Kentucky Derby Results 2015: Video Highlights, Prize Money and Reaction
Congratulations to those horse racing fans who can hold their breath for an entire two minutes because that is exactly what everyone did during the 2015 Kentucky Derby.
American Pharoah came from behind during the stretch run to overcome Firing Line and Dortmund in a thrilling kick to the finish. For a moment, it looked as if Firing Line was going to hold off the formidable challenge from the two favorites, but American Pharoah had just enough left in the tank from the outside for a dramatic victory.
It was a heart-stopping conclusion to the fastest two minutes in sports, as Matt Edwards of NBC Cincinnati pointed out:
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Here is a video of the nail-biting finish, as well as a look at the final results, payout information and prize money. The prize-money figures are courtesy of KentuckyDerby.com:
| 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 | 7 |
| 11 | Stanford | Florent Geroux | Todd Pletcher | SCR | 11 |
| 12 | International Star | Miguel Mena | Michael Maker | SCR | 12 |
| American Pharoah | $7.80 | $5.80 | $4.20 |
| Firing Line | ----- | $8.40 | $5.40 |
| Dortmund | ----- | ----- | $4.20 |
| $2 million | $1.24 million | $400,000 | $200,000 | $100,000 | $60,000 |
It wasn't just that American Pharoah won—how he won was impressive.
He was the favorite heading into the Kentucky Derby because of his sheer domination in past races, including the Arkansas Derby where he dusted the field by eight lengths. Nobody had challenged American Pharoah at his best, and not even previously undefeated Dortmund was seen as the favorite for Saturday's race as a result.
The only question was whether American Pharoah would respond when challenged, and he did just that.
He came all the way from the outside of the pack to overcome Dortmund, who was in a favorable position on the inside for the final turn, and Firing Line. American Pharoah covered more ground in a faster time than any of the other top finishers with that outside kick, and he looked strong and powerful in the process.
There is some versatility in this horse, and he doesn't just have to win in blowout fashion with a strong start.
American Pharoah has some advantages, not the least of which is trainer Bob Baffert. He now has four Kentucky Derby victories on his illustrious resume (1997 with Silver Charm, 1998 with Real Quiet and 2002 with War Emblem) and is one of the best trainers in the sport's history. He commented on Saturday's performance, per Derby News of The Courier-Journal:
Another thing working in American Pharoah's favor is jockey Victor Espinoza, who won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness last year with California Chrome and in 2002 with War Emblem (when he also paired with Baffert).
He has an instinctual understanding of how to jockey the best horses in the field and performed accordingly Saturday.
The question now becomes whether Espinoza can once again parlay a victory at Churchill Downs into a Preakness victory and potential Triple Crown run. Sure, it hasn't happened since 1978 when Affirmed did so, but the horse who won Saturday is more than capable of accomplishing the elusive feat.
Bruce Beck of NBC New York City suggested as much:
American Pharoah also has a winning pedigree to go along with the impressive jockey and trainer combination that should bolster those Triple Crown chances. He was sired by 2009 Kentucky Derby runner-up Pioneerof the Nile and is the grandson of Empire Maker, who won the 2003 Belmont and finished in second place at the Kentucky Derby that year.
The 1990 Derby champion, Unbridled, is American Pharoah's great grandfather.
The bottom line is he has the pedigree and a jockey who won the first two legs of the Triple Crown earlier in his career on two different occasions. American Pharoah also proved that he can come from behind during Saturday's Run for the Roses and is more than capable of destroying the rest of the field as well (see the Arkansas Derby).
He has the speed, the pedigree and the jockey. All American Pharoah has to do now is be the first horse to make Triple Crown history in 37 years.
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