California Chrome pays off at 2014 Kentucky Derby

California Chrome lived up to all the hype in the 2014 Run for the Roses, opening up a clear lead down the stretch at the race and holding off a late surge by longshot Commanding Curve to win the 140th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on Saturday, May 3.

Under bright sunshine, the second largest crowd in the race’s history (164,906), many adorned in their traditional Kentucky Derby hats, witnessed just the sixth betting favorite in the last 26 years to successfully get the job done, and the colt certainly did it in style.

Under a perfect ride from jockey Victor Espinoza, the strapping colt tracked a moderate early pace while sitting three paths off the rail, took over the lead in the race with a quarter-mile remaining, and then increased his advantage until he was clear late, with Espinoza doing some late celebrating just before the wire, lifting his arm in triumph as the colt crossed the wire 1¾ lengths ahead of the runner-up to pay off on the Kentucky Derby odds at the sportsbooks.

The early Kentucky Derby betting at the sportsbooks had it pegged correctly. For horseplayers that bet on the Kentucky Derby online and picked California Chrome, the odds on the winner were 60-1 way back in February and 3-1 as recently as two weeks ago.

During Derby week the colt had been bet down to as low as 21-10 odds, and ended up paying $7.00 for the win. The runner-up Commanding Curve rallied from far back at betting odds of 37-1 and completed a $2 exacta that returned $340.00.

Commanding Curve is trained by Dallas Stewart, who saddled last year’s runner-up Golden Soul, who went off at odds of 34-1 at the Kentucky Derby and completed a $2 exacta with the betting favorite Orb ($12.80) that returned $981.60.

California Chrome will next head to Pimlico in Baltimore for the Preakness Stakes, the second jewel of the Triple Crown, having won five races in a row. The colt came into this year’s Run for the Roses off some impressive final preps, winning the San Felipe by 7¼ lengths and then the Santa Anita Derby by 5¼ lengths.

The colt is trained by 77-year-old Art Sherman, who was the exercise rider for Swaps, who won the Kentucky Derby nearly six decades ago.

Danza, who was sent off as the third choice on the Kentucky Derby lines at 8-1, completed a $2 trifecta that paid bettors $3,424.60. The second choice in the betting for the race was Wicked Strong (6-1), who checked in fourth, with the $1 superfecta returning $15,383.80.

Among the Kentucky Derby contenders that did not fare well at Churchill Downs this year was Candy Boy, who had seen a surge of late betting action, going from 16-1 down to 9-1 at post time. The colt got roughed up going into the first turn of the Kentucky Derby and was not a threat in a 13th-place finish.

About Tennessee Leduc

Born in Summersville Kentucky, Tennessee is an impassioned fan of horse racing, women, civilized debauchery, and... mint juleps. He writes, he reads, he listens, but above all he experiences the world he lives in.

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