LOUISVILLE, Kent. — Montana-trained Bolt d’Oro finished 12th in the 144th running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday afternoon.
Derby-favorite Justify became the sixth consecutive favorite to win the race, remaining undefeated in a time of 2:04.20. Hall of fame trainer Bob Baffert earned Kentucky Derby win No. 5. Baffert was the trainer for Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in 2015.
Good Magic finished second, while Audible took third.
Ike Green, who trained Bolt d’Oro for five months in Bigfork, told MTN Sports earlier in the week he thought the thoroughbred would win the most famous event in horse racing. Bolt d’Oro entered the race with 8-1 final odds, the fifth-best among the 20 horses entered in the race.
Bolt d’Oro left the gates with a decent start, moving as high as third place in the opening seconds. He finished the first half-mile in fourth place, then moved up to third place at the three-quarter mile mark. As the horses entered the final stretch of the track, Bolt d’Oro had moved into second place behind Justify, but faded into the pack as Justify jetted away from the competition.
Bolt d’Oro was attempting to become the second horse with strong Montana ties to win the prestigious Derby. Spokane, which was born in Twin Bridges, sped through the track to a first-place finish in the 1889 Kentucky Derby. Jockey Victor Espinoza rode Bolt d’Oro to the 12th-place finish. Espinoza won the Triple Crown aboard American Pharoah in 2015 and has won the Derby on three separate occasions.
The 2018 running of the race was officially marked as the wettest Kentucky Derby Day on record, breaking the old mark of 2.31 inches of rain in 1918. The horses sprinted through the muddy conditions, where nearly 160,000 people were in attendance to watch Justify win the 144th Derby.
Justify will attempt the second leg of the Triple Crown on May 19 at The Preakness Stakes in Baltimore.
