American Pharoah and Victor Espinoza: Kentucky Derby Payout, Pedigree Info, More
The Kentucky Derby is known as the fastest two minutes in sports, but the 2015 edition felt like the longest two minutes in sports for anyone who backed champion American Pharoah.
The favorite found himself behind for the majority of the race, but he hunted down Firing Line and Dortmund during a nerve-wracking stretch run in an incredible display of sheer speed and power from the outside. The final kick to the finish line was a heart-pounding adrenaline rush, and it looked like any of the top three horses could win.
Alas, it was American Pharoah and jockey Victor Espinoza, and it didn't even matter that he had to cover more ground from the outside on that final turn. It was an incredible race that lived up to the overwhelming hype and will likely serve as the springboard for a potential Triple Crown challenge from the winner.
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Here is a look at the complete payout information and the results from the 2015 Kentucky Derby, as well as a video of the dramatic finish.
| American Pharoah | $7.80 | $5.80 | $4.20 |
| Firing Line | ----- | $8.40 | $5.40 |
| Dortmund | ----- | ----- | $4.20 |
| 1 | 18 | American Pharoah | Victor Espinoza | Bob Baffert | ----- |
| 2 | 10 | Firing Line | Gary Stevens | Simon Callaghan | 1 |
| 3 | 8 | Dortmund | Martin Garcia | Bob Baffert | 3 |
| 4 | 15 | Frosted | Joel Rosario | Kiaran McLaughlin | 3 1/4 |
| 5 | 5 | Danzig Moon | Julien Leparoux | Mark Casse | 6 1/2 |
| 6 | 3 | Materiality | Javier Castellano | Todd Pletcher | 7 3/4 |
| 7 | 14 | Keen Ice | Kent Desormeaux | Dale Romans | 8 3/4 |
| 8 | 6 | Mubtaahij | Christophe Soumillon | Mike de Kock | 9 1/2 |
| 9 | 13 | Itsaknockout | Luis Saez | Todd Pletcher | 10 1/4 |
| 10 | 2 | Carpe Diem | John Velazquez | Todd Pletcher | 11 |
| 11 | 21 | Frammento | Corey Nakatani | Nick Zito | 12 |
| 12 | 9 | Bolo | Rafael Bejarano | Carla Gaines | 12 3/4 |
| 13 | 17 | Mr. Z | Ramon Vazquez | D. Wayne Lukas | 15 1/2 |
| 14 | 1 | Ocho Ocho Ocho | Elvis Trujillo | Jim Cassidy | 15 1/2 |
| 15 | 20 | Far Right | Mike Smith | Ron Moquett | 15 3/4 |
| 16 | 16 | War Story | Joe Talamo | Tom Amoss | 19 1/4 |
| 17 | 4 | Tencendur | Manny Franco | George Weaver | 35 |
| 18 | 19 | Upstart | Jose Ortiz | Rick Violette Jr. | 60 1/2 |
| 7 | El Kabeir | Calvin Borel | John Terranova | SCR | |
| 11 | Stanford | Florent Geroux | Todd Pletcher | SCR | |
| 12 | International Star | Miguel Mena | Michael Maker | SCR |
Horse racing is such a unique sport because pedigree matters. One thrilling victory at the Kentucky Derby means a horse is worth millions, and there is a solid chance that he will sire Derby contenders in the future.
There is natural curiosity, then, about the Kentucky Derby winner's pedigree, and American Pharoah boasts an impressive one.
He was sired by Pioneerof the Nile, who finished in second place in the 2009 Kentucky Derby. Fortunately for trainer Bob Baffert, American Pharoah placed just a bit better than Pioneerof the Nile on horse racing's brightest stage.
Pioneerof the Nile is the son of Empire Maker, who won the 2003 Belmont and also finished as a Kentucky Derby runner-up that year. Empire Maker was sired by 1990 Kentucky Derby champion Unbridled.
In sum, American Pharoah is just the latest horse in an incredible line of marquee performers.
American Pharoah's dam is Littleprincessemma, who is the daughter of Yankee Gentleman and Exclusive Rosette. Yankee Gentleman and Exclusive Rosette were both stakes-winning sprinters, so American Pharoah has both sides of the family to thank for his Run for the Roses performance.
As for American Pharoah's trainer, Baffert, this is business as usual. He won the 1997 and 1998 Kentucky Derbies with Silver Charm and Real Quiet and added another Derby title in 2002 with War Emblem. Espinoza has also made a habit of jockeying horses to the title at Churchill Downs considering he won it in 2002 with War Emblem and last year with California Chrome.
Espinoza commented on the win, per Derby News of The Courier-Journal:
One of the differences this time around for Baffert and Espinoza was it happened in front of a record crowd, per the Kentucky Derby:
American Pharoah's victory meant that the favorite won at Churchill Downs yet again. ESPN Stats & Info pointed out how rare that was before the past few years:
It may sound somewhat boring that the favorite won on paper, but it was nearly a photo finish and included the two pre-race favorites and another challenger in a sprint for the finish line. Beau Bishop of WBNS-10TV in Columbus commented on what a treat that type of showing was for horse racing fans:
The fact that American Pharoah came from one of the outside gates makes Saturday's performance all the more impressive. It also represented the first time he was truly challenged in a major race considering he destroyed the field at the Arkansas Derby and won his last four races by more than a combined 22 lengths.
Any questions about American Pharoah's ability to come through in a nail-biting finish were answered at Churchill Downs under the biggest of microscopes.
Attention now turns to the Preakness and a potential Triple Crown challenge from the winner.
While it has not happened since 1978 when Affirmed achieved horse racing's most storied accomplishment, it is not that difficult to envision American Pharoah making history in 2015. He has the trainer and jockey combination to do so from a resume standpoint, and Espinoza has experience parlaying a Kentucky Derby win into a subsequent Preakness victory.
Espinoza won the first two legs of the Triple Crown last year with California Chrome and in 2002 with War Emblem, and he has the ideal horse to do so again this year.
American Pharoah showed that he can seize an initial lead and destroy the rest of the field at the Arkansas Derby and then proved he can come from behind on a strong final push at the Kentucky Derby. That type of versatility and ability to win races a number of different ways is key in a Triple Crown run, especially given the grueling schedule (the Preakness is in two weeks).
American Pharoah has an experienced jockey in his corner and enough speed and power to beat any horse. Don't be surprised if we are talking about a potential Triple Crown after the Preakness.
*All pedigree information is courtesy of KentuckyDerby.com.
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