Orb Gives McGaughey and Rosario Their First Kentucky Derby Victory

Trainer Shug McGaughey and Jockey Joel Rosario combined to win their first Kentucky Derby when the 5-1 favorite Orb closed from a distant 16^th place over the sloppy Churchill Downs track to take the Run for the Roses.

 

Palace Malice surprised the crowd of 151,616 when he set a blistering pace of :22.57, :45.33, and 1:09.80. The pace was so fast that the anticipated front-runners Goldencents, Falling Sky, and Itsmyluckyday could not contend.

 

As Palace Malice blazed on the front end, Orb settled near the back of the pack. Winning jockey Joel Rosario said, “I was so far behind. I just let him be calm and let him relax. He was very relaxed he did exactly what I wanted. We had a perfect trip.”

 

Rosario is the hottest rider in the country. He has won more money and more races than any other rider. The jubilant jockey said, “This is awesome. To win the $10 million Dubai World Cup and to win the Derby now. It’s like I’m living a dream. I’m so happy now and I’m so happy for Shug McGaughey. I feel awesome.”

 

Orb, who became the first favorite to win the Derby since Big Brown did it in 2008, was victorious for his fifth consecutive race. It all began on November 24^th, when he broke his maiden going a mile on the main track at Aqueduct.

 

However, McGaughey was cautious, preferring to take things race by race, waiting for the son of Malibu Moon develop. The trainer didn’t feel like he had a Derby horse until after Orb won the Florida Derby, saying that, “Patience is a mark of their barn”.

 

Owner and breeder Stuart Janney III added, “They wanted to make sure that they had a horse that had a really good chance to win the race.”

 

Orb was making his first start on a wet track. He broke from post position 16 and quickly found himself in 16^th place going down the backstretch. Orb was swung out wide on the final turn and advanced on the tiring leaders, getting to fifth place at the top of the stretch. By mid-stretch Orb took the lead from Normandy Invasion and drew off to win by 2½ lengths.

 

Orb paid $12.80 to win for a $2 bet from a win pool of $36,615,208. Golden Soul finished second, while Revolutionary got the show spot, and Normandy Invasion completed the superfecta.