Santa Anita Derby 2016 Results: Winner, Payouts and Order of Finish
The Santa Anita Derby has produced some impressive Kentucky Derby contenders in recent years. Past winners from the last decade include Dortmund, California Chrome, I'll Have Another, Goldencents and Pioneerof the Nile, all of whom have gone on to achieve some level of fame in their racing careers.
This year's field was vying Saturday for a whopping 100 qualifying points toward a spot in May 7's Derby at Churchill Downs and the lion's share of a $1 million purse.
The field featured three heavily favored runners in Mor Spirit, Danzing Candy and Exaggerator, and for the most part, the race played out true to form as Exaggerator took home the victory, while Mor Spirit and Uncle Lino rounded out the tote-board finishers.
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For his efforts, Exaggerator has secured a spot in the Kentucky Derby as a recipient of 100 qualifying points, while Mor Spirit is almost a surefire runner after earning 50 points for a second-place finish.
How we got to this point is significant, though, as the happenings of this race will give us a look at what to expect from a rather wide-open Derby field next month. So, with that in mind, let's recap the 2016 Santa Anita Derby.
Final Order of Finish
| 1 | Exaggerator | J Keith Desormeaux | Kent Desormeaux | 3-1 |
| 2 | Mor Spirit | Bob Baffert | Gary Stevens | 7-5 |
| 3 | Uncle Lino | Gary Sherlock | Fernando Perez | 26-1 |
| 4 | Danzing Candy | Clifford Sise Jr | Mike Smith | 8-5 |
| 5 | Diplodocus | Richard Baltas | Tyler Baze | 64-1 |
| 6 | Denman's Call | Doug O'Neill | Rafael Bejarano | 18-1 |
| 7 | Smokey Image | Carla Gaines | Victor Espinoza | 14-1 |
| 8 | Iron Rob | George Papaprodromou | Stewart Elliott | 37-1 |
Payouts
| Exaggerator | $8.80 | $3.60 | $2.80 |
| Mor Spirit | -- | $2.80 | $2.40 |
| Uncle Lino | -- | -- | $5.00 |
Race Replay
Race Recap
Another Derby prep down and another race to show us that this year's Run for the Roses is wide-open, though Nyquist is widely viewed as being at the top of the heap.
Exaggerator came into the race as the third choice but trounced his competitors en route to a huge seven-length victory over the next closest runner, Mor Spirit.
Trainer Keith Desormeaux had this Curlin colt ready to go, and he looked poised and mature has he broke from the gate and dropped back immediately into a deep closer's position. Keith talks about his pre-race desire to drop back and close in the video below:
From there, four-time Kentucky Derby winning jockey Kent Desormeaux (Keith's Brother) showed off his skill, holding the three-year old back over 10 lengths behind the leader, Danzing Candy.
Danzing Candy, ridden by Mike Smith, jumped out to an early lead through an opening quarter-mile in a blistering 22.05 seconds. From there, Smith led the colt through a half-mile in an equally ridiculous 45.13 seconds.
Well before Smith and Danzing Candy reached the quarter pole in 1:10.01, it was clear that they had nothing left in the tank, and the pace began to break down, leaving Uncle Lino to challenge for the lead as the field came out of the turn for home.
Exaggerator was having none of that, though, as he, in the words of Santa Anita race-caller Craig Evans, went "straight past them like they were tied to the rail."
From there, the Desormeaux-trained colt blew out to a multi-length victory and finished as impressively as you could ask him to—the move and finishing power are evident in the video clip below:
It was an ugly race out front, as the leading group ran blistering, unsustainable fractions, leaving a closer like Exaggerator to pick up the pieces. Though you can't fault him for that—he did what you'd want a closer to do—it's hard to imagine him getting such a perfect trip in the Kentucky Derby.
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