Barbaro unveiled serious Triple Crown potential by roaring to an easy 6 1/2-length victory in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. Kentucky-bred Barbaro, under the guidance of jockey Edgar Prado, took the lead just before the quarter pole and drew away from the rest of the field to stroll home in a solid 2:01.36.

Bluegrass Cat finished a distant second, while Steppenwolfer grabbed the show spot. Barbaro has now won all six of his races and will be shipped to Baltimore for the Preakness Stakes in two weeks. Michael Matz, 55, an Olympic silver medal-winning equestrian rider, becomes the fourth straight trainer to claim the Derby on his first attempt.

On July 19, 1989, Matz was a passenger on a United Airlines flight that crashed in a cornfield in Sioux City, Iowa. Of the 285 passengers and 11 crew members on the plane, 112 died.

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