Mystik Dan wins 150th Kentucky Derby by a nose in 3-horse photo finish
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The 150th Kentucky Derby produced one of the most dramatic finishes in its storied history — three noses at the wire.
Mystik Dan desperately fought to hang on with two challengers coming to him in the closing strides. He did, too, after a delay of several minutes while the closest three-horse photo finish since 1947 was sorted out.
That year, Jet Pilot won by a head over Phalanx and a length ahead of Faultless.
Mystik Dan, an 18-1 shot, edged Sierra Leone by a nose, with Forever Young another nose back in third on Saturday.
Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. squeezed Mystik Dan through a tight spot to reach the rail turning for home and the bay colt suddenly found another gear. He took off down the stretch and built a slight lead.
“When he shot through that spot, he was able to cut the corner and I asked him to go for it,” Hernandez said. “He shot off and I’m like, ‘Oh man, I’ve got a big chance to win the Kentucky Derby.’”
Mystik Dan got so close to the rail that Hernandez’s boot struck it.
“But I think we can buy another pair of boots,” he said.
The winner’s share of the record $5 million purse was $3.1 million, with the jockey and trainer typically earning 10% each.
“Just a brilliant, brilliant, brilliant jockey and ride,” McPeek said. “Brian is one of the most underrated jockeys, but not anymore, right?”
Sierra Leone, the second choice at 9-2 odds, and Forever Young from Japan gave chase and pressured the leader to the wire in front of 156,710 at Churchill Downs, the largest crowd since 2018.
It was just the 10th Kentucky Derby decided by a nose — the closest margin in horse racing — and the first since Grindstone edged Cavonnier to wear the garland of red roses in 1996.
The crowd waited several minutes in the heat and humidity as the result was reviewed by the stewards and declared official.
“The longest few minutes of my life,” Hernandez said, after he and Mystik Dan walked in circles while the stunning result was settled. “To see your number flash up to win the Derby, I don’t think it will sink in for a while.”
Fierceness, the 3-1 favorite, finished 15th in the field of 20 3-year-olds. Owner Mike Repole is 0 for 8 in the derby. He had the favorite in 2011 with Uncle Mo, who was scratched the day before the race with an illness. Last year, Forte was scratched the morning of the race as the favorite with a bruised foot.
Mystik Dan ran 1¼ miles over a fast track in 2:03.34 and paid $39.22, $16.32 and $10.
Hernandez and trainer Kenny McPeek had teamed for a wire-to-wire win in the Kentucky Oaks for fillies on Friday with Thorpedo Anna. McPeek is the first trainer to sweep both races since Ben Jones in 1952.
McPeek’s only other victory in a Triple Crown race was also a shocker: 70-1 Sarava won the 2002 Belmont Stakes — the biggest upset in that race’s history. The colt spoiled the Triple Crown bid of War Emblem.
The winning owners are cousins Lance and Brent Gasaway and Daniel Hamby III, all from Arkansas.
Sierra Leone returned $6.54 and $4.64. Forever Young was another nose back in third and paid $5.58 to show.
Sierra Leone lugged in and bumped Forever Young three times in the stretch, but jockey Ryusei Sakai didn’t claim foul.
Catching Freedom was fourth, followed by T O Password of Japan, Resilience, Stronghold, Honor Marie and Endlessly. Dornoch was 10th and then came Track Phantom, West Saratoga, Domestic Product, Epic Ride, Fierceness, Society Man, Just Steel, Grand Mo the First, Catalytic and Just a Touch.
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Twenty horses stampeding toward the first turn in a battle for position. A screaming crowd of 150,000 and a fast track.
It’s the 150th Kentucky Derby. Beyond a couple early wagering favorites, it’s a wide-open race.
Post time is 6:57 p.m. EDT Saturday. Gloomy skies and occasional rain drops have given way to blue skies and sunshine. The dirt surface was upgraded to fast a couple hours before the race after being muddy to start the day’s card.
Stylishly dressed fans in colorful outfits and large hats with plumage are seeking shelter from the sun amid high humidity. They’re sipping mint juleps in souvenir glasses, smoking cigars and eating strawberries on a stick.
The threat of wet weather dissipated as the day went on. Fierceness was holding as the 7-2 favorite, followed by Sierra Leone at 5-1. Forever Young, from Japan, was at 6-1, followed by Catching Freedom at 8-1 and Just a Touch at 10-1.
The Derby will answer the perennial question of which 3-year-old can best handle running 1 1/4 miles in front of the biggest crowd they will ever see and hear.
Fierceness and jockey John Velazquez will break from the No. 17 post, which has never produced a derby winner.
The costliest colt in the 20-horse field is Sierra Leone at $2.3 million.
“A lot of times you buy an expensive horse like that and they can’t run,” said Peter Brandt, one of the six owners. “We’ve very, very lucky he’s made it this far. We’re looking forward to this race but also looking forward to the future of taking care of this horse.”
Conversely, Larry Demeritte shelled out just $11,000 to buy Saratoga West. The 74-year-old Bahamas native has won 180 races and nearly $5 million in purse money since he started training in 1984. Demeritte is just the second Black trainer since 1951 to saddle a horse for the derby.
“This is truly amazing how we got to this position with this horse,” he said.
The Kentucky Derby winner earns $3.1 million from the record purse of $5 million.
Forever Young is one of two entries from Japan. The other is T O Password. The country has never won the race.
This year’s race is one for the ages, too. D. Wayne Lukas, the 88-year-old trainer with four Kentucky Derby wins, saddles Just Steel. Frankie Dettori, the famed Italian jockey, is back to ride Society Man at age 53 after a 24-year absence.
Trainer Todd Pletcher, who saddles Fierceness, is in the Kentucky Derby for the 24th year and it never gets old. He has won it twice.
“If anything, it just becomes more nerve-wracking,” he said.