Monarchos Wins Kentucky Derby
Monarchos has been declared the official winner of the Kentucky Derby. He wins in one minute, 59 seconds and four-fifths — the second-fastest time in the 127-year history of the race.
A foul claim was filed against him by jockey John Velazquez who finished second on Invisible Ink, but Monarchoes was later declared the official winner. The claim was filed just moments after Monarchos flashed across the finish in 1:59 4-5 for the 1.25 miles, just two-fifths off the track record set by Secretariat in 1973.
Velazquez claimed that Monarchos, ridden by Jorge Chavez, interfered with him at the quarter pole as Monarchos was bolting into the lead.
Invisible Ink finished second and Congaree came in third
The Kentucky Derby drew its biggest crowd for 27 years and the second biggest in history as more than 154,200 racegoers crammed into a sweltering Churchill Downs.
The attendance for the 127th Run for the Roses overhauled last year's 153,000 crowd and was second only to 1974 when 163,628 flocked beneath the Twin Spires to watch Cannonade win the 100th running of the race.
While many U.S racetracks have fallen on hard times as they face tough competition from casinos and lotteries, Derby Day attendances have increased for each of the last four years and risen some 20,000 in the last decade.
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