Animal Kingdom surged late to win the 137th Kentucky Derby on Saturday. Reuters


The Derby was only the fifth race in Animal Kingdom's career. The last horse to win the Derby after racing just four times was Exterminator in 1918. Animal Kingdom also came into the Derby after a six-week layoff, which has not been accomplished since Needles did so in 1956.

This was also Animal Kingdom's first race on dirt. "When you have a horse of that caliber, they can handle the switchover," trainer Graham Motion said after the race, addressing Animal Kingdom's ability to handle the unfamiliar surface. The horse did that, taking off at the far turn just when his jockey asked.

Going into the race at post position 16, Animal Kingdom had to negotiate a tight crowd. "I felt that having a clean trip was the main objective, and that was how it worked out," said Motion when asked about his race strategy.

Owner Barry Irwin used the occasion to tweak racing reporters who focus too closely on small details, such as surfaces. "If a turf writer paid attention to a horse like this and just looked at the horse as an individual, and what he has done, I think they would have figured out why he was a buyable force," he said.

In his post-race comments, Irwin also took shots at racetrack operators who don't respect syndicates, trainers who lie and the American horse-breeding system.

The win represents surprises for both the jockey and the trainer. John Velazquez was to run Uncle Mo, and when the horse scratched Friday, Velazquez was without a mount in the Derby. But when Animal Kingdom's original rider, Robby Albarado, was injured, Velazquez was called in.

Motion had expected to enter two horses in the Derby, but that changed when Toby's Corner scratched Tuesday. Now, he has a potential Triple Crown winner on his hands, though he evaded questions about entering Animal Kingdom into the remaining two races by saying, "We're gonna talk about the Preakness."

John Velazquez rides Animal Kingdom to a Kentucky Derby win Saturday. Getty Images

The second-place finisher, Nehro, trailed Animal Kingdom by 2 3/4 lengths, and Mucho Macho Man came in third, a neck behind Nehro.

"We were in a predicament where I didn't think the pace scenario was as fast as what I needed to be able to get him to a high cruising speed," said Corey Nakatani, Nehro's jockey.

Trainer Kathy Ritvo has said before that Mucho Macho Man's overall growth has been steady, and she repeated that observation. "He's only going to get better," she said. "He's only a June 15 foal."

The 2011 Kentucky Derby may be remembered for its lack of a clear favorite. (That didn't hurt attendance figures: the 164,858 attendees broke the previous record of 163,628, set in 1974.) And though it's true that anything can happen during this race, that old saw was especially true this year.

The favorite—Dialed In, who is trained by two-time Derby-winning trainer Nick Zito—finished eighth. Three-time Kentucky Derby winner Calvin Borel rode Twice the Appeal and finished 10th "No excuses. He tried," said Borel. "He gave me a little spurt, but it wasn't to be."

The race does question the notion that a turf horse cannot perform well on dirt. Not only did Animal Kingdom win, but Master of Hounds also had no races on dirt and came in fifth, just a nose behind Shackleford, who went off at 23-1.

The 15th-place finisher, Archarcharch, fractured his left lower leg during the race. An on-call track vet Larry Bramlage said the horse was not in an emergency condition and would likely spend the night in his stall but would have surgery within 24 hours. The injury is not life-threatening, and horses have come back from it, according to Bramlage.