Nyquist wins 142nd Kentucky Derby

Updated
Nyquist Wins Derby, Remains Unbeaten
Nyquist Wins Derby, Remains Unbeaten

Odds-on favorite Nyquist won Saturday's running of the 142nd Kentucky Derby, the most famous race in America and the first in the Triple Crown series of three races.

Nyquist finished in first with a time of 2:01.31, beating last year's winner American Pharoah, in terms of time, by almost two seconds.

SEE MORE: One year after American Pharoah, racing faces uneasy future

Two weeks from now Nyquist will have a shot to take the second leg at the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., and then complete the Triple Crown on June 11 at the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Nyquist opened the day as the overwhelming favorite with 2-to-1 odds, Exaggerator was a 5-to-1 favorite and Gun Runner rounded out the top three with 10-to-1 odds. The favorite doesn't always come out on top, but in this case, Nyquist proved to be the strongest for a majority of the race.

SEE MORE: Check out full race highlights

The 142nd race in the iconic Churchill Downs drew a big crowd and millions more watched on television. This is one of those sporting events where, even if you don't follow the sport, it's always exciting to watch.

There's a lot of build-up for a two-plus minute race with about 20 different competitors, but it's an American tradition. Here's to hoping Nyqvist can follow in American Pharoah's footsteps and make a run at the 2016 Triple Crown.

BEAUTIFUL HATS, DECADENT DRINKS AND, OF COURSE, THE RACE:

Follow AOL Sports on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

Advertisement