Firing Line came in second and Dortmund placed third in front of a record setting crowd of 170,513 spectactors.

This is the second consecutive Kentucky Derby win for rider Victor Espinoza. He piloted California Chrome for the win in 2014. He also won two parts of the Triple Crown with War Emblem in 2002.

"I feel like the luckiest Mexican on Earth," Espinoza said after the victory.

American Pharoah has a winning pedigree. His father is Pioneerof the Nile, who finished second at the Kentucky Derby in 2009.

Espinoza described the final leg of the 2:03.02 lap:

"Turning for home I started riding a little harder. At the eighth pole, I just couldn’t put (Firing Line) away, but he got it done."