Updated Results
‘I’ll Have Another’ has won the 138th Kentucky Derby, ahead of ‘Bodemeister’ and ‘Dullahan’. The full results table for the Kentucky Derby Winners can be found below:
| Position | 2012 Kentucky Derby Contenders |
| 1 | 19 – I’ll Have Another |
| 2 | 06 – Bodemeister |
| 3 | 05 – Dullahan |
| 4 | 13 – Went The Day Well |
| 5 | 08 – Creative Cause |
| 6 | 20 – Liaison |
| 7 | 04 – Union Rags |
| 8 | 07 – Rousing Sermon |
| 9 | 14 – Hansen |
| 10 | 10 – Daddy Nose Best |
| 11 | 02 – Optimizer |
| 12 | 11 – Alpha |
| 13 | 16 – El Padrino |
| 14 | 17 – Done Talking |
| 15 | 18 – Sabercat |
| 16 | 15 – Gemologist |
| 17 | 09 – Trinniberg |
| 18 | 12 – Prospective |
| 19 | 03 – Take Charge Indy |
| 20 | 01 – Daddy Long legs |
As the most famous event for three year old thoroughbreds, the 136 horses that have won the ‘run for the roses’ include some of the greatest names in the history of the sport. Between the first winner, Aristides in 1875 and the reigning 2010 champion, Super Saver there has been a literal ‘who’s who’ of horse racing history in the Churchill Downs winner’s circle.
In 1919, the modern Triple Crown era began as Sir Barton became the first horse to win the Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes in the same year. The ‘Triple Crown’ concept didn’t catch on with the sporting public until over a decade later when Gallant Fox became the second horse to win all three races in 1930. In 1932, the schedule of all three races was reconfigured to the current format to better facilitate the competition and publicity generated by the Triple Crown. Before that, eleven times the Preakness was run before the Derby. On two occasions in the early 20th century, the Preakness and the Derby were run on the same day. On eleven occasions the Belmont Stakes was run before the Preakness Stakes.
The Derby was broadcast to a national television audience for the first time in 1952 and in 1954 the purse for the race exceeded $100,000 for the first time. In 1968, Dancer’s Image won the race but was disqualified afterwards after traces of a banned substance (Phenylbutazone) were discovered in a urine sample. Ironically, in the years since Phenylbutazone has become a commonly used anti-inflammatory drug and its use is now legal for race horses in Kentucky.
Among the most famous Kentucky Derby victors are horses that went on to win the coveted Triple Crown. Only eleven horses in history have earned this distinction and none since 1978. In addition to the aforementioned Sir Barton (1919) and Gallant Fox (1930) Derby winners that have gone on to win the Preakness and Belmont include Omaha (1935), War Admiral (1937), Whirlaway (1941), Count Fleet (1943), Assault (1946), and Citation (1948). After that, there was a twenty five year drought with no Triple Crown winners before Secretariat – considered by many the greatest race horse in history – won all three races in 1973. There would be two more Triple Crown winners in the 1970’s – Seattle Slew in 1977 and Affirmed in 1978. Jim Fitzsimmons (Gallant Fox, Omaha) is the only trainer to win more than one Triple Crown while the legendary Eddie Arcaro (Whirlaway, Citation) is the only jockey to accomplish the feat more than once.
The fastest time ever run at the Kentucky Derby’s current distance was turned in by Secretariat in 1973 when he completed the mile and a quarter in 1 minute 59 2/5 seconds. Further demonstrating the greatness of ‘Big Red’ was his astounding fractional times – every quarter mile of the race was faster than the one before it, which is virtually unheard of. The only other sub two minute times in the Kentucky Derby were run by Secretariat’s arch rival Sham, who finished 2/5 of a second behind the winner. In 2001, Monarchos turned in the only other sub two minute Derby run winning the race in 1:59:97.
History was also made in the 2010 race when jockey Calvin Borel guided Super Saver to a flawless trip through the mud and slop at a rainy Churchill Downs to become the first rider to win three out of four Kentucky Derby races. Borel – considered a master of the Churchill track – also won aboard Mine That Bird in 2009 and Street Sense in 2007.