Kentucky Derby Results: Biggest Surprises from 139th Running for the Roses

The 139th Run for the Roses took more than a few interesting turns, as the 2013 Kentucky Derby was full of surprises from Churchill Downs on Saturday.

Orb, the consensus favorite entering the derby, lived up to his hype by breezing through the competition with a 2.5-length victory, per ESPN. While an Orb win certainly wasn't a shocker, there were some big surprises from the Kentucky Derby this past weekend.

Here are the three biggest things that stood out to me.

Kentucky Derby Results

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

Verrazano Finishes Near Back of the Pack

Under the care of famous trainer Todd Pletcher and experienced jockey John Velazquez, Verrazano was supposed to be a legitimate contender in the 2013 Kentucky Derby.

In their power rankings entering the Run for the Roses, the guys at the Daily Racing Forum had Verrazano as their No. 2 horse for the race. Instead, the colt placed a dismal 14th after being undefeated in four starts.

Verrazano had 8-1 odds entering the race (via KentuckyDerby.com) but was never a factor in the race, starting from the 14th post.

Pletcher had a rough day on Saturday, but nothing was more surprising than the performance of Verrazano.

Astonishing Performance for Golden Soul

Golden Soul entered the 2013 Kentucky Derby with 34-1 odds (via KentuckyDerby.com) and left Churchill downs placing second in the 139th Run for the Roses.

What's so impressive about Golden Soul's placing on Saturday is that he did it on a sloppy track. Golden Soul is known as a stretch runner, so the muddy track wasn't necessarily a benefit for the colt on race day.

Coming from behind, Golden Soul persevered through the inclement weather to earn trainer Dallas Stewart and jockey Robby Albarado a second-place finish.

After a fourth-place finish in the Louisiana Derby on Mar. 30, Golden Soul upped the ante and rewarded those bold enough to put their money down on the longshot. 

Todd Pletcher Horses Disappoint

Entering the Run for the Roses, Todd Pletcher was pegged to find success in the derby due to boasting five horses in the race.

His prized horse, Verrazano, was the biggest disappointment among Pletcher-trained colts, as he finished 14th after analysts had predicted him to finish near the top. While Revolutionary did place third, Charming Kitten finished a disheartening ninth while Overanalyze and Palace Malice finished 11th and 12th.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, Pletcher hasn't had much success in the derby despite his reputation as one of the best trainers.

While Revolutionary became the second top-six finisher for Pletcher, the top finish doesn't outweigh the lack of performance from Pletcher's horses on Saturday.

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