Kentucky Derby 2017 undercard results: Graded races full of intense competition as weather clears up

Wet conditions gave way to sunshine, and the graded undercard races are benefiting.

The 2017 Kentucky Derby features more than just the one race everyone talks about for days to come. There are 11 races prior to the big event, and two that follow it.

Races 1 through 5 are ungraded races, with low purses, though full of plenty of great competition. The other undercard races tend to be even more competitive, with more experienced horses, all vying for much larger payouts.

Early wet conditions had the races being run in a lot of mud, but the weather began clearing up and the tracks were beginning to dry by the time the graded races started.

Race 6 - HUMANA DISTAFF STAKES

The seven-furlong dirt track Humana Distaff Stakes carries a $300,000 purse, and it was clear from the start that the seven-horse field would be very competitive as the horses and their jockeys fought for the win.

Paulassilverlining took home the top spot, racing ahead of second-place Finest City and third-place Carina Mia to secure the victory.

Heading into the race, Paulassilverlining had favorable 5-2 odds, a changed from the 7-2 morning line odds. Finest City had a 8-5 morning line, but was 3-2 at the start of the race, while Carina Mia came through the starting gate at 2-1 odds, the same odds as the morning line had set.

The victory was Paulassilverlining’s fourth in a row and 10th out of 20 races.

Race 7 - CHURCHILL DISTAFF TURF MILE STAKES

With a $300,000 purse and a quick mile over a turf track, it came as no surprise when the speedy duo of Believe in Bertie and Roca Rojo took the lead and raced neck-and-neck for a photo finish.

By a nose, Roca Rojo earned the victory in the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Stakes at Churchill Downs while Believe in Bertie was in second place.

Roca Rojo came into the race with 6-5 odds, a change from the morning line of 3-1.

Believe in Bertie had 6-1 morning line odds but started the race at 3-1, while third-place finisher Linda came out of the gate with 7-2 odds to win after a 5-1 morning line.

Race 8 - PAT DAY MILE STAKES

Back on the dirt track, the Pat Day Mile found Wild Shot earning first place in the pursuit of the top prize of the $250,000 purse.

Wild Shot raced to the finish line after pulling away on the final stretch, earning the win easily with space between them, with No Dozing coming across in second place, while Uncontested took third.

Morning line odds for the first-, second-, and third-place finishers were 4-1, 5-1, and 5-1, respectively. Those odds changed throughout the day with Wild Shot starting the race at 8-1 odds, followed by No Dozing’s 5-2 and 7-2 odds for Uncontested.

Race 9 - AMERICAN TURF STAKES

Turf races are typically slightly faster than dirt track, and that was the case in the American Turf Stakes undercard event at Churchill Downs.

The 1-1/16-mile turf track race found the speedster Arklow taking home the victory by a length thanks to a strong showing. Taking second place in the race was Good Samaritan, while Big Score finished in third.

The race, which carried a purse of $300,000, found Arklow leaving the starting gates with 15-1 odds after coming into the day with a 12-1 morning line. Good Samaritan had 3-1 odds to begin the race and 5-1 morning line odds, while Big Score’s morning line was 6-1 and finished 5-1.

Race 10 - CHURCHILL DOWNS STAKES

The weather has warmed up, the sun has been out, and the dirt tracks at Churchill Downs are starting to dry up nicely.

That was evident in the seven-furlong dirt track Churchill Downs Stakes race Saturday afternoon.

The race, which carries a $500,000 purse, featured 14 horses. Those horses were led by Limousine Liberal for a first-place finish. Not too far behind was Awesome Slew, while Tom’s Ready took third place.

Limousine Liberal opened up this morning with 10-1 odds, but those changed to 13-1 by the start of the race. Awesome Slew’s race-time odds were 4-1, moved from the 5-2 morning line, while Tom’s Ready was 15-1 and 20-1 at the starting gate and morning line, respectively.

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Ungraded Early Races Results

Race 1

Race day at the Kentucky Derby kicked off with the opening race of the day featuring a one-mile race for 3-year-old horses over Churchill Downs’ dirt track.

Maximum Beauty, which started the day out with 15-1 morning line odds then climbed to 5-1 before the gates opened, raced to the first-place finish to beat out second-place Ring Me Up and No Fault in third place.

Ring Me Up had morning line odds of 10-1 and rose to a 4-1 line before the start of the race. No Fault likely disappointed bettors, starting the day at 2-1 odds before climbing to the race-favorite 7-2 odds at the gate.

The day’s opening race carried a purse of $62,000.

Race 2

Racing continued with an exciting finish over the 1-1/16-mile dirt track. No Mo Dough earned the win in the race, which carried a purse of $67,000, after surging in the final stretch to overtake Awesome Saturday.

No Mo Dough came into the day with a 4-1 morning line but fell to 8-1 by the start of the race. Awesome Saturday finished second, having started with 4-1 odds and opening the gates at 7-2. Underpressure took the third-place finish after opening race day at 7-2 and finishing with 5-1 odds.

Bettors had figured Donwell to be a dangerous horse, and the bets showed it. The morning line had odds at 8-1, but they steadily climbed to 5-2 to make Donwell the race-time favorite before finishing in fourth place.

Race 3

The third race of the day featured wet conditions, a delay due to a shoe repair, and a wild finish as Rocket Time crossed the line for the top spot in the one-mile race over two lengths from the nearest competitor.

Rocket Time came from behind to hold onto second place for the last quarter of the race before pulling ahead and leaving the competition behind. Morning line odds had the horse at 5-1 odds before climbing to 5-2 and proving bettors right. In second was Mo Tom, which had 3-1 odds Saturday morning and 7-2 to start the race. Far Right finished third, carrying 21-1 odds across the finish after starting the day with 10-1 morning line odds.

The race held an $82,000 purse.

Race 4

The dirt track continued to get used, and even more muddied, as Caviar Czar took home the top spot of the fourth race of the day.

Caviar Czar took the lead in the 1-1/8-mile race and didn’t look back, defeating Perfect Partner in second and Encrypt in third place.

Caviar Czar started the day with 7-2 odds, but began the race at 3-1, while Perfect Partner stepped up to the starting gate with 5-2 odds after a 5-1 morning line. Encrypt had 10-1 odds and a 4-1 morning line.

Race 5

The first turf race of the day actually featured something else that has been rare during Saturday’s morning events at Churchill Downs — sunshine!

Sir Dudley Digges took advantage of the turf, the sunshine, and the 1-mile length and pushed ahead of the pack to earn the victory. Sir Dudley Digges’ morning line odds were 4-1, but stood at 7-2 when the gates opened.

Taking second place in a very tight race was Crescent Drive, finishing just ahead of Ghurair in third. Crescent Drive had a 20-1 odds to start the race after a 10-1 morning line. Ghurair was at 10-1 at the morning line, and was 16-1 to begin the race.

The race carried a purse of $72,000.