2012 Kentucky Derby

The 138th Kentucky Derby was the running of the Kentucky Derby in 2012, and took place on May 5 at 6:24 pm Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) at Churchill Downs. Due to sponsorship, the race was known as the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands.^[1] The race was televised in the United States on the NBC television network.^[2]

138th Kentucky Derby

Kentucky Derby
Official logo for the 2012 Kentucky Derby
Location	Churchill Downs
Date	May 5, 2012
Winning horse	I'll Have Another
Winning time	2:01.83
Starting price	15:1
Jockey	Mario Gutierrez
Trainer	Doug O'Neill
Owner	J. Paul Reddam
Conditions	Fast
Surface	Dirt
Attendance	165,307
← 2011 2013 →

The race was won by I'll Have Another, ridden by Mario Gutierrez, with a time of 2:01.83, while favorite Bodemeister finished second and Dullahan was third.^[3]

A record crowd of 165,307 was on hand at the track for the race.^[4]

Contenders

Prior to the race, the field was considered "unusually strong"; four time Derby winning trainer D. Wayne Lukas called it the "best bunch I've seen in a long time".^[5] The major contenders were Bodemeister ^[6] (Arkansas Derby), Union Rags^[7] (Champagne, Fountain of Youth Stakes), Gemologist^[8] (Wood Memorial), Creative Cause^[9] (Norfolk, San Felipe Stakes), Take Charge Indy^[10] (Florida Derby), Dullahan^[11] (Blue Grass Stakes) and Hansen^[12] (Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Gotham Stakes). I'll Have Another went off as a relative longshot at 15:1 despite winning both the Robert B. Lewis and Santa Anita Derby.^[13]

Race

Thunderstorms the night before led to the cancellation of morning training for the riders, and, at 8:00 am EST, the track was labeled "sloppy".^[14] However, closer to the race, conditions were upgraded to "fast", the best condition for a dirt track.^[15] My Adonis was drawn into the race as an also eligible entry. If there were any entries that scratched, My Adonis would have been able to start in the race.^[16]

Bodemeister, ridden by Mike E. Smith, was leading at the quarter-mile mark with a time of 22.32 seconds. Bodemeister maintained his lead at the half-mile mark, at 45.39 seconds.^[4] During the final furlong, I'll Have Another overtook Bodemeister to win by one and a half lengths.^[17] I'll Have Another was the first Kentucky Derby winner to win from post barrier 19, while Mario Gutierrez won on his first attempt in the Kentucky Derby.^[4] Union Rags, the second-favorite to win at 9:2 odds, finished seventh.^[17]

All-sources wagering on the Kentucky Derby race was also record setting, up 18.8% from 112.0-million to $133.1-million. The previous record for all-sources wagering on the Kentucky Derby race was $118.4-million and was established in 2006.^[18]

Payout

I'll Have Another (#19) crosses the finish line at the 2012 Kentucky Derby ahead of Bodemeister (far left).

The 138th Kentucky Derby Payout Schedule^[1]

Program Number	Horse Name	Win	Place	Show
19	I'll Have Another	US$32.60	$13.80	$9.00
6	Bodemeister	–	$6.20	$5.60
5	Dullahan	–	–	$7.20

• $2 Exacta: (19–6) paid $306.60^[1]
• $1 Trifecta: (19–6–5) paid $1,532.80^[1]
• $1 Superfecta: (19–6–5–13) paid $48,046.40^[1]

Field

The field was announced on May 2, 2012.^[19]

Position	Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Morning Line Odds	Final Odds	Winnings
1	19	I'll Have Another	Mario Gutierrez	Doug O'Neill	12:1	15.3	$1,459,600
2	6	Bodemeister	Mike E. Smith	Bob Baffert	4:1	4.2	$400,000
3	5	Dullahan	Kent Desormeaux	Dale Romans	8:1	12.1	$200,000
4	13	Went The Day Well	John R. Velazquez	H. Graham Motion	20:1	30.6	$100,000
5	8	Creative Cause	Joel Rosario	Mike Harrington	12:1	11.9	$60,000
6	20	Liaison	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	50:1	56.2
7	4	Union Rags	Julien Leparoux	Michael R. Matz	9:2	5.1
8	7	Rousing Sermon	Jose Lezcano	Jerry Hollendorfer	50:1	40.7
9	14	Hansen	Ramon A. Dominguez	Michael J. Maker	10:1	13.1
10	10	Daddy Nose Best	Garrett Gomez	Steve Asmussen	15:1	14
11	2	Optimizer	Jon Court	D. Wayne Lukas	50:1	42.4
12	11	Alpha	Rajiv Maragh	Kiaran McLaughlin	15:1	19.6
13	16	El Padrino	Rafael Bejarano	Todd Pletcher	20:1	29.4
14	17	Done Talking	Sheldon Russell	Hamilton Smith	50:1	39.4
15	18	Sabercat	Corey Nakatani	Steve Asmussen	30:1	37.8
16	15	Gemologist	Javier Castellano	Todd Pletcher	6:1	8.6
17	9	Trinniberg	Willie Martinez	Bisnath Parboo	50:1	44.9
18	12	Prospective	Luis Contreras	Mark E. Casse	30:1	57.9
19	3	Take Charge Indy	Calvin Borel	Patrick B. Byrne	15:1	11.90
DNF	1	Daddy Long Legs	Colm O'Donoghue	Aidan O'Brien	30:1	26

• Margins – 1+1⁄2 lengths, neck
• Time – 2:01:83
• Track – Fast

Subsequent Grade I wins

Several horses in the Derby went on to subsequent Grade I wins.

• I'll Have Another^[13] – Preakness Stakes
• Union Rags^[7] – Belmont Stakes
• Dullahan^[11] – Pacific Classic
• Alpha^[20] – Travers Stakes, 2013 Woodward Stakes
• Trinniberg – Breeders' Cup Sprint