Nyquist succeeds American Pharoah as the winner of the 142nd Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands.
Attendance of 167,227 was the second largest crowd in Derby history, just under the record of 170,513 in 2015.
Nyquist, owned by Reddam Racing, LLC, and bred in Kentucky by Summerhill Farm, passed ultimate third-place finisher Gun Runner early in the stretch and held off a late run by Exaggerator to win by a length and a quarter as the 2-1 favorite, returning $6.60 for each $2 win wager. The winning connections, Reddam Racing, LLC, trainer Doug O’Neill and jockey Mario Gutierrez, each won the Kentucky Derby for the second time in five years, winning in 2012 with I’ll Have Another. The winner covered 1 ¼ miles over a fast track in2:01:31 to maintain a perfect record in eight career starts. The victory was worth $1.63 million and increased Nyquist’s earnings to $4.95 million.
“Congratulations to the connections of Nyquist on a very impressive performance to win the 142nd Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands,” said Kevin Flanery, President of Churchill Downs Racetrack. “We were excited to introduce our latest round of renovations and our investments in the facility continue to pay off as we strive to improve the fan experience every year. Thanks and congratulations to our horsemen, employees and volunteers that made this an amazing Derby and a phenomenal opening to our 2016 Spring Meet.”
