Super Saver Wins the 136th Running of the Kentucky Derby!! [Race Replay]

Today kicked off the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing with the 136^th running of the Kentucky Derby, also known as “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports.”

The Kentucky Derby is held annually the first Saturday of May, at the Churchill Downs Racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky and has become a huge event among celebrities, sports stars and musicians among others.

The real celebrities at the Kentucky Derby are the horses though. The horses are who everyone comes to see and to place wagers on, in hopes of hitting it big by choosing that dark-horse at 50-1.

There were 20 horses running in the derby today; some with more than 30 races under their belts and others that are still young, with less than ten races. For instance, Lookin At Lucky was competing for just the eighth time, while Discreetly Mine was running in its 33^rd race.

The winner of the 136^th Kentucky Derby, Super Saver entered the race as a 10-1 favorite to win the race. The favorite to win the race today, Lookin At Lucky, with 4.5-1 odds, wasn’t lucky enough. The jockey that was riding Super Saver, Calvin Borel, won his second-straight Kentucky Derby and third in the past four years.

Last year, Borel was on the back of Mine That Bird, crossing the finish line in first place and in 2007 he led Street Sense to a victory. With the win today, Borel is just two wins away from tying Eddie Arcaro and Bill Hartack for the most Kentucky Derby wins by a jockey, with five.

With the Kentucky Derby win, Super Saver will now be talked about as a potential Triple-Crown winner. Next up for Super Saver will be The Preakness Stakes, followed by the Belmont Stakes to close out the Triple Crown races.

There hasn’t been a Triple Crown winner since 1978, when Affirmed accomplished the rare feat. Affirmed is just one of eleven horses that have been able to win all three races in the same season. There have been six horses that have won two of the three races over the past decade, with the Preakness Stakes being the common win amongst all of them.

Big Brown was the last horse to win the first two legs of the Triple Crown in 2008. Interestingly enough, Big Brown is the only Kentucky Derby winner in the last four races to not be jockeyed by Borel. Last season Borel won the Preakness Stakes as well, but it was on a different horse (Rachel Alexandra) than the one he won the Kentucky Derby with.

Among those spotted on the red carpet at the derby today; free-agent wide receiver, Terrell Owens (T.O.), actor, Mario Lopez, basketball legend, Julius Irving (Dr. J) and Barry Bonds.

aaron kroh