Kentucky Derby Results 2016: Triple Crown Outlook After Reviewing Race Chart

Nyquist set Triple Crown speculation into motion by winning the 2016 Kentucky Derby on Saturday.

The favored horse remained perfect with a 2:01.31 final time, becoming the event's eighth champion with an undefeated record (8-0). With the top contender backing up the hype, the conversation turns to his ability to up that mark to 10-0 and make history.

A dozen horses have captured the Triple Crown after American Pharoah snapped a 37-year drought last year. The previous two to sweep all three legs, Seattle Slew in 1977 and Affirmed in 1978, are the only colts to earn the elusive feat in succession.

Although Danzing Candy broke ahead for a surprising early lead, the main contenders finished strong on the 1 1/4-mile track. Exaggerator made things interesting, and Gun Runner edged out Mohaymen and Suddenbreakingnews to claim third place.  

Here's a look at the complete results from the 142nd Kentucky Derby:

Place	Horse	Post	Lengths Behind
1	Nyquist	13	--
2	Exaggerator	11	1 1/4
3	Gun Runner	5	4 1/2
4	Mohaymen	14	4 1/2
5	Suddenbreakingnews	2	4 1/2
6	Destin	9	6 3/4
7	Brody's Cause	19	9 1/4
8	Mo Tom	4	10
9	Lani	8	10 1/2
10	Mor Spirit	17	14 1/4
11	My Man Sam	6	14 1/4
12	Tom's Ready	12	16 3/4
13	Creator	3	18
14	Outwork	15	18 1/4
15	Danzing Candy	20	19 3/4
16	Trojan Nation	1	27 1/2
17	Oscar Nominated	7	33 1/4
18	Majesto	18	37 1/2
19	Whitmore	10	38
20	Shagaf	16	DNF

	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Win Payout	Place Payout	Show Payout
Win	Nyquist	Mario Gutierrez	Doug O'Neill	Reddam Racing LLC	$6.60	$4.80	$3.60
Place	Exaggerator	Kent J. Desormeaux	J. Keith Desormeaux	Big Chief Racing, LLC	-	$5.40	$4.20
Show	Gun Runner	Florent Geroux	Steven M. Asmussen	Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC	-	-	$6.00

The top four favorites, per Odds Shark, earned the first four spots, so the race offered no underdog tales despite Danzing Candy's strong start. Churchill Downs' long course separated the contenders from pretenders, as Nyquist took control after the third turn.

So much for any stamina concerns because sire Uncle Mo had never raced more than 1 1/16 miles. This year's Kentucky Derby champion—like all 19 competitors—had never combated a course like the one at the Run for the Roses, but Nyquist had surged down the closing stretch to win the 1 1/8-mile Florida Derby last month.

Diane Bondareff/Associated Press

Trainer Doug O'Neill praised his prized horse after Saturday's victory, per the Associated Press' Beth Harris. 

"This is such a special horse," O'Neill said. "You can see it in his eye on a daily basis and he's such a professional. Any human sport, he'd be the top-notch athlete. He's just first class."

While Nyquist won't follow Air Bud's path to inter-species sports stardom, he could give O'Neill another chance of overseeing a Triple Crown champion. Four years ago, the team of O'Neill, owner J. Paul Reddam and jockey Mario Gutierrez guided I'll Have Another to wins at the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes.

Before running for glory at the Belmont Stakes, the staff was forced to retire him due to a left front tendon injury. The unfortunate conclusion has led Reddam to appreciate the win rather than look ahead to May 21's Preakness Stakes, per CNN.com's Steve Almasy. 

"I only thought to this (race)," Reddam said. "Maybe later tonight we'll think about two weeks from now. Having been close to a possible Triple Crown (in 2012) made me realize it doesn't happen until it happens, so we're going to enjoy this moment."

Of course, that's not how sports work. Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde touted Nyquist as a serious candidate to become the 13th Triple Crown champion after seizing the first leg from the No. 13 post position:

O'Neill hadn't won a Triple Crown race before or after I'll Have Another until Nyquist's triumph. While he didn't participate in any of the big three events, Lava Man rattled off nine victories in 10 tries for O'Neill in 2006 and 2007. Yet the trainer has a new favorite horse after Saturday, per The Blood-Horse's Jeremy Balan:

The next test comes in two weeks at Pimlico, and Nyquist has never competed with such a brief recovery window. Yet he has proved capable of handling any situation, so look for him to enter the Preakness as a heavy favorite.