Pletcher overwhelmed after Derby drought broken

Louisville: After spending a decade fielding questions on why he could not win the Kentucky Derby, trainer Todd Pletcher was speechless when he finally did.

Kentucky-bred Super Saver, ridden beautifully by Calvin Borel, roared to victory on Saturday in the United States' biggest race, ending an agonising wait for Pletcher who had saddled 24 unsuccessful starters in previous years.

"It will all soak in in a day or two," Pletcher told a news conference. "Obviously it's a race I've dreamed my whole life about winning. Now that it's happened, you just don't know what to feel or say.

"I wish I could wax poetically up here and tell you exactly how it feels but it's kind of all soaking in still."

Hometown hero Borel became the first jockey to win the race three times in a four-year span.

"Obviously Calvin was in a beautiful spot the whole way," Pletcher said. "We didn't want to handcuff him with too many instructions. We knew he would like the safe ground and the only thing I told him was, ‘ride him like you own him.'

"He's an instinctive rider and he knows this track so well. He knows the horse well, he's ridden him well each time he's been on him. It was as simple as that."

Late kick

A late kick by Ice Box enabled the Florida Derby winner to finish second, two lengths behind Super Saver, while Paddy O'Prado took the show spot in the capacity field of 20.

Churchill Downs-based Borel, nicknamed "Bo-Rail" for his penchant for hugging the inside, employed the tactic to perfection in winning the $2.2 million (Dh8 million) race for three-year-olds.

The 43-year-old seized the lead in the stretch using a right-handed whip and crossed the finish line without a serious challenge from Ice Box, ridden by Jose Lezcano.

The soft-spoken Borel flashed a broad smile as his colt jogged to a halt and held up three fingers, one for each of his Derby triumphs. The crowd roared their approval.

"This is what I wanted to do all my life," Borel, who won with 50-1 longshot Mine That Bird last year in the slop and was in the saddle for Street Sense's victory in 2007, said.

"I never dreamed I would win three Derbies," Borel said. "But I've worked hard and I'm dedicated to this job and I love the game.