Nyquist, the Kentucky Derby winner and 2015 champion juvenile male, could have been had by anyone willing to be the highest bidder on three separate occasions.

Uncle Mo was already the hottest young sire on the planet before the first Saturday in May, but just how much hotter will he get after Nyquist’s victory in the 142nd Kentucky Derby? Does any doubt remain that Uncle Mo is the real deal?

One of the biggest winners of the Kentucky Derby and Oaks weekend didn’t run a horse in either of the marquee races.

Sheikh Mohammed al-Maktoum’s Darley America picked up another big win for its stallion roster Friday when Cathryn Sophia, a daughter of Street Boss, drew away to win the Kentucky Oaks. The following day, future Darley resident Nyquist took home the roses as the favorite in the Kentucky Derby.

Nyquist was an unbeaten juvenile champion, just like his sire, and was made the morning-line favorite for the Kentucky Derby, just like his sire. The question was, could he go the classic distance, something his sire had never done?

The answer was a resounding yes. Nyquist remained undefeated in eight starts with an emphatic victory in the Kentucky Derby last Saturday at Churchill Downs, giving the outstanding young sire Uncle Mo a classic winner from his first crop.

The race portion of a three-plus-hour broadcast of the Kentucky Derby on NBC Saturday posted a 9.3 overnight rating, according to the television network, down 14 percent compared with the overnight rating for the same portion of the broadcast last year.

The broadcast, which ran a half-hour beyond its slotted broadcast window because of a long delay in getting horses to the starting gate, had a 21 share, down 12.5 percent from the share last year. Share measures the percentage of televisions in use that are tuned to a broadcast.

Consider these finish positions in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby:

Third, beaten 4 1/2 lengths (was fifth a half-stride past the wire).

10th, beaten 14 1/2 lengths.

12th, beaten 17 lengths.

14th, beaten 18 1/2 lengths.

15th, beaten 20 lengths.

19th, beaten 37 1/4 lengths.

Eased.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - When it comes to winning the Kentucky Derby, trainer Doug O'Neill, owner Paul Reddam, and jockey Mario Gutierrez said they'll have another.

Four years after teaming to win with the longshot I'll Have Another, they won the 142nd Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs with Nyquist, who remained unbeaten after eight starts and put his name alongside Seattle Slew as the only horses to have won their divisional championship at age 2 and remained unbeaten through a victory in the Kentucky Derby.

Handle on the Kentucky Derby this year dipped to its lowest level since 2011, and the overnight television rating slipped to its lowest point since 2012, a surprising show of weakness rooted somewhat in the crash of a popular account-wagering site and, perhaps, the cathartic effect of last year’s successful Triple Crown bid.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – What’s the first word that comes to mind when it comes to the team of Nyquist and jockey Mario Gutierrez? Perfection!

Gutierrez is undefeated in eight starts aboard Nyquist after putting up a textbook ride in guiding the undefeated, reigning juvenile male champion to a popular victory in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs. The win was the second in as many tries for Gutierrez in America’s most prestigious horse race. In 2012, he rode I’ll Have Another to victory for the same connections, owner Paul  Reddam and trainer Doug O’Neill.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – If trainer Keith Desormeaux was disappointed about coming up 1 1/4 lengths short of winning the Kentucky Derby in his first try, it certainly was hard to tell.

“I don’t know how I could feel any better if I had won,” Desormeaux said.

It took the 49-year-old Desormeaux 25 years to get to the Kentucky Derby, and his horse ran too well to be upset. A bit of traffic 3 1/2 furlongs from the wire could have meant the difference between winning and losing. In the end, Exaggerator finished second to Nyquist, who remained unbeaten in eight starts.