Kentucky Derby 2014 Winner: California Chrome's Finish Time, Highlights, Purse

California Chrome earned his oats on Saturday evening.

The three-year-old colt reigned supreme at Churchill Downs, taking home the 2014 Kentucky Derby. He finished in two minutes, 3.66 seconds and 1 3/4 lengths ahead of Commanding Curve:

You can see the full results below.

Pos.	Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Lengths	Purse
1	5	California Chrome	Victor Espinoza	Art Sherman	-	$1,417,800
2	17	Commanding Curve	Shaun Bridgmohan	Dallas Stewart	1 3/4	$400,000
3	4	Danza	Joe Bravo	Todd Pletcher	3	$200,000
4	20	Wicked Strong	Rajiv Maragh	Jimmy Jerkens	5 3/4	$100,000
5	6	Samraat	Jose Ortiz	Rick Violette Jr.	5 3/4	$60,000
6	12	Dance With Fate	Corey Nakatani	Peter Eurton	6 1/4	---
7	19	Ride On Curlin	Calvin Borel	Billy Gowan	6 3/4	---
8	14	Medal Count	Robby Albarado	Dale Romans	7 1/2	---
9	13	Chitu	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	8	---
10	7	We Miss Artie	Javier Castellano	Todd Pletcher	8 1/4	---
11	8	General A Rod	Joel Rosario	Mike Maker	8 1/4	---
12	16	Intense Holiday	John Velazquez	Todd Pletcher	9	---
13	18	Candy Boy	Gary Stevens	John Sadler	11 3/4	---
14	3	Uncle Sigh	Irad Ortiz Jr.	Gary Contessa	15	---
15	15	Tapiture	Ricardo Santana Jr.	Steve Asmussen	16 1/4	---
16	2	Harry's Holiday	Corey Lanerie	Mike Maker	22 1/2	---
17	9	Vinceremos	Joe Rococo Jr.	Todd Pletcher	28	---
18	10	Wildcat Red	Luis Saez	Jose Garoffalo	28 1/4	---
19	1	Vicar's In Trouble	Rosie Napravnik	Mike Maker	38 1/4	---

California Chrome entered the race as the favorite, and he performed as such.

The colt helped to set the pace early in the race before falling back behind the leaders. Jockey Victor Espinoza always made sure to stay close to Uncle Sigh and Chitu, who were running first and second.

On the final turn, Espinoza made his move, and that was all she wrote.

Although some will point to the fact that California Chrome didn't post all that impressive of a time, it's worth noting that Espinoza looked to have pulled off on the reins a bit near the finish line. He wanted to bask in the moment and drop a celebratory fist pump.

This is Espinoza's second Derby win. Coincidentally, his last came riding the favorite from the No. 5 post position, per ESPN Stats and Info:

After the race, he commented that after his win in 2002 with War Emblem, he thought the Kentucky Derby well had dried up, per the Daily Racing Form:

"I thought he rode him perfect," California Chrome trainer Art Sherman said of Espinoza, per the Associated Press, via ESPN.com. "I was riding the last 70 yards with Victor, so I think he was riding two. He had a lot of weight on him, I can tell you that."

Sherman also called it the "biggest thrill" of his life, per the Kentucky Derby:

At 77 years old, Sherman became the oldest trainer ever to win the Kentucky Derby, per Jonathan Lintner of The Courier-Journal:

Being the owners of the Derby-winning horse is always a prestigious honor. For DAP, the stable that houses California Chrome, the victory also proved a sound financial decision, per ESPN's Darren Rovell:

With the Derby out of the way, the focus will now shift to the next stage in the Triple Crown: the Preakness Stakes on May 17.

Given that Pimlico is the shortest track on the Triple Crown circuit, it lends itself to slightly more surprise finishers. The playing field is leveled a bit more because the underdogs don't have to run as fast for quite as long.

However, California Chrome probably would've won the Kentucky Derby if it was raced over 1 3/16 miles. He didn't need some improbable final kick to pull out a win at the wire.

Espinoza knew exactly when to make his move and ensured that the colt would have enough stamina to hold the lead. He should be able to adjust for the Preakness, and California Chrome certainly looks capable of winning on a shorter track.

If he does make it two for two at Pimlico, then we can truly begin the Triple Crown discussion.