The 139th running of the Kentucky Derby commenced at 6:33 pm[2] Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on May 4, 2013, at Churchill Downs.

[3] The favorite, Orb, won a purse of $1.4 million with a final time of 2:02.89, with Golden Soul finishing second and Revolutionary placing third.

[1] Security was increased in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings; coolers and large purses were banned.

[4] For the first time, the colts making the field in the Kentucky Derby qualified under a new points system.

[8] Connections for Carving, who was listed as "also eligible" after Fear the Kitten, elected not to make the trip to the Derby.

The win gave Hall of Fame trainer and native Kentuckian Shug McGaughey his first career Kentucky Derby victory.

Revolutionary trainer, Todd Pletcher, who had a record tying five horses in the field, remarked "I thought he ran super.

Riding Mylute, Rosie Napravnik's fifth-place finish was the highest ever by a female jockey, besting her own record of ninth place set in 2011.