Greenwich Resident's 'Upstart' Finishes the Kentucky Derby

Upstart, the colt that’s owned by Greenwich resident Ralph Evans, finished 18th in a 20-horse field in the 2015 running of the Kentucky Derby Saturday evening.

As the gates opened at the fabled Churchill Downs, the odds of Upstart winning the 141st running of the Derby was 20 to 1. With two scratches from the original field of 21, Upstart was one of 19 horses to bolt from the gates with jockey Jose Ortiz in the saddle for the 1 ¼-mile race.

At the gate, the favorites were American Pharoah at 5 to 2 odds, Carpe Diem at 4 to 1 and Dortmund at 4-1 odds. American Pharaoh won in 2 minutes, 3.102 seconds before a record crowd of 170,513.

Upstart was born at Sunnyfield Farm in Bedford, NY and is trained by Rick Violette Jr. At the first turn, the horses were three wide with Upstart eight lengths behind Dortmund who was leading at that point.

Upstart was a favorite to win by The Washington Post’s handicapper Andrew Beyer who on Friday, picked the horse to win.

Beyer had said he was not overly impressed with the field of favorites, including American Pharoah and Carpe Diem, and believes Upstart has a chance partly because he has run strong recently.

“Although Upstart has won just three of his seven starts, he has run well in every one of them,” Beyer wrote.

“We’re hoping for the best, but just to get there is a big thrill,” Evans told News 12 Connecticut. Evans has owned thoroughbreds for 50 years. Evans began racing horses in the mid-1960s and his greatest accomplishment before Upstart was a horse named March Magic that won 6 of her 22 starts including the 2001 Molly Pitcher Breeders’ Cup Handicap, according to the Derby website. Evans found his business success working on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

To earn a spot in the starting gate, horses must travel the ‘Road to the Kentucky Derby,’ a series of 35 designated races at tracks across the country and around the world, according to the Derby’s website. Points are awarded to the top four finishers in each race. The 20 horses with the most points earn a spot in the starting gate.

The winner receives $1,240,000, second place receives $400,000, third place receives $200,000, fourth place receives $100,000 and fifth place receives $60,000 from the guaranteed purse of $2 million.

The derby is considered the first jewel of the triple crown for the horse who also wins The Preakness to be run at the Pimlico Race Track in Baltimore on May 16 and the Belmont Stakes scheduled for June 6 at Belmont Park in Elmont, NY.

Photo: Upstart. Photo credit: TSN and The Canadian Press