LOUISVILLE, Ky. - They had won more than 1,600 races together -- including a Belmont Stakes with a filly -- and for nearly two decades have been the dominant jockey-and-trainer combination in North American racing.

When it came to the Kentucky Derby, however, jockey John Velazquez and trainer Todd Pletcher had come up goose eggs, going winless in 11 prior years together dating to 2000, the first year Pletcher ran a horse in the race.

While both men had won the Kentucky Derby separately, they felt their careers wouldn’t be complete unless they could win one together.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – For all the abuse trainer Todd Pletcher has seen come his way for his record in the Kentucky Derby, winning with one of his first 45 starters, his win on Saturday with Always Dreaming in the 143rd Derby might have been his finest hour here at Churchill Downs.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Thunder Snow bucked wildly just after the start of the Kentucky Derby and did not finish the race, but all signs point to the colt being uninjured.

Thunder Snow was away slowly and almost immediately dropped to the tail of the field, and when jockey Christophe Soumillon threw the reins at him to try to urge his mount into the race, Thunder Snow bucked several times and quickly was pulled up.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – For a guy still chasing the dream of winning his first Kentucky Derby, a dream deferred for at least another year, trainer Steve Asmussen seemed quite jubilant following Lookin At Lee’s second-place finish behind Always Dreaming in the Derby on Saturday.

“I’m so very proud of Lee,” said an enthused Asmussen, who had a giant smile on his face despite the Kentucky Derby remaining the only really significant item missing on his Hall of Fame résumé. “That’s just who he is. He just did what he always does, the way he performed out there today.

Wagering on the Kentucky Oaks and its accompanying 13-race card at Churchill Downs in Louisville on Friday was down slightly despite chilly temperatures, intermittent rainfall, and a sharp drop in the ontrack crowd, according to charts and figures released by Churchill late on Friday.

Wagering on the Oaks, including all horizontal bets paying off on the race, was $14.80 million, down 1 percent from last year and down 1.7 percent from the record of $15.05 million set in 2015, according to charts of the races. The Oaks had a 14-horse field this year, the same as last year.

Hardened horseplayers know that to survive long term in this game, you need to get value on your plays. That's all of your plays, including the Kentucky Derby. On the other hand, the casual sports fan simply wants to know who will win the race and isn't really interested in which horses are the best value plays. Hence the plight of the public handicapper, who tries to balance the two approaches.

Anybody can train the winner of a Kentucky Derby. Anybody.

You can be born in a Georgia log cabin like Tom Smith, a Yorkshire mining village like John Longden, or a Havana barrio like Lazaro Barrera.

You can win it in your first try, like Ben Jones, Frank Childs, or Jim Fitzsimmons, or in your only try, like Don Cameron, George Conway, or Neil Drysdale.

A winning trainer can be as young as Hollie Hughes, who was 27, or James Rowe Sr., who was 24, or wait until deep into the twilight of a satisfying career, like Charlie Whittingham, Mack Miller, or Art Sherman.

Churchill Downs

Weather: Cloudy

Track: Fast

Temp.: 52

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A couple of key players here this weekend, IRISH WAR CRY and PARADISE WOODS, put on a pretty good show for railbirds Thursday at Churchill Downs during the final regular morning of training for the 3-year-olds competing in Friday’s Kentucky Oaks and Saturday’s Kentucky Derby.

Grade 1 Kentucky Derby | 1 1/4 Miles, Dirt, 3-year-olds | Churchill Downs, Race 12, 6:34 p.m. (ET)

Most Likely Winner: Classic Empire (#14)