Nyquist is halfway to becoming the third consecutive horse to claim the first two legs of the Triple Crown after Saturday's triumph in the 142nd Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.  

Jockey Mario Gutierrez had a magnificent trip in the irons for trainer Doug O'Neill's Nyquist in Louisville, Kentucky. Exaggerator and Gun Runner finished second and third, respectively, in the field of 20.

Check out the results below, along with a listing of the payouts for those who finished in the money and the spoils rewarded to bettors who predicted the proper order of finish:

Per ESPN Stats & Info, Nyquist was the eighth undefeated horse to win the Kentucky Derby; the victory marked his eighth win in as many career starts.

NBC Sports @NBCSports

WATCH: Nyquist wins the 142nd #KentuckyDerby!

As was expected, speed horse Danzing Candy led entering the first quarter-mile to set an ambitious early pace and continued stretching his lead with a 45.72-second half-mile time.

PaulickReport.com's Ray Paulick outlined how the Run for the Roses unfolded time-wise:

Ray Paulick @raypaulick

Danzing Candy set pace (22.58, 45.72, 110.40), then Nyquist and Mario Gutierrez took over, mile in 135.61, mile and a quarter in 201.31.

Gun Runner and Nyquist were consistently contending while Danzing Candy ran to the front, but the former two eventually eclipsed the latter entering the final few furlongs.

Then Gutierrez hit the gas and allowed Nyquist to surge ahead. Exaggerator made a magnificent late push similar to how he won the Santa Anita Derby, but it wasn't quite enough to overtake Nyquist in the end. Mohaymen also put up a valiant effort in a photo finish with Gun Runner but settled for fourth.

The pre-race favorite has now won the past four Kentucky Derbies, per Dan Wolken of USA Today, and Nyquist did so in front of the second-biggest crowd ever: 167,227 were in attendance for the race.

Ron Flatter of CBS Sports Radio highlighted how much Nyquist's winning time of 2:01.31 stood out from the recent crowd of favored champions:

Ron Flatter @ronflatter

#Nyquist's 2:01.31 was the fastest @KentuckyDerby win since #FunnyCide in 2003. SoCal has won the last three adn 4 of the last 5 Derbies.

Having never run at 1 ¼ miles before, Nyquist had the endurance to not only hang tough with Danzing Candy's ambitious pace, but also to find another gear when he needed it.

Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde is among those buying the Triple Crown candidacy of Nyquist:

Pat Forde @YahooForde

Nyquist rolls in the Kentucky Derby, and yes it's time to rekindle the Triple Crown talk. Has been the best 3 y.o. All year.

Jay Privman of the Daily Racing Form had a nice pun reaction to Nyquist crossing the finish line first at Churchill Downs:

Jay Privman @DRFPrivman

When it comes to Derby wins, O'Neill-Reddam-Gutierrez said they'll have another.

O'Neill and Gutierrez teamed together previously to win the Kentucky Derby with I'll Have Another, who went on to win the Preakness. The fact they've had shared success at Pimlico previously is another good sign for Nyquist's chances to capture the Triple Crown's second jewel.

Nyquist has big shoes to fill as he gears up on a short turnaround for the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, May 21, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.

American Pharoah achieved the Triple Crown last year—the first to do so since Affirmed in 1978. California Chrome won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness in 2014 before finishing fourth at the Belmont Stakes.

There has been considerable drama during the past two Triple Crown seasons, so we'll see whether Nyquist has the goods to live up to the hype and hold casual fans' interest through the Preakness.

A perception of parity surrounds the top three-year-old horses in 2016. While Nyquist could use the Kentucky Derby as a springboard to separate himself from the rest, his Triple Crown bid may well come to an abrupt halt at Pimlico.

The last time a Kentucky Derby winner entered the race undefeated was Big Brown in 2008. Smarty Jones, who was also undefeated entering the Kentucky Derby in 2004, was the last horse to win from the No. 13 post. Smarty Jones then proceeded to win the Preakness before finishing second in the Belmont Stakes.

Something similar could be in store for Nyquist, who has proved capable of getting the job done at any pace and track he's been on.

The heightened stakes at Churchill Downs didn't faze him, and as long as he handles the short time between now and the Preakness well, he'll be the deserved, prohibitive favorite at Pimlico.

Post-Race Reaction

O'Neill likened Nyquist to recently retired Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant in an interview captured by At The Races on Twitter:

At The Races @AtTheRaces

Hear from trainer Doug O'Neill after Nyquist's Kentucky Derby success. #KyDerby

"Any human sport, he'd be a top-notch athlete as well," said O'Neill of Nyquist, per the Courier-Journal's Derby News on Twitter.

Owner Paul Reddam cited his prior glory with I'll Have Another when discussing Nyquist, saying, per The Blood-Horse on Twitter, "Having been close to a possible Triple Crown, you realize it doesn't happen until it happens."

Reddam was also relieved Nyquist proved his detractors wrong as to whether he could navigate the full distance of the Kentucky Derby.

"A lot of people said he couldn't go a mile-and-a-quarter. It made me nervous even though I didn't believe them," Reddam said. He added, "I'm glad [Nyquist] didn't believe them either."

Exaggerator jockey Keith Desormeaux glowed about the colt he mounted afterwards, saying, per the Lexington Herald-Leader, "What a horse. I can't respect that horse enough."

Gun Runner trainer Steve Asmussen said, "We tried to win. A solid pace. Nyquist was the horse to beat. I loved where Gun Runner was."