LOUISVILLE – Sensational! Blowing the doors off what was supposed to be the most competitive Kentucky Derby in history, unbeaten Barbaro took the lead around the far turn and galloped away under Edgar Prado to win yesterday’s 132nd Run for the Roses by 6½ lengths, one of the largest margins in Derby history.
Barbaro paid $14.20 as the second betting choice in the full field of 20 3-year-olds. Bluegrass Cat finished second at 30-1 to complete a $587 exacta, with 16-1 Steppenwolfer third for a $11,418 trifecta. Morning-line favorite Brother Derek, who was dead on the board all day and went off at 7-1, finished in a dead heat for fourth with 24-1 Jazil, producing superfectas of $29,919.50 and $42,430.20, respectively.
Sweetnorthernsaint, bet down late past Barbaro to go off the 5-1 choice, finished seventh, beaten 1½ lengths for third. He was the 25th beaten favorite in the Derby in the past 27 years.
Trained by Michael Matz, an Olympic-medal winning horseman who rescued several children from a horrific airline crash they survived in 1989, Barbaro ran his record to 6-for-6. His final time for the mile-and-a-quarter, 2:01.1, tied for the 11th fastest ever.
“What can I say?” said Matz, the fourth straight trainer to win the Derby in his first try. “Everybody saw it, they know what he did. There were a lot of good horses [in the Derby]. It was his day.”
Dare we say it? Can Barbaro become the first horse to sweep the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978, joining Seattle Slew as the only colt to do it undefeated, by winning the Preakness on May 20, followed by the Belmont Stakes three weeks after that?
“Let’s take one step at a time,” Matz said. “It looked like he did it easy enough that Edgar really didn’t get after him too much. We’ll see how he came out of the race, talk to the staff and the owners, and see what our next step will be.”
Barbaro, whose last race was a hard-fought victory in the April 1 Florida Derby, was the first horse since Needles, 50 years ago, to win the Derby off a layoff longer than four weeks. His start before that, the Holy Bull, was back on Feb. 4. Matz said the long time between races was to leave him a fresh horse for the grueling Triple Crown campaign.
“That’s what we were planning for with the five weeks rest,” he said. “I’m trying to make it the easiest route for my horse. Two weeks [to the Preakness] for any horse is coming back quick, let alone after winning the Kentucky Derby, but I don’t think it’s going to be a problem.”
A strapping son of Dynaformer, Barbaro began his career winning his first three races on turf, including the Laurel Futurity as a 2-year-old as the Tropical Park Derby on New Year’s Day. He made a flawless switch to dirt for his two preps, the Holy Bull and Florida Derby, winning both after pressing the early pace.
In the Derby, as Keyed Entry cut out a swift pace (:22.3, :46) chased by Sinister Minister, Barbaro settled into third, several lengths farther back than ever before, in the clear to the outside. Heading into the far turn, Barbaro’s stablemate, previously unbeaten Showing Up, was running well just to his inside, and Sweetnorthernsaint made a threatening move up the rail under Kent Desormeaux.
But the issue was never in doubt as Prado let out a notch, and Barbaro cruised past the tiring pacesetters to take command turning for home. Not until the final furlong did Prado ask him to run, and when he did it was simply a matter of by how much.
“I rode him three times (before the Derby), and every time he showed me more,” Prado said after notching his first Derby score in seven tries. “I wasn’t concerned about the horses in front. He was doing everything so easy, covering so much ground, and I wasn’t even moving a hand.”
Roses without thorns
A look at Kentucky Derby winners who entered Churchill Downs with undefeated marks:
YEAR HORSE RECORD
2006 Barbaro 5-0
2004 Smarty Jones 6-0
1977 Seattle Slew 6-0
1969 Majestic Prince 7-0
1922 Morvich 11-0
1915 Regret 3-0
