KEY POINTS:
Street Sense produced a dramatic home-stretch run to win the Kentucky Derby and become the first Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner to capture America's most celebrated race.
Ridden by Calvin Borel, the dark bay Kentucky-bred rallied from next-to-last in the 20-horse race to wear down Hard Spun and win by 2 lengths.
"I had an awesome horse," said Borel, winning his first Kentucky Derby.
"It was the chance of a lifetime. Hard work always pays off. I've always dreamed of winning this race."
Hard Spun fought gamely but did not have the strength to stay with Street Sense and finished second.
Third was the Arkansas Derby winner, the previously unbeaten Curlin.
Street Sense shot through along the rail on the far turn and passed virtually the entire field before moving out to the centre of the track in mid-stretch.
By the 200m pole, Street Sense had breezed by Hard Spun and charged to the finish line unchallenged.
Borel, 40, began celebrating during the final strides of the race.
"I just sat on him until the three-eighths [600m] pole and then I started biding my time between horses," he said. "I stayed on the fence until the quarter-mile [400m] pole.
"I went around one horse and after that it was just a matter of how far he'd win by."
Trained by Carl Nafzger and owned and bred by James Tafel, Street Sense becomes the first 2-year-old champion to win the Derby since Spectacular Bid in 1979.
The Street Cry colt out of Bedazzle won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile by a record 10 lengths over the same Churchill Downs surface in November.
"He's the best 3-year-old I've ever been on in my life," said Borel.
"He'll do anything for you. He's very push-button. He'll put you on a spot where you want to be at any time.
"I really don't know how good he is. He's unbelievable."
The colt's winning time of 2mins 2.17 secs for the 1.2 miles (about 2000m) on a fast track was well off Secretariat's Derby record of 1min 59.40secs set in 1973.
Hard Spun's jockey Mario Pino said his colt was "running easy" at the top of the stretch.
"I said, 'Let's go', and he got to running," Pino said.
"But the winner came up and passed me. No disgrace. My horse ran great."
The Derby triumph was the second for Nafzger, who saddled Unbridled to win in 1990. Street Sense's connections will collect US$1.45 million ($1.9 million) of the US$2.2 million purse.
Three-times Eclipse Award-winning trainer Todd Pletcher saddled a record-equalling five horses but failed to claim his first Derby.
America's top trainer, Pletcher is now winless in the Derby in 19 attempts.
More than 156,000 people attended the race, including the Queen.
The steady rain that had fallen over the previous two days abated overnight and allowed track officials to label the surface "fast" by mid-afternoon.
- REUTERS
