Borel steered the Kentucky-bred bay along the rail in a ground-saving ride that gave America's leading trainer, Todd Pletcher, his first Derby after his 24 previous charges failed to deliver.

"Obviously Calvin was in a beautiful spot the whole way," said Pletcher. "We didn't want to handcuff him with too many instructions. We knew he would like the safe ground and the only thing I told him was, 'ride him like you own him.' "He's an instinctive rider and he knows this track so well.

He knows the horse well, he's ridden him well each time he's been on him. It was as simple as that." A late kick by Ice Box enabled the Florida Derby winner to finish second, 2-1/2 lengths behind Super Saver, while Paddy O'Prado took the show spot in the capacity field of 20.

Churchill Downs-based Borel, nicknamed "Bo-Rail" for his penchant for hugging the inside, employed the tactic to perfection in winning the $2.2 million race for three-year-olds.

The 43-year-old seized the lead in the stretch using a right-handed whip and crossed the finish line without a serious challenge from Ice Box, ridden by Jose Lezcano.

The soft-spoken Borel flashed a broad smile as his colt jogged to a halt and held up three fingers, one for each of his Derby triumphs. The crowd roared their approval.

"This is what I wanted to do all my life," said Borel, who won with 50-1 longshot Mine That Bird last year in the slop and was in the saddle for Street Sense's victory in 2007.

"It's every jockey's dream to win the Derby and I never dreamed I would win three Derbies," said Borel. "But I've worked hard and I'm dedicated to this job and I love the game.

"It's just what I love to do, and I'm very successful with it. I'm very blessed." Super Saver covered the 1 º miles over the dirt in 2:04.45 as the second-favorite behind Bob Baffert's Lookin At Lucky, who got bumped at the start and finished sixth.

Baffert, seeking his fourth victory in the "Run for the Roses," said his Kentucky-bred bay lost the race well before entering the starting gate.

"I lost all chance at the post position draw when I drew the one (post)," said the Hall of Famer. "I had a bad feeling about it. But that's horse racing. You have good luck and bad luck." A daylong deluge turned the track into a soupy mess yet minutes before the race the sun poked through the clouds, delighting the fashion-minded but rain-weary crowd.

For the first time since he began saddling horses in the Derby in 2000, Pletcher will leave Louisville with a smile on his face.

"I'm no better a trainer today than I was yesterday," said Pletcher, who has won four Eclipse Awards as the top US trainer. "No better than when I woke up this morning. Won't be any better tomorrow. We'll try to keep doing everything the way we have always done it and hopefully we can keep doing well.

"It's really the opportunity that these guys (the owners) gave me with a special colt, and we were fortunate enough to get it done."