Kentucky Derby 2011: Animal Kingdom Wins 137th Running Of The Roses

Before we get into how Animal Kingdom won the 2011 Kentucky Derby, let’s first take a look at the fractional splits from Saturday:

¼ Mile: 23.74

½ Mile: 48.63

¾ Mile:: 1:13.40

Mile: 1:37.49

Finish: 2:02.04

The splits at the mile and the finish weren’t out of line with what we’ve seen in recent decades at the Derby. With the exception of the freak effort of Monarcos over a lightning fast track in 2001, most Derby winners hit the wire at around 2:02. So, in terms of overall, unadjusted final time, Saturday’s Derby was probably a bit better than average. The part of the race that turned out to be well out-of-line with recent history were the fractions during the first six furlongs.

The 2011 Kentucky Derby capped an excellent weekend at Churchill Downs as crowds turned out in record numbers to watch the 137th running of America’s premier horse race. Once again, we were treated to a thrilling race as long-shot Animal Kingdom used a speedy kick to distance himself from the field and finish ahead of the pack to win the first leg of the Triple Crown.

The crowds at Churchill Downs were outstanding as the Kentucky Derby 164,858 spectators in what’s become a giant party with a side or racing. On Friday, another 110,000 fans showed up to watch the Kentucky Oaks, the precursor to Saturday’s big race featuring some of the finest three-year-old fillies. For two days, horse racing was alive and well.

The 2011 Kentucky Derby was a rousing race, buoyed by an electrifying run from Derby winner Animal Kingdom. But it nearly took a tragic turn when Archarcharch had to be removed from the track.

The horse, considered a Derby favorite before he drew the inside rail as a post position, left the track in an equine ambulance, getting into it under his own power. He was then returned to the Churchill Downs stables.

In case you weren’t able to watch the 137th Kentucky Derby live, don’t worry. Video of the race in its entirety has already been uploaded to YouTube. Enjoy:

It was every bit as thrilling as we’d expect from a Kentucky Derby race. Shackleford stayed in front throughout much of the race, but that often bodes poorly for a horse. As Shackleford faded, Nehro and Mucho Macho Man charged. The real lightning, though, came courtesy of Animal Kingdom, who seemed to find another gear after the final turn to edge out the win. Well! That was fun.

Animal Kingdom won the 2011 Kentucky Derby on Saturday afternoon, and made a lot of bettors a lot of money in the process. Animal Kingdom went off at 20-1 odds, and the dark horse thundered past the pack, including favorite Mucho Macho Man, down the stretch, making the 2011 Kentucky Derby payouts a series of eye-popping numbers.

Wager Type Winning Numbers Paid

$1 Double 7/16 $196.50

$1 E5 $0.00

$2 Exacta 16-19 $329.80

$1 Pick-3 1/7/16 $2,369.10

$1 Pick-4 8/1/7/16 $12,292.20

$1 Pick-5 1/8/1/7/16 $427,790.68

$2 Pick-6 2/1/8/1/7/16 $12,251.80

$1 Pick-6 $0.00

$1 Superfecta 16-19-13-14 $24,063.00

$1 Trifecta 16-19-13 $1,976.20As NBC showed in a graphic, even betting on Animal Kingdom alone paid off:

The unofficial results from the 2011 Kentucky Derby have Animal Kingdom as the winner. Nehro finished second, and Mucho Macho Man finished third.

Animal Kingdom faced long odds, which, of course, means a big payout. The horse’s morning line was set at 30-to-1.

It’s 5:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, just over an hour from the scheduled post time of the 137th running of the Kentucky Derby. As expected, there have been a couple of shifts in odds from the morning line, but nothing terribly dramatic. Here are the updated odds, as reported by the NBC Sports broadcast:

1. Archarcharch 13-1

2. Brilliant Speed 26-1

3. Twice The Appeal 10-1

4. Stay Thirsty 16-1

5. Decisive Moment 37-1

6. Comma To The Top 35-1

7. Pants On Fire 7-1

8. Dialed In 5-1

9. Derby Kitten 34-1

10. Twinspired 30-1

11. Master Of Hounds 14-1

12. Santiva 34-1

13. Mucho Macho Man 9-1

14. Shackleford 24-1

15. Midnight Interlude 8-1

16. Animal Kingdom 20-1

17. Soldat 14-1

18. Uncle Mo SCRATCH

19. Nehro 10-1

20. Watch Me Go 29-1

We’re now only a few hours away from the 137th running of the Kentucky Derby, and as of noon ET, Dialed In unsurprisingly remains the favorite. Here is what the morning line looks like, courtesy of SB Nation Seattle:

Archarcharch 13-1

Brilliant Speed 30-1

Twice the Appeal 7-1

Stay Thirsty 17-1

Decisive Moment 42-1

Comma to the Top 43-1

Pants on Fire 9-1

Dialed In 9-2

Derby Kitten 29-1

Twinspired 21-1

Master of Hounds 18-1

Santiva 30-1

Mucho Macho Man 12-1

Shackleford 19-1

Midnight Interlude 10-1

Animal Kingdom 24-1

Soldat 17-1

Nehro 7-1

Watch Me Go 29-1

Note: Updated information on how to watch the Derby online is here.

