Giant Finish	Jose L. Espinoza	Anthony W. Dutrow	7
11	Overanalyze	Rafael Bejarano	Todd Pletcher	9
12	Palace Malice	Mike Smith	Todd Pletcher	10
13	Java's War	Julien Leparoux	Kenny McPeek	19
14	Verrazano	John R. Velazquez	Todd Pletcher	14
15	Itsmyluckyday	Elvis Trujillo	Eddie Plesa, Jr.	12
16	Frac Daddy	Victor Lebron	Kenny McPeek	18
17	Goldencents	Kevin Krigger	Doug O'Neill	8
18	Vyjack	Garrett Gomez	Rudy Rodriguez	20
19	Falling Sky	Luis Saez	John Terranova II	13

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