Results of the 133rd Kentucky Derby
Mon, 05/07/2007 - 04:25
The $2 million “Run for the Roses” went off as scheduled Saturday, May 5th, 2007, with all the usual fanfare of the first Triple Crown of the year. The results are as follows:
Win: Street Sense
Place: Hard Spun
Show: Curlin
Street Sense, paying $11.80, $6.40, and $4.60, ended some superstitious talk about the “juvenile jinx” — the colt was the first horse to win both the Juvenile Cup at Churchill Downs (last year) and the Kentucky Derby.
Hard Spun paid $9.80 and $7 and Curlin paid $5.60. Fourth place finisher Imawildandcrazyguy was a 28-1 longshot coming into the race.
Jockey Calvin Borel rode Street Sense to a 2½ length victory over Hard Spun, who had a handy 5+ lengths lead over Curlin.
The track was “fast” at Churchill Downs, and the 1¼ mile race was won at 2:02.17. Although the weather had been threatening all week in Louisville, the rain had held off the day of the race, and the track was dry and well-packed by the 6:04pm post-time.
The runner-up Hard Spun had been leading by at least 3 lengths for more than half the race, while Street Sense hung back against the rail. Street Sense then began moving up mid-race, all the way from 19th place, to overtake Hard Spun on the home stretch. By all accounts, Hard Spun ran a tremendous race. The horse’s trainer, J. Larry Jones, admitted that they’d simply been beaten by a better horse while crediting Borel as a great jockey.
For many handicappers, this race puts Hard Spun as an automatic favorite for the Preakness, as it has for many other second-finishers in Derbys past. Still, many continue to view Street Sense as “awesome” and the one to beat all year.
The rest of the field, in order, included Sedgefield, Circular Quay, Tiago, Any Given Saturday, Sam P., Nobiz Like Shobiz, Dominican, Zanjero, Great Hunter, Liquidity, Bwana Bull, Storm In May, Teuflesberg, Scat Daddy, Stormello, and Cowtown Cat.
Saturday’s turnout was the third-highest in history, netting 156,635 racing fans. Among them was Queen Elizabeth II, who was on a six-day trip to the US. Other notable guests were rockers Michael McDonald, Eddie Money, Gene Simmons, Kid Rock, along with singer/performers Nick Lachey and Joey Fatone; athletes Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, and Michael Jordan; actresses Cybill Shepherd, Jennifer Tilly, Melissa Joan Hart and Gabrielle Union; and mogul Ted Turner.