Coverage of the 2011 Kentucky Derby will be aplenty on Saturday as all eyes turn to Churchill Downs for the 137th running of the race. Kentucky Derby weekend is an event in itself as Churchill Downs turns into a weekend-long part with over 100,000 fans converging on the area. And for horse racing fans and casual observers alike, it’s the most recognizable event in the sport.

Uncle Mo is out of the 2011 Kentucky Derby after his trainers, in conjunction with his veterinarians, decided the derby contender’s recovery from a gastrointestinal infection had not progressed far enough to allow him to run at Churchill Downs. The loss of Uncle Mo from the Kentucky Derby field was good news for Dialed In, though, as the odds shifted even more in his favor. Already the morning line favorite, early action has Dialed In, at 9-2, distanced from the field, with no other horse better than 7-1.

There are strange things afoot in the odds though, and it involves a certain Kentucky Derby jockey. Calvin Borel, winner of the last two, and three of the last four, Kentucky Derbies is aboard Twice the Appeal and gamblers seem to love him. Twice the Appeal opened at 20-1 odds, but has been bet all the way down to 7-1 ahead of the race, a surprising turn of events for a horse many didn’t see as a contender.

Uncle Mo was the clear favorite in an otherwise muddled Derby field coming into Race Week, but had been troubled by a gastrointestinal infection that veterinarians were monitoring in race preparations. Owner Mike Repole said on Thursday that vet tests performed that day on the horse would be evaluated by the veterinary staff, and that he and trainer Todd Pletcher would then meet to make the call on whether Uncle Mo was fit enough to go.

That decision is now officially a “no.” With Uncle Mo’s departure from the Derby pack, the odds-on favorite is now Dialed In at 4-1, with Nehro close behind at 5-1 and Shackleford, Soldat, and Archarcharch all sitting at 8-1 to win.

When the 137th running of the Kentucky Derby happens this Saturday, most of its participants will be three-year-olds.

However, two people involved in the Run for the Roses attempting to win the $2 million purse will be a whole lot older than the horses racing in it.

Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia has made Dialed In the 4-1 morning-line favorite for Saturday’s 137th running of the Kentucky Derby while Uncle Mo is the second choice at 9-2.

Noting that his third choice, 6-1 Nehro, might scare some bettors off with his No. 19 post, Battaglia said, “I think it’s a pretty solid favorite on Dialed In.”

You can view the latest Derby odds here.

With 20 horses in the 2011 Kentucky Derby field, post position is vital. As Andy Hutchins discussed earlier, an outside draw forces a horse to navigate through traffic while an inside draw reduces the chances of a clean start, with the rail on the inside and the rest of the field bearing down from the outside. In that regard, a draw in the middle of the starting gate is vital, especially for the favorites.

With Toby’s Corner out of the 2011 Kentucky Derby, the odds shifted on Tuesday. Toby’s Corner had been among the favorites, listed at 8/1 odds, but trainers were forced to scratch him due to a hind-leg injury. Archarcharch, an amazing name for a horse, bumped up a tick and is currently fourth in the odds at 10/1.

Dialed in is the favorite with Uncle Mo close-behind, with the top of the field closely bunched together. On the other side of the coin, Decisive Moment is the longest shot of them all at 60/1. Watch Me Go is at 50/1, with Brilliant Speed and Santiva at 40/1.

We’re a day away from the 2011 Kentucky Derby post position draw, and thus the first and likely only time most Americans will care about what position a horse starts a horse race in this year. But why does post position matter in the Kentucky Derby? Why should you care about the draw, which is Wednesday at 5 p.m. Eastern?

Turf ‘n’ Sport examined historical Kentucky Derby performance by post positions after Big Brown won the 2008 Kentucky Derby, becoming the first horse to win the Derby from the 20th position — the widest possible post position — since 1975. The position that produced the most winners in that period was 10th, but anywhere from fifth to 10th works: 16 of the 33 winners in that span came from those spots.

The 2011 Kentucky Derby gets underway on May 7 and we’ll be following the race with wall-to-wall coverage. With the race just about a week away, and the post draw a few days away, there are some early odds floating around, giving us an idea of which horses may be favored in the 2011 Kentucky Derby. It’s a wide-open field this year and no contender seperated itself during the run-up to the derby, but plenty did falter.

Uncle Mo is the early favorite despite being upset by Toby’s Corner in the Wood Memorial. Uncle Mo came into the tune-up race at Aqueduct heavily favored, yet faded down the stretch as Toby’s Corner surged. With the loss, the Kentucky Derby field was throw into chaos, at least for the moment.