Saturday May 5, 2012 marked the 138th Kentucky Derby. The “Run for the Roses” is billed as the fastest two-minutes in sports. But the road to the Kentucky Derby takes years of breeding, training and a little luck. We saw a glimpse of that this past Saturday when I’ll Have Another scored a 15-1 upset at Churchill Downs. I’ll Have Another flew past 4-1 favorite Bodemeister for a 1 1/2 lengths victory in front of a record crowd of 165,307. Trained by Doug O’Neil, I’ll Have Another gave jockey Mario Gutierrez his first Kentucky Derby winner finishing 1 1/4 miles on the fast track in 2:01 4/5.
It was a warm 81 degree spring day in Louisville. The fancy hats were out in full force and the Mint Julep kept folks cool and well lubricated. Celebrities were spotted throughout the Churchill Downs track dressed to impress, including Cyndi Lauper, Debra Messing, Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Mary J Blige, Ashton Kutcher and Travis Tritt.
After the call to post and the singing of “My Old Kentucky Home” the starting gun brought the crowd to its feet. Bodemeister held the lead for most of the second half of the race before tiring down the stretch. Union Rags, another early favorite, wasn’t really in contention for most of the race.
I’ll Have Another won the Santa Anita Derby, but the betting action had him the 9th favorite to win. I’ll Have Another was purchased for $35,000 and is owned by Paul Reddam. Most people looked past the horse before Derby day. But not anymore.
It was the first time a horse won from the 19th post position. I’ll Have Another paid $32.60, $13.80 and $9. The $2 exacta with Bodemeister paid $306.60.
All eyes now turn to the Preakness in two weeks to see whether I’ll Have Another has another big win left in him.
This article also available in PDF : Scott Robarge Louisville Fan on the 138th Kentucky Derby
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