Kentucky Derby Results 2015: Video Highlights and Takeaways Entering Preakness

The 2015 Kentucky Derby lived up to every expectation and then some as American Pharoah galloped to victory, but the 141st running proved this more than anything else—the rest of the Triple Crown circuit will be a sight to behold.

Sure, there are incredible horses that grace the field for the Run for the Roses every year. But to say that this year was a loaded field would be putting it lightly, with five horses going 13-for-13 combined in their races leading up to Saturday's big event.

Their prestige was shown from the time the first gate flew open, as most of the second-rate favorites gave American Pharoah much more than a run for his money. And with the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes following close behind, the race results should have a telling impact on what's to come.

With that said, let's take a look at the results and video highlights before eyeing the Preakness on May 17.

2015 Kentucky Derby Results

Place	No.	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Lengths
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

Replay

Takeaways Entering Preakness

It's American Pharoah, Then Everyone Else

Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

Even though American Pharoah entered the Derby as the 3-1 pre-race favorite according to Odds Shark, the jury was still out on whether he belonged as the sole favorite in a field loaded with them.

Chief among American Pharoah's nemeses entering the race was fellow Bob Baffert trainee Dortmund, who assumed odds nearly as good at 17-4. Through the first half of the race, he proved why as he set the pace and led the pack.

But when the final turn came, jockey Victor Espinoza and his thoroughbred began making up ground—which wasn't much, since American Pharoah stayed comfortably close throughout. As Dortmund slowed down and Firing Line gave him a run for his money, American Pharoah reigned supreme.

Of course, the narrative shifts almost immediately to the Preakness upon entering the winner's circle. Considering how comfortable he looked out there while winning the biggest event in horse racing and the lack of tread on his tires, he's in good shape as Baffert told The Courier-Journal:

Most of the horses expected to test American Pharoah did just that, but it didn't seem to matter very much. Despite hardly being tested in any of his previous four victories, the victor stood up to the challenge and won in an unfamiliar sort of situation. 

Perhaps the only knock on the horse was whether he could hang in there down the stretch with the likes of Dortmund, Firing Line and others. Well, he just did that in about as convincing of fashion as you could hope for.

Dortmund, Firing Line Aren't Going Away

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

The Triple Crown circus amps up at a considerable rate whenever a favorite wins the Kentucky Derby, as the victory proves they can top their biggest contenders and win on the big stage. But considering the group of contenders American Pharoah has to deal with in the next two races, the brakes might need to be pumped a bit.

Dortmund's run was to be expected, as he took advantage of a No. 8 post position and set the tone early. But while he faded down the stretch, Firing Line surged in a furious fashion that put him neck and neck with Pharoah during the final furlong.

But if all three indeed make it to the Preakness, it will end a long drought as The Courier-Journal noted:

While Triple Crown hopefuls prefer that the other horses run in all three races to not get any extra rest advantage, American Pharoah's camp shouldn't be too ecstatic to see their biggest two contenders signing up for the Preakness. 

As Sports Illustrated's Tim Layden noted, neither horse expects to skip the Preakness, putting California Chrome owner Steve Coburn at ease following his tirade during the 2014 Belmont Stakes:

It's good for anybody protecting the integrity of the sport that the best horses aren't skipping the Preakness in order to have a better shot at Belmont, not to mention the simple level of competition at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. Noticeable withdrawals from Dortmund, Firing Line and the like could have essentially set up American Pharoah for a shoo-in victory.

If American Pharoah truly aspires to be the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978, he'll have to do so by beating the best opposition out there three separate times. And that's the way it should be.

Late Surges from Underdogs Set Tone for Preakness

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Between Dortmund, Firing Line and the other plethora of capable horses sure to descend upon Pimlico, there won't be a shortage of contenders against American Pharoah. But some of the dark-horse options beyond that will have to make the difficult decision of running again at Pimlico or getting fresh for Belmont.

Signing your horse up for the Preakness right on the heels of the Derby, however, requires either a ton of influence from ownership or something to happen to the track that proves a win can be obtained. One such horse that executed the latter could be Materiality.

After being near the back of the pack for the last turn, Materiality turned it on in dominating fashion and sprinted all the way to a sixth-place finish. But trainer Todd Pletcher isn't one to run his horse on short rest, and Mark Milligan noted how his strong finish was usurped:

"

Lots of tweets about Materiality in Kentucky Derby. Home turn is interesting, though, where Frosted basically leaves him for dead.

— Mark Milligan (@markmill_73) May 4, 2015"

Another trend to keep an eye on this time of year is a dangerous contender withdrawing from the Derby only to return at 100 percent health and refreshed for the Preakness. The three who could do just that are listed below by Daily Racing Form's Jay Privman:

Multiple horses who didn't even place in the Derby have dominated throughout the beginning of their racing careers, and it's not hard to see why. With a loaded field of 20 horses, getting bunched up can be unavoidable and can produce some uneasiness for the horse.

At the Preakness, however, it's traditionally a much more wide-open race. That could benefit the favorites much more so than the underdogs, but it just depends on what said underdogs' capabilities are. And every indication seems to point toward there being a deep field of capable contenders.