American Pharoah won the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, taking a wide sweep outside and charging for the finish after the 5/2 favorite spent most of the race flowing along in third. It was the fourth win for trainer Bob Baffert and second in a row for jockey Victor Espinoza, who won last year on California Chrome.
After a clean break from the gate, the 18 horses crowded the rail, setting a moderate pace. Dortmund and Firing Line sprang ahead and held off the favorite until the stretch run -- and that's when Victor Espinoza, in teal silks, broke around the outside of the pack and challenged for the lead.
The solid brown bay colt, bred in Kentucky by his Egyptian owner Ahmed Zayat, was supremely calm and confident before the start of the race, the beginning of which he spent way to the outside. But the horse settled in and began stalking the leaders from the outside; once they were running three abreast and heading for home, Espinoza let American Pharoah out completely.
He had more than enough horse left, getting on the whip and finding another gear. Dortmund flagged into a distant third and Firing line didn't have enough in reserve to seriously challenge, finishing a length behind.
"We were ready to rumble," Baffert said after the win. "I felt real confident going in. This is for the Zayat family."
Espinoza won the 2014 aboard California Chrome, also a 5/2 favorite.
"I feel like the luckiest Mexican in the world," Espinoza said just moments after the win.
More than 170,000 people were on hand at Churchill Downs for the 141st running of the race, a new track record.