WATCH THE HIGHLIGHTS OF KENTUCKY DERBY DAY

JUSTIFY won the 144th Grade 1 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, taking the 10-furlong classic in style and extending his unbeaten record to four. Mike Smith was in the saddle.

The Bob Baffert-trained chesnut, who won the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on his previous start, is the first horse in over a century to win the race having not run even once as a two-year-old.

The only other horse to achieve that feat was Apollo in 1882.

Heavy and continual rain turned the track sloppy, presenting an added challenge to the 20 runners, most of whom had never raced before in such conditions.

Having been hampered at the start, Ryan Moore got Mendelssohn into a decent position a few lengths off the leaders in the early stages but his mount failed to fire and faded to finish in rear.

Like Mendelssohn, the winning colt is a son of late Ashford Stud stallion Scat Daddy.

Last year's Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile star Good Magic was second for trainer Chad Brown and jockey Jose Ortiz, and Grade 1 Florida Derby scorer Audible took third for Todd Pletcher and Javier Castellano.

Winning the race for the fifth time, Baffert told NBC Sports: “When he got away clean, I felt we had a chance. I knew there was going to be a hot pace, but he was doing it easily.

“Him and American Pharoah and Arrogate – these horses are cut from a different cloth. They are so great and it took a great horse to do what he did today.

“I rank him up there with my top ones. When he broke his maiden, we knew we had something special.

“I’m glad it’s over. This track really had me worried, I was nervous all day.”

Mendelssohn’s eclipse means the wait for a European-trained winner of the ‘Run for the Roses’ goes on, with the second place achieved by Clive Brittain’s Bold Arrangement in 1986 remaining the best finish to date.

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