Kentucky Derby 2015 Video Replay, Highlights and Recap

American Pharoah was one of the heavy favorites to win the 2015 Kentucky Derby, and he lived up to his massive expectations, capturing the Run for the Roses on Saturday at Churchill Downs.

The three-year-old colt lingered near the top of the pack for most of the race and really turned on the jets in the final stretch. He and Firing Line engaged in a breathless battle for the top spot, and American Pharoah narrowly edged out the victory, per Bleacher Report:

Here's a look at the full results:

This is how the payouts for the top three finishers looked:

Heading into the race, one of the potential concerns for American Pharoah was that he could struggle should he find himself in trouble during the Derby. The colt hasn't really been tested too much in close races, and until that happened, there was no telling how he'd react.

In retrospect, that concern proved to be unfounded. Starting out in the No. 17 post position certainly helped jockey Victor Espinoza avoid getting stuck in on the rail. Espinoza picked out a great spot just off the rail, leaving him and American Pharoah more than enough room to make their move around the final turn.

"I feel like the luckiest Mexican on earth," Espinoza told NBC after the race (via Melissa Hoppert of The New York Times). "He’s just an amazing horse. I finally let him run today."

According to ESPN Stats & Info, American Pharoah's triumph makes it three years in a row that the odds-on favorite went on to win the Kentucky Derby:

For trainer Bob Baffert, Saturday's win means getting into a tie for second on the all-time wins list:

Baffert had a pretty good day all around. Not only can he bask in American Pharoah's success, but he also trained Dortmund, the third-place finisher.

Dortmund led for much of the race, but the longer the Derby went on, the more he started falling off. He very nearly fell back to fourth as Frosted continued to gain ground.

The focus will now shift to the Preakness Stakes, the next stop on the Triple Crown circuit.

Horse racing has waited since Affirmed in 1978 to see a Triple Crown winner. There have been a few horses to narrowly close in on the legendary achievement, but they've ultimately failed to deliver.

The question now becomes whether American Pharoah can succeed where so many have failed.