Always Dreaming is your 143rd Kentucky Derby champion. He held off a late charge from Lookin At Lee, Battle of Midway and Classic Empire to claim the roses on Saturday by two-and-three-quarter lengths. Always Dreaming has now won three consecutive races this year after finishing second and third in his first two races.
He is also the first horse since 1933 to win the Kentucky Derby after not winning his first race until on or after Jan. 25.
"He responded right away. I think we came into the derby with a much better horse than we have in the past," jockey John Velasquez said. "Today was a different story. Got a nice position going to the wire. He got to relax and then waited to the quarter pole and he responded right away."
It was Velasquez's second win at the Kentucky Derby, last winning in 2011 on Animal Kingdom.
It is the fifth consecutive year the favorite has won the Kentucky Derby. Trainer Todd Pletcher has now won the race twice in his career with his last win coming in 2010 with Super Saver.
"I think he really came in here and knew it was game time, and he was ready to go," Pletcher said. "The most important thing to do is bring the best horse to the Derby, and that's what we were able to do."
Thunder Snow, the colt from Dubai, did not finish the race after breaking poorly from the gate and bucking.
Here are the full race results.
2017 Kentucky Derby results, winner
| Position | Horse |
|---|---|
1 | Always Dreaming |
2 | Lookin At Lee |
3 | Battle of Midway |
4 | Classic Empire |
5 | Practical Joke |
6 | Tapwrit |
7 | Gunnevera |
8 | McCracken |
9 | Gormley |
10 | Irish War Cry |
11 | Hence |
12 | Untrapped |
13 | Girvin |
14 | Patch |
15 | J Boys Echo |
16 | Sonneteer |
17 | Fast and Accurate |
18 | Irap |
19 | State of Honor |
20 | Thunder Snow (DNF) |
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