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For the second straight year, Westport horse owner Robert LaPenta watched a disappointing Kentucky Derby. LaPenta's horse Dialed In, the race favorite, finished a disappointing eighth and never even challenged for the lead in the 137th annual Run for the Roses.
Animal Kingdom, a 20-1 longshot, overtook second-place finisher Nehro and pacesetter Shackleford to capture America's best-known horse race. Mucho Man came on to finish third ahead of Shackleford.
LaPenta came into the race with high hopes. Dialed In won the Florida Derby and went off as the 5-1 favorite in Saturday's race. Trained by Nick Zito, Dialed In trailed the field midway through the race. He ran a strong final stretch, but never came close to the front.
Last year, LaPenta watched as Ice Box rallied late to finish second. He was hoping for first this year. "Everybody sets certain goals in life," he said in a story in The Hartford Courant. "With good fortune and hard work, I've been able to check off most of the boxes I wanted to in my life. "But this one, the Derby, always has been on the top of my list from when I was young. Last year, we were elated for about 30 seconds and then we all sat down. It was hard to breathe. We came so close. I think we had the best horse. With a little luck and a little better trip, we would have checked off the box."
Animal Kingdom's run was a stunning victory. The longshot was ridden by John Velazquez, who got the mount after his horse, Uncle Mo, scratched on Friday.
The race had its largest crowd in the history of the event as 164,858 fans packed Churchill Downs to watch as the best 3-year-olds in the world competed for the blanket of roses.
What do you think of Dialed In's Derby performance? Are you surprised? Start the discussion below!
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