Animal Kingdom is the winner of the 2011 Kentucky Derby, paying out 20/1 odds to horse racing fans who realized just how wide-open the field was for the 137th derby. Nehro placed, Mucho Macho Man showed, and favorite Dialed In finished all the way back at eighth. Archarcharch had to be removed by ambulance from the track after finishing 15th, but his injury is not considered life-threatening.
Late betting favorite Twice The Appeal, piloted by Calvin Borel, failed to make a dent in the final standings, finishing 10th, while early leader Shackleford fell to fourth in the last moments of the race.
Animal Kingdom had been as high as 30/1 in the morning odds but fell to 20/1 in late betting action. Previews on our horse racing blog showed that our experts were uncertain about his ability to run on dirt—he’d run his entire career to this point on synthetic surfaces, although Matt Gardner conceded that his trainer, Garham Motion, can usually read just how prepared a horse is for a new surface.