IEAH Stables and Paul Pompa Jr.’s Big Brown justified his trainer’s confidence and the faith of the betting public by powering to a 4 3/4-length victory over Fox Hill Farms’ filly Eight Belles to win the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands before a crowd of 157,770, the second-largest in history.

In becoming the first horse to win from the 20 hole since Clyde Van Dusen in 1929, Big Brown gave jockey Kent Desormeaux his third victory in the Run for the Roses and trainer Rick Dutrow his first with his initial Kentucky Derby starter.

A Kentucky-bred son of Boundary out of the Nureyev mare Mien, Big Brown became the seventh undefeated Kentucky Derby winner in history and third in the past five years, following on the heels of Smarty Jones in 2004 and Barbaro in 2006.

Desormeaux’s other Derby victories came in 1998 aboard Real Quiet and 2000 on Fusaichi Pegasus. Desormeaux is the fifth jockey to win the Kentucky Derby three times.

The victory was overshadowed by an injury to Eight Belles, who broke both front ankles and was immediately euthanized after the race.