LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Jockey Mario Gutierrez waved his arms in the air and wiped the mud off his face — perhaps with a sense of relief — after riding Nyquist to victory Saturday in the 142nd Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.
The favorite won. The favorite stayed unbeaten. The favorite held off the challenger, Exaggerator, on the home stretch. The favorite embarks on the next step in two weeks at The Preakness in an attempt to follow American Pharoah for the first back-to-back Triple Crown since 1977-78. Gutierrez handled that pressure.
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“This guy right here,” trainer Doug O’Neill said, pointing in Gutierrez's direction.