Arkansas Derby 2016 Results: Winner, Payouts and Order of Finish
In a race headlined by Bob Baffert's Cupid and Ron Moquett's Whitmore, two horses who looked poised to qualify for the Kentucky Derby, Steven Asmussen's Creator won Saturday's Arkansas Derby and, with it, 100 Kentucky Derby qualifying points.
Here is a look at the race order and payouts:
| 1 | Creator |
| 2 | Suddenbreakingnews |
| 3 | Whitmore |
| 4 | Dazzling Gem |
| 5 | Gettysburg |
| 6 | Discreetness |
| 7 | Cutacorner |
| 8 | Gray Sky |
| 9 | American Pioneer |
| 10 | Cupid |
| 11 | Unbridled Outlaw |
| 12 | Luna de Loco |
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| Creator | $25.20 | $8.60 | $5.00 |
| Suddenbreakingnews | $6.00 | $4.00 | |
| Whitmore | $3.80 |
A bad start saw Whitmore relegated to the back of the pack as Gettysburg took an early lead and kept it for a majority of the 1 1/8-mile race.
His biggest threat was Cupid, who was a stride or two behind, as Creator, starting from the third stall, was in dead last on the backstretch.
There was no improvement after the race's first 1,100 yards, as Creator was still in 12th with a half-mile remaining.
But on the home stretch, the pack tightened up, and Creator made his move toward the outside and turned loose, flying to the front, as TVG showed:
Creator wasn't alone in his charge. Whitmore joined him as the duo overtook the two leaders along with Suddenbreakingnews.
Cupid, who started the race in 11th place in the Kentucky Derby standings, ran out of gas when jockey Martin Garcia went to the whip as the pack was entering the backstretch.
Creator had just 10 points and ranked 31st before Saturday's race. With the victory, he vaulted into a top-10 spot.
Given that the Kentucky Derby is just a few weeks away, Creator should have a spot in the field and could bring the upset from Arkansas to Churchill Downs at one of the biggest races of the year.
Stats courtesy of DRF.com.
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