2012 Arkansas Derby Result: Bodemeister Runs His Way To The Kentucky Derby (with Video)

Bodemeister, running without the blinkers in his fourth career start, grabbed the early lead at Oaklawn Park and ran the rest of his rivals into the ground on his way to a dominating victory in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby. Secret Circle, winner of the Rebel and Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn this spring, gave chase at the top of the stretch but, once again, drifted out in the stretch, preventing him from sustaining any momentum and any chance to catch the runaway winner. Secret Circle held on to finish second, Sabercat got up for third, while Cozzetti completes the Superfecta.

Bodemeister is a three-year-old son of Empire Maker out of a Storm Cat mare (Untouched Talent), trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith.

Beodemeister, with his win in the Arkansas Derby, is on his way to Louisville for the 2012 Kentucky Derby.

Below are the payouts, fractions, internal splits and video replay (via NBC Sports) for the Arkansas Derby. Check out the closing split from Bodemesiter: 11.98. He got away with a really slow 4th quarter - 25.38 - but that's because no one was challenging him. However, the early splits - 23.02 and 46.55 - were legit, and he still finished up well. Solid performance.

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Result Chart (via DRF.com)