American Pharoah, Victor Espinoza win 141st Kentucky Derby

LOUISVILLE, Ky., May 3 (UPI) -- American Pharoah, ridden by Mexican-born jockey Victor Espinoza, won the 141st running of America's biggest horse race: the Kentucky Derby.

American Pharoah, the betting favorite, won by one length over second-place Firing Line and third-pace Dortmund. Attendance at the Churchill Downs racetrack in Louisville, Ky., was an all-time high of 170,513.

"I think I'm just a lucky Mexican to win three Kentucky Derbys, and two in a row," Espinoza said. "And I'm just enjoying every moment."

American Pharoah was named during a contest by a fan, where "pharaoh" was incorrectly spelled. The misspelled name was placed on an electronic form to a website where owners register their horses.

The name American Pharoah is now trademarked.

"This American Pharoah, he's just something. (He) keeps bringing it. He makes a trainer really look good," Bob Baffert, Pharoah's trainer, said. "Thank God for great horses."

American Pharoah's owner, Egyptian-born Ahmed Zayat, said he was proud of his horse.

"This is one special horse," "I was very reluctant to hype him, but the horse does the talking."