Beverly's 'Wicked Strong' Comes Up Short by a Nose in Midsummer Derby

“Wicked Strong,” the thoroughbred whose Beverly-based owners named it in honor of the Boston Marathon bombing victims, came up short by a nose in Saturday’s “Midsummer Derby” in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

With jockey Rajiv Maragh aboard, Wicked Strong finished a nose behind V.E. Day in the $1.25 million Travers Stakes, known as the Midsummer Derby at Saratoga Race Course. V.E. Day’s win was considered an upset, according to ESPN.

Both V.E. Day and Wicked Strong are trained by Jimmy Jerkins.

Wicked Strong’s ownership group, Centennial Farms, is headquartered in Beverly. The horse captured the hearts of the Boston area and the North Shore this spring after qualifying for the Kentucky Derby, where he finished fourth.

It is the second race for Wicked Strong at the Saratoga meet. On July 27, Wicked Strong won the Grade 2 $600,000 Jim Dandy over Belmont Stakes winner Tonalist, according to an Associated Press report. Tonalist was third in the Travers.

See a video of the race below